For those of you who are going through your second cycle . . .

[Slumdog Lovebutton]

You're good at this, Outlaw.  No wonder you pulled the coup and got into Penn.

I'm guessing that barring some unknown disaster in my app, I'll get waitlisted at W&L, and I'm pretty sure LSN corroborates your point about so many of their students coming off the waitlist.  I think that maybe in lieu of retaking in June I might just embark on an "ACCEPT ME W&L" letter-writing campaign and then retake in September if things go poorly.

Option 4: Talk my dad into donating a building buying me a consolation car? 

fixt.

Haha, that would be nice except for the fact that my folks bought me a consolation car LAST year when my ex broke up with me and I freaked out and quit my awful retail job to move back into my parents' house.

This is actually not a joke.

This would make an interesting diversity statement for your next cycle.

Incidentally, do your parents need another daughter?

[bohemian_revolution]

I didn't retake, I'm just doing a grad program above. The only thing I really changed was application date and the results have been DRAMATICALLY different. Last cycle, Michigan dinged me and NYU waitlisted me, now I'm in at both. Personal statements, recs, everything is the same as last cycle, which goes to show that timing really does make a difference.

that's incredible.  i was just reading a segment on the Penn website that said that reapplicants would not be accepted unless something dramatically different changed.  what a success story!

what kind of grad program is it?  do you think there's any way that could have tipped the scales?

It's a one year MA in Spain, I actually didn't apply to Penn last year so that rule wouldn't apply in this case.

[Slumdog Lovebutton]

Diversity statement in that I'm a spoiled Daddy's girl? 

Haha, no, I meant it in a nicer way than that.