Post May 1 Waitlist Update
As we anticipated and had planned, starting today and progressing throughout early summer, we will begin calling students on our waitlist to offer them admission to Vanderbilt University. I wanted to touch base with everyone to provide a little insight into how we will be making the decisions as to who will be admitted as well as making sure everyone understands some of the processes.
The decision process to admit a student from the waitlist mirrors the holistic review that the applicant has already gone through during regular decision. We consider academics (grades, test scores, rigor of coursework, etc), leadership and other intellectual and personal intangibles that are the foundation of Vanderbilt’s admissions process. More unique to our waitlist review though, we may consider the level of continued interest in Vanderbilt, the content of any new information that has been received since our decisions have gone out, and what elements of each application fit with the outstanding needs and goals of our incoming class (the aforementioned scenario, if we need oboe players, we’ll admit more oboe players, etc).
As I’ve mentioned, if you are being offered admission from the waitlist, an admissions officer will attempt to contact you and ask if you are still interested in Vanderbilt and in being admitted. If you say yes, we will priority mail an admissions letter and packet to you. If you completed an application for financial aid, we will priority mail that package as soon as it is available (usually within a day or two). In the admissions packet is a response form for you to complete. You have seven days to consider the offer of admission and mail that response card back to our office.
Important Question #1: But Thom, should I flip out if I don’t get called in the next several days? In a word, no. Keep in mind that we do this in waves and may possibly be calling into early summer. The students we admit from the waitlist have a tough decision to make in that they have already deposited at another school. We don’t know, and neither do you what they’ll decide to do. We will send out a notice once our class is complete, and our intent is to not go past July 1.
Important Question #2: Should I call my admissions officer to get my waitlist status? Again, no. It’s fine to contact us if you are providing additional information towards your application (as we’ve discussed in previous posts), but we will contact you if you will be offered admission from the waitlist.
May 7th, 2008
We have some geniuses working at VU. They have found their perfect way of humanizing this experience. Unfortunately, none of them have their sons/daughters at the receiving end.
May 7th, 2008
Important Question #3: But Thom, should you not reduce the waiting list and inform the students who do not ‘fit with the outstanding needs and goals of your incoming class’ of their status? You need to end the misery of some of the students who you have put on a longer than required waiting list.
May 7th, 2008
No offense to some of the bloggers on here, but I am sure the admissions officers are doing the best they can in such an unpredictable year. It isn’t as if they brainstorm with one another to decide the best possible way to make us wait listed students have an unbearable experience. I am just glad Vandy is taking people off and that I at least have some sort of chance to be a student here. However, I do have one request: is it possible for you guys to give us waiters a general idea of how many people you will be taking? In another post, one of you predicted it would be in the middle of the amount you took two years ago and the amount you took last year? Was that prediction an accurate one?
May 7th, 2008
A couple of things to keep in mind 1) We’re trying to be as open as we can be here, 2) No one was offered the waitlist who did not have a reasonable chance to be admitted from it, and 3) individuals who decide that being on our waitlist is too much to deal with always have the choice to not be on it.
As to the above poster, I think Ken’s post from April 7 is still accurate. With the introduction of the Freshman Commons we cannot over-enroll this class, and as such, planned to go to the waitlist to round out the class.
P.S. I would encourage readers who may be new to this blog to read the post from December 17, written in the aftermath of EDI. I think it is pertinent given some of the recent posts.
May 7th, 2008
Now that May 1st has passed, how many people have ended up on the actual waitlist?
May 8th, 2008
Thom, the readers are more intelligent than what you give them credit for. If you really care, post some raw data. We can convert it into useful information. And do not lose your cool, be receptive to the bloggers. They are here because they care about VU and want it to be a better place. I am very sure that all the students who are on your waitlist have good offers from reasonably good universities. They key here is to HUMANIZE the whole process- no other university of your stature will discuss this in a open forum.
May 8th, 2008
Sorry-too many typos and grammmatical errors. I hate the blogger’s interface.
May 8th, 2008
As a waitlisted student I appreciate any info you are willing to share. Your honesty helps put the situation in perspective. I am still hoping.
May 8th, 2008
Thanks for sharing your opinions. I totally agree that the VU blogosphere is highly sophisticated and passionate. Vanderbilt’s fortunate to have that. It’s the main reason we have been as open with the data we have released over this past month and a half (see some of the April posts). We will always try and release data as we are able. I truly appreciate everyone’s interest and posts.