I have very similar stats and experienced exactly the same feelings. We also thought there was no reason why I wouldn’t be deferred, who knows what they’ll see in RD? I also am now wondering if I’m overestimating my ability to get into college.
2 Likes
You’re absolutely not overestimating. No second-guessing, and no regrets. Our family learned last year that what happens in the ED cycle has absolutely no bearings on what will happen in the RD cycle (unless an applicant is being really unrealistic about chances, which you’re not). Take a few days to feel sad, and then focus your attention on the future, which is still very bright.
8 Likes
Hey there
I was wondering if anyone can tell me whether is it ok to apply for Williams adjacent schools especially after the rejection that hit hard and honestly I didn’t think id be affected to this extend.
I’m an international student wanting aid
3.85 UW (second highest at my school)
Good EC (international competition like ISEF global participant and Singapore international math competition with a silver medal)
I wrote my own research paper with pioneer academics in the field of computational physics and got it published in a local journal (mine was one of 21 papers published)
I have got two other recommendations with one being from a Former President of the National Authority of Remote Sensing and Space Science of my country and the other is from a TA that I got engaged with during a summer program.
Do I have a shot at other schools or should I back up a bit?
I’m sadly test optional too
1 Like
You’re a great candidate, but as an international student looking for financial aid, it will be harder. Try for some schools that are need blind for international students, and make sure you have targets and safeties along with your Williams-adjacent reaches.
2 Likes
@Noonehelps this day is really hard, and I’m sure we can all understand that you would feel disappointed today. And of course you should feel free, budget warranting, to apply to other top liberal arts colleges in the US.
That said, based on what you’ve told us here, I would strongly consider opportunities in your home country, and if coming to the US is important to you, significantly less-competitive schools that are need-blind for international students. (Berea is the only school I know in this category, though there may be others.) Selectivity for need-blind international students at these schools is just exceedingly high, and being test-optional is very unlikely to help your chances. You are going to be competing with a very large pool of applicants with top academics, international recognition, and impactful activities.
A chance me thread with more detail from you might help CC members suggest other options while you still have some time.
Best of luck to you!
2 Likes
Stay positive, your accomplishments to date are very compelling, you will do very well at a LAC and will likely graduate as a top student with abundant academic or career opportunities. I am struck that almost inevitably the valedictorian at graduation is an international student who has clearly enriched the school more than most.
2 Likes
Yes and yes. You may be a perfect fit for another school like Williams. Or for another that seems like an easier admit. You need to pursue both.
2 Likes
Many thanks for all the advice and responses.
I wasn’t that articulate. D24 will still apply to other schools in the Williams tier of selectivity. I was trying to express the (not necessarily rational) emotional feeling of the rejection—e.g., the natural tendency to second guess one’s place and the contradictory feeling of objectively knowing that admission was unlikely and yet still being emotionally stung by it.
That said, it was really good to hear the words and anecdotes of hope!
Again, I’m super-stoked for everyone that got in. My only advice is to urge your kids to take at least one tutorial! It annoys me that only roughly half of Williams students take advantage of such an amazing opportunity.
8 Likes
I totally get it. This whole very dubious concept of the one ED/REA/SCEA giving you a special chance makes a lot of kids feel like if it doesn’t work they will surely do worse without it. I believe that is completely wrong, but it is very understandable why they might feel that way given all the hype about ED/REA/SCEA.
So personally, I understand it is going to be a process working through the disappointment, not something people can just turn off at will.
2 Likes
The tutorials offered at Williams are cool, and I love how they are “institutionalized” within the college … but every LAC I know of offers what are often called “directed studies” in which the student and a faculty member investigate a topic of mutual interest. The idea is that these are opportunities to investigate topics that are not covered in the standard curriculum. Typically, these begin with a student asking a faculty member about the possibility of doing this type of work after they have already taken another class with that professor. So for your child, no matter where they end up, they can still have this type of experience 
4 Likes
This. And…I cannot over stress the randomness of the whole thing. It is very unusual to find kids (apart from high stats UMFG) getting into a bunch of highly selective schools. Which would not be the case if there was some science to picking a class. Yeah, yeah, I know. People will say institutional priorities differ etc. etc. etc. But still.
I would love to conduct a study where the Williams (or any other) admissions committee is presented with the exact same candidate pool next year and has to pick a class. My hunch is the intersection between the two would be no more than 20%.
You didn’t make the class at Williams. But you may very well somewhere else.
Of course, it goes without saying that you need a balanced list of targets and safeties too.
And my final thought (confirmed by an academic study) is that the mere fact you even had the ability to apply to Williams means your likely life outcome will be no different from those who actually got in to Williams.
4 Likes
In my opinion, you should not be discouraged, but you may benefit from considering colleges with slightly more accommodating acceptance rates than that of Williams. This post offers brief descriptions of some comparable colleges and may offer you ideas: Struggling with D21's List. ED & ED2: Amherst, Hamilton, Wellesley, Vassar - #7 by merc81. Based on your apparent interests in physics, math and data science, Hamilton could make an excellent choice, for example. Students interested in, say, cognitive science may want to consider Vassar; for those interested in economics, Middlebury may be desirable (Economics rankings: US Economics Departments at Liberal Arts Colleges | IDEAS/RePEc). As with Williams, the schools just listed are all strong across a range of academic disciplines. For substantiation of some of these suggestions, this (now older) Forbes article may be worth a view: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nataliesportelli/2017/04/26/10-expensive-colleges-worth-every-penny-2017/amp/.
1 Like
Has anyone seen the ED stats posted anywhere? I cant find them yet.
1 Like
They usually have an article in The Williams Record regarding admission stats. I checked their website, there was nothing today.
It appears to me the Record is on a weekly schedule–they recently only had news articles 11/1, 11/8, 11/15, (skipped 11/22–presumably Thanksgiving-related), 11/29 and 12/6.
So I am guesstimating they will publish the college’s press release on 12/13. I will give myself an extra holiday chocolate if I am right . . . .
That was my guess also but I was hoping that my googling skills have just failed me and that someone else found the info! (Ha!!)
It is entirely up to you. For what it is worth, we had someone from my school last year get rejected from Vanderbilt ED1 (not even deferral), but had amazing RD results–full ride to 4 schools including Amherst and Harvard. What I am trying to say is your Williams rejection doesn’t mean anything.
You definitely should be honest with yourself and spend some time reflecting on your achievements, but do not assume you are weak just based on a rejection from the top LAC in the US.
Your achievements look impressive, mainly the ISEF participation. Can you elaborate on it? Were you invited to ISEF after rounds of national science fairs? If so, how competitive was the process?
4 Likes
Having followed your accomplished daughter’s search on CC, I wish her the very best of luck moving forward.
1 Like
I think that due, in part to grade inflation and test optional, there are far more well qualified applicants than you suspect. A few very selective schools are on record that north of 60 to 70 percent of applicants are qualified.