Decisions, Decisions: Fall 2012 Transfer Edition
Admit It! Transfers, you’ve been clamoring for this moment and it has finally arrived. Decisions have been released and are on their way to your in-boxes. We cannot tell you the exact time your decision will arrive (that depends on our server and your server) but we can tell you that all emails have been sent. All decision emails will be sent to the email address used in your Transfer Common Application. The sender name will vary based on your email application but “The College of William & Mary” will appear somewhere in the sender name and the subject line will either be “Good News” (and yes, go ahead and open that rather than psyching yourself out about what it might mean) or “William & Mary Admission Decision.” If you did not receive an email (and for those who received your decision emails last week you will not receive another one), you can call our office on Monday (757-221-4223) and inquire as to why you did not receive a decision. It could be for various reasons (your application remains incomplete, your server rejected our email, etc.) so give us a bit of time to investigate. Assuming it was a technical glitch, we will resend a copy of your decision using a different email tool after 5:00pm and we will also put a hard copy in the mail. Just as with freshman applications, there are several types of decisions we render and they are explained below.
Good News (aka admitted): Congratulations and welcome to the Tribe! Your credentials were stellar across the board; you come from four-year and two-year colleges, from in-state and out-of-state, from science and humanities backgrounds, essentially from all walks of life. You have much to add to the existing classes here at W&M, and we hope you decide to join us on campus in August. We encourage you to review all of the information provided to admitted transfers including the transfer welcome website (linked in your decision email), the admission packet that will be arriving by mail in the coming days and the information posted on the admitted transfer Facebook page. We also cordially invite you to attend Day for Admitted Transfer Students (more information is provided in your decision email and mailed materials). Enrollment deposits must be submitted or postmarked by May 15. One tribe and now it’s yours.
Waitlist: Limbo-land; we know it’s not the decision you had hoped to receive but it is a decision that affirms the strength of your application and accomplishments. As we’ve progressed with our transfer outreach and process, transfer admission has become more and more selective over the course of the past several years. Transfer application numbers have been climbing while space in our classes has remained steady (for you econ majors out there demand is increasing while supply is stagnating). For us that means we are making fewer admission offers and placing more students on the waitlist (approximately 100). Whether or not we will use the transfer waitlist is anyone’s guess. Our best advice is to respond to the waitlist online form (linked in your decision email) and to send a final transcript to our office as soon as it becomes available. We will update all transfer students remaining on the waitlist in mid-June.
Deny: We know, believe me, we know. You’re disappointed, frustrated, angry, outraged, sad, distraught and probably a whole host of additional emotions. You have every right to be. So get mad, scoff, cry, mutter expletives about W&M under your breath (or scream them out loud if no one’s around). We’re certainly sorry that the news cannot be better. Over the past several years, with the inception of transfer articulation agreements and more robust transfer services on campus, the number of transfer applications has steadily climbed and way outpaced the number of additional spaces in our classes allotted to transfers. This has made our transfer process more selective with each passing semester. Additionally, because we try to keep our transfer waitlist relatively small (knowing that the likelihood of tons of additional spaces for transfers is not high) we are left with no other choice than to deny some wonderful students. This decision is not, let me repeat IS NOT, a reflection of your worth or potential, but is instead a reflection of the relative strength of our applicant pool. Some students are simply more competitive than others for numerous reasons (strength of schedule, grades, conduct, evidence of recent coursework, mid-term grades, fit, preparedness, etc.). If you decide that this is the end of the road for you and W&M, we fully respect that. If you remain interested in W&M know that while this decision is final for the upcoming semester, it is not always a final decision for you and W&M. Regardless, we wish you all the best as you continue your college education.
We have enjoyed reviewing your stories over the past several months and we commend all of you for the work that you’ve done, the accomplishments you’ve earned and the potential you showcase. Whether your next stop is Williamsburg or elsewhere we wish you nothing but the best.
Wendy Livingston ’03, M.Ed. ‘09
Senior Assistant Dean of Admission
PS: At this time, our spam filter is in a particularly aggressive mood and it’s snatching up comments right and left. Oftentimes, there is a delay between the time you submit your comment and when it appears on the blog. Please be patient (no one wants to further anger an aggressive spam filter). We are monitoring the filter as often as we can and we are able to post most comments within minutes. If you don’t see your comment posted within 12 hours feel free to post again (the spam filter must have been particularly taken with your comment). If your comment isn’t posting and you wish a more immediate response you can post on our Facebook or College Confidential page.
Comments are closed on posts older than one year, but we still want to hear from you. If you have a comment or question for us, please email admission@wm.edu.
Are you allowed to tell us approximately how many transfer students were offered admission? Also, how many transfers are typically offered admission off of the wait list? Thanks so much for your help!
@B, generally we admit about 40% of the transfers who apply give or take. There’s no “typical” number offered admission from the waitlist. Some years we take several students from the waitlist, some years we don’t take any. There’s no real way to predict what will happen.
Hello,
I applies to transfer as part of the VCCS guaranteed admissions agreement. I got my email last night, and it said that I had not met the requirements yet, but it was understood that I may by the end of this or the summer semester. It also said “consequently you have been wait listed.” Further down in the letter, it said when I have met the requirements, I will be admitted.
I was just a little bit confused due to the “wait list” term. Once I complete the requirements, am I guaranteed a spot in the fall class? Or at that point will I still be wait listed and have to wait on a spot to possibly come available? I just want to make sure all my bases are covered, as I have not applied to any other schools and all the courses I have registered over the summer are tailored to my chosen major at William and Mary. I wanted to be sure I understand my application decision so I can make an alternate plan if necessary.
Thank you,
Ashley
Oops, autocorrect got me – I meant “applied” in the first sentence.
@Ashley, you are currently on the waitlist because you do not mean the terms of the guaranteed admission agreement. If you do meet those terms at the end of this semester or a summer term you will be admitted whether or not we’re admitting students off the waitlist. Does that clarify things?
When do transfer students get to chose their classes?
@D, new students register in the late summer; generally during Orientation once you’ve met with your Academic Advisor and when you have the support of your Orientation Aides.
Yes that makes sense. Thank you for a timely response.
If we wanted to request a particular roommate, could we do it on the housing form?
@D, generally you can but not sure if it’s as easy for transfers. That might be a good question for Residence Life.
I am confused ; I have not received a decision so I called as instructed in this post. I was told all decisions have not been made yet. Is that correct?
@Chris, were you told a decision had not been made on your file yet? That’s possible. There are always a handful of decisions that aren’t made because a file is incomplete, or we’re waiting on additional information requested, etc. but that pertains to only a handful of students.
Apologies if this is a “dumb” question. I’m looking at the “Student Checklist” I need to fill out. I’m an incoming transfer student. Do I have to fill out the Freshman Housing Form? I plan to live on campus and definitely want a roommate I’m compatible with.
@Brittany, where are you looking at the student checklist? In the Tribe Guide? The Tribe Guide is live right now only for enrolling freshman, not for transfers which might be why you’re confused.
Yes, I’m looking at the Tribe Guide. I got the email from Mark Sikes two days ago. Is it wrong to be looking at the checklist as a transfer? Confused!
@Brittany, we would advise you check with the Dean of Students (the office Mark Sikes works in). They actually oversee all processes once you deposit and they are likely the best source of information for anything you’re seeing in the Tribe Guide.