Waiting on the waitlist is never a fun time during the college application season. Students have worked so hard, and have already waited so long for a decision, just to hear that…they have to wait a little longer. However, if you have been put on the waitlist at your dream school, it is not the worse news in the world, as it is better than being straight-up denied. There are a few important things you should know about the waitlist, also known as the purgatory of college admissions…
1) Put a deposit elsewhere! You will not hear back from the waitlist until after May 1st, as this is national deposit day. Schools will see what percentage of the students they have accepted will be attending their school. If the number reaches their goal freshmen enrollment, schools will not go to their waitlist. However, if they are low, they will move to their waitlist and start notifying students they have now been accepted. Unfortunately, since this is after May 1st, the student must put a deposit elsewhere, to ensure he will be attending college somewhere!
2) Even if you put a deposit elsewhere, you can still attend the school you were waitlisted at, if you are pulled from the list. Most deposits are non-refundable, so you will lose out on the $500 deposit, but if that is your dream school, and you are chosen from the waitlist, you can still attend.
3) If schools ask you to complete various assignments to be placed on the waitlist, do them! Some schools will just ask for a yes or no if you want to be placed on the waitlist, but others will ask for additional writing samples, updated grades/scores, and even interviews. This is their opportunity to filter the students that are serious about attending their school from the not-so-serious.
4) Do not put all of your time, energy, and sanity into the school(s) you were waitlisted at. Chances are there are plenty of other fabulous schools that have accepted you, and want you to be a part of their incoming freshmen class. Focus on those schools and see which one is the best fit for you. If you come off the waitlist, great, but chances are you will not. Do not put yourself through the agony of checking your virtual mailbox every day to see if you have been chosen. Begin moving on and focus on the positives!
5) Do not pester the admissions office for an answer! A great way to get pushed to the bottom of the waitlist is to call the admissions office for a daily update. If you have followed their instructions, they know you still want to attend their school. It will depend on the numbers that year for who will get pulled off the list. Calling them to investigate the process will not give you an advantage!
6) Let your counselor know if this is still your number one school. Your college counselors have relationships with colleges, and we would be happy to contact them on your behalf. We can give them support for your acceptance and talk to them about all of your positive qualities. Just let us know, and we will try our best to help!
-Joe Korfmacher, MA
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