Decisions Decisions: Deny Edition
Admit It! You’re disappointed; maybe even angry. You may want to tell us to go to Hell. We get it. We understand. We don’t blame you. We know this decision was not the one you were hoping for. To not receive something for which you have worked so hard is never easy and it’s an unfortunate part of the admission process. Rest assured that your application was reviewed, in its entirety, at least twice by two different members of our staff and was evaluated in the context of the entire applicant pool.
This year we received a record number of applications and those applicants, yourself included, have amazing credentials. We know that you are an incredibly strong and involved student. Chances are you are one of the best students at your high school. You’ve taken great classes, you’re near the top of your class, you have strong standardized test scores, you’re involved in extracurricular organizations and you’re likely a leader within your community. You may be grappling to understand why you were not admitted. Believe me, it’s not you, it’s us. The decision was made not because you did anything wrong but because so many of our applicants do everything right. Imagine all of the top students at your high school. They are likely all incredibly smart, responsible, hardworking young men and women all of whom have worked their butts off to earn admission to great colleges. Chances are some of them are sports captains while others are student government officers. Still others are incredibly talented musicians while others have lived all around the world. They’re a pretty compelling group right? Now take that group of students and multiply them by 1000 and that’s our applicant pool. It’s the best and most visible students from high schools across the country and across the globe. So we make some pretty difficult and nuanced decisions in an effort to build the most diverse, dynamic, talented and interesting incoming class possible.
You may not comprehend how we could not admit students whose numbers fit within our academic profile. We hope that our Admit It! Blogs have illustrated that our process is about more than numbers. That’s why there are valedictorians on our waitlist and students with a 1500 SAT and higher that are denied. Yes, numbers are useful and play a part in making decisions, but if they were the only thing we considered we’d plug all of your applications into a computer, let it do the work, and go home. Numbers are contextual and should be viewed through a lens which applies that context to a student’s high school and background. What good is a 1500 if you’re in the top 30% of your class? Is a valedictorian who took easy classes to get the easy As more deserving of admission than the student who took the harder classes and earned some Bs? Numbers without context are meaningless so we evaluate your numbers based on the classes you took, the high school you attend, and your personal background. Additionally, we consider so many intangible qualities including extracurricular activities, letters of recommendation, essays, talents, interviews, perspectives and backgrounds none of which can be measured by a GPA or on a 1600 scale. It is the overall evaluation of numbers and intangible qualities that help us arrive at a decision and the overwhelming strength of our pool means that students who do fit our academic profile are at times denied admission.
We know that no matter what this blog says it will be unlikely to soften the blow of the decision you received. This blog is merely an attempt to explain the process we used and to help you have more context for the decisions we made. We regret that we cannot admit more students to the College and we wish you all the best with your future endeavors.
Wendy Livingston, ’03. M.Ed. ‘09
Senior Assistant Dean of Admission
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.
Lets face it…it is ALL about scores and rank…we did not see one accepted student profile that appeared at all “holistic”. My daughter interviewed, visited campus twice, met with a coach and members of a team, took AP and honors classes this year, had very impressive mid year grades as well as impressive SAT 2’s. She has continued to take on new students to tutor, while her friends have “stopped” because it “doesn’t matter to colleges”. We, as parents, have learned a lot, as well as our daughter. She will be a success no matter where she goes, but be honest with these kids !
Joanne, we’re certainly sorry your daughter was not admitted and we understand your frustration and disappointment. No doubt your daughter has worked incredibly hard and achieved at quite a high level. No doubt it is difficult to understand why such efforts didn’t pay off in the way she hoped.
I do promise you and everyone reading this blog that our process is absolutely about more than just rank and SATs. That’s not to say academic criteria don’t matter; they absolutely do and they play a significant part in our process. Those whose ranks and SATs are not as strong are competing against those students who have very strong ranks and SATs. But rank and SAT alone will not make a student an admit nor will it make them a deny. That’s why we have students with 1500+ who aren’t admits and why we have valedictorians on the waitlist. It’s also why we have students outside the top 10% who received good news.
Unfortunately, a vast majority of the applicants who apply have taken APs and honors classes, have great grades and standardized test scores and have dedicated themselves to numerous endeavors outside of the classroom. It’s fortunate for us but unfortuante for those applicants competing for a select group of admission offers. We know it’s hard to understand our pool when you haven’t seen it from our vantage point but it’s overwhelmingly strong in all areas and that means we have to turn away some absolutely stellar students such as your daughter.
We do realize that part of our job is to give out bad news and that nothing we say will lessen the sting of that but we wish your daughter all the best and appreciate her interest in W&M.
I didn’t get accepted into W&M, but this school is still my favorite! I understand the admissions committees difficult decisions because this particular class of graduating seniors is amazing. At least that is what I have heard from kindergarten. Congradulations to everyone who was accepted! You have made a great accomplishment. To those who didn’t, there is always graduate school 🙂
Elizabeth,
Thank you for your thoughtful comment and we’re delighted W&M still maintains a soft spot in your heart.
Best of luck to you for the next four years and beyond!
