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What to Do If You're Waitlisted
By Bridget Kulla
You finally get that long-awaited letter from your top-choice school … and you haven’t been accepted or rejected, you’ve been wait-listed. Suddenly you’re in admissions limbo. Here’s what you should do while you wait to learn your admissions fate.
Don’t Let It Get You Down
It’s easy to view being placed on the wait list as a rejection. While it’s no easy task getting off the wait list, it’s not impossible either. Colleges use wait lists when they’ve accepted the maximum number of applicants, but still view some applicants as well qualified. The wait list is a safety net colleges use to fill their class if not enough accepted students enroll.
Don’t get down if you’ve been placed on the wait list. “Don’t beg or plea – that’s not helpful for an admissions counselor,” says Sonja Montiel, president of College Confidence, an independent college counseling service. While you shouldn’t feel dejected, keep in mind that your chances of being accepted from the wait list are slim. Instead of wasting time feeling down, take action to get off the wait list.
Decide Whether You Want to Stay on the Wait List
You have the option to remain on or remove yourself from the wait list. If you want to stay on the list, return the form indicating your interest to the college as soon as possible. If you’ve been placed on several lists, there’s no reason why you can’t stay on more than one.
Find Out What Your Chances Are
The number of students on wait lists varies. On average, 27 percent of all students who were wait-listed eventually gained admission, according a National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) report.
Check if the college ranks its wait list and ask if you can know your rank. If your school doesn’t prioritize its list or won’t tell you your rank, look at how many students were accepted from the wait list in the past. You can request information on how many students were accepted from previous wait lists, according to the NACAC “Statement of Students’ Rights and Responsibilities in the College Admissions Process.”