Dear William & Mary
Rest assured that your request for an alumni donation was reviewed, in its entirety, at least twice and was evaluated in the context of the entire request pool. This year I received a number of requests for donations and those making the requests, yourself included, have amazing credentials.
I regret that I can’t give to every school and therefore must choose to give to the school that actually offered my daughter admission. I wish you all the best in your future fund raising efforts.
Stu,
Fair enough. Pretty poignant comment. No doubt decisions are received with heightened feelings when the student’s family has a connection to the College.
We do wish your daughter all the best and we’re thrilled to hear that she has great options for her next four years.
Hey Everyone-
I wasn’t accepted to W&M when I applied as a senior in high school. W&M, I believe, is the school for me, so I’ve applied as a transfer student for fall 2011. If this school really is for you, don’t give up on it!! Do your best your first year of college and apply as a transfer student.
Certainly good advice Alice. Best of luck to you with your pending transfer application.
Finally got my email and was denied after being deferred from ED. Honestly, I was a bit relieved. I am not a “naturally smart” person. I work extremely hard for the grades I get and am at the top of my class but my SAT and ACT scores were depressing. It doesn’t help that I have a form of dyslexia. I think I would have been a bit intimidated at W&M as much as I love it, not to mention it would have been a huge financial burden for my parents because I am OOS. I understand what W&M is trying to say…you can’t just be stellar in one area. There are too many people who are stellar in ALL areas, and of those you have to have something extra that tips the scale. I just didn’t have enough in the academics department. I was drawn to W&M because of my love of history but I also have a passion for dance and community theatre. I took the admissions department’s advice and seriously looked at other schools. I am proud to say I will be a Seahawk at UNC Wilmington in NC. It’s not W&M but who could go wrong with a college by the beach with an awesome theatre department. Who knows maybe I’ll transfer to W&M one day. No sour grapes here!!!
Sarah,
We’re sorry the news couldn’t be better especially since W&M was your first choice but your comment is incredibly thoughtful and mature and we commend you for that.
You’re absolutely write about our pool. It’s chalk full of students who are amazing in all areas (academics, standardized test, extracurricular involvements, etc.) and in a pool such as that we do look for special talents, interests, intellects, backgrounds that make some students stand out from the amazingly talented crowd.
We wish you all the best at UNC-Wilmington!
Sarah-
I’m actually a student at UNC Wilmington looking to transfer to W&M!
Alice,
Not sure if you’ve already applied to W&M or not as a transfer but if not, feel free to contact us this summer. We’d be happy to advise you on the transfer process
I’ve already applied, and I’m anxiously waiting for decisions to come out!!! Do financial aid awards come out the same time as admission decisions?
Alice, good luck on your application. You’ll be emailed your decision the last week of April. Financial aid awards are generally emailed about a week after students receive the admit pack (sent by snail mail) that follows the email.
How many applications were reviewed this year? I understand all qualified candidates can’t be accepted and it helps to know the numbers!
We had about 13,000 applications for the Class of 2015. Generally we admit about 1/3 of our applicants to bring in an incoming class of 1450 students.
Can you tell us what the acceptance rate was for out-of-state men and women for the class of 2015? My wife and I are alums with boy/girl twins….
Mink, we have not yet released stats on the Class of 2015. Generally we admit about 27% of the out-of-state students who apply and that statistic doesn’t vary much from year to year.
Not sure if your twins have already applied or if they are prospective students but either way, we certainly appreciate the continued interest in W&M on the part of you and your wife and certainly do take legacy status into account when reviewing applications. While not all legacies are admitted, as legacy status is one factor of many, it is definitely a factor we consider.
Thanks. They’re Juniors this year and we’re well along in identifying target schools to apply to (including W&M!). But isn’t the out-of-state acceptance rate lower for women than men due to a much higher number of out-of-state women applicants? Thanks!
Mink, overall our admission rate for women (whether in-state or out-of-state) is a bit lower for women than men because, as you said, we have more women in our applicant pool. That being said, while we do strive for gender balance on campus we don’t do so to the detriment of the talent in our pool. We merely attempt to create an incoming class that includes all types of individuals knowing that women and men alike will learn more and likely be more drawn towards a more balanced student body.
Thanks. But can you share acceptance rates for out-of-state men and women. My sense is it’s much harder for out-of-state women given the relatively high number of applications. My kids are juniors and we are well along the process identifying target schools (including W&M!!!). Thanks for the insights!
Mink, we do not calculate admit rates for out-of-state men and out-of-state women because it’s not something the Common Data Set asks for. The Common Data Set just asks for admit rates overall for men and women. You can review our Common Data Set here if you wish
http://www.wm.edu/offices/iae/institutional_research_reporting/cds/index.php
We live on the island of St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands. Would our daughter be considered part of the International pool based on our residency? She has taken AP, SATs, SAT specialities and ACT.
If your daughter is a US citizen she is considered a US citizen and not an international student. For regional dean purposes she is considered part of the overseas region since she goes to school outside the United States.
We require only an SAT or ACT in terms of standardized testing. For non citizens we recommend a TOEFL for freshman applicants and require it for transfer applicants