Admissions 2020-21: Year of the Waitlist (Part 3)
Tomorrow, April 6, a slew of schools will be releasing application decisions. While students who apply to multiple schools in the regular decision round can generally expect a waitlist letter, this year, it’s safe to say that most students will be receiving several.
Why the change? As we’ve been discussing the last couple of weeks, there are several contributing factors to the surge in waitlisted applicants in the 2020-21 admissions cycle. In part 3 of our waitlist series, we’ll be discussing student GPAs.
Student GPAs
This part is quite simple. The pandemic messed up everyone’s GPA. Public school districts and each individual private school were left to figure out how to assign grades last year (and this year for that matter). Now, there are always some schools that grade “harder” than others which is why colleges have access to the grade data of the entire student body. Typically, admissions officers can compare students to their immediate peers, not just to the pool of applicants from all over the country and the world. It’s another kind of weighing a student’s GPA. But in Spring 2020 many schools opted to give students Pass/Fail grades, or all As and Bs, and there were likely some that tried to stick to their typical grading as much as possible.
All of this means flawed data, which means that it’s harder for admissions officers to quickly scan an application and justifiably reject it. This leads to more applicants put in the maybe (waitlist) pile while officers look for the more obviously strong applicants.
What can my student do to increase her acceptance chances?
Reevaluate if you still want to attend. Is the school still your top choice? You may have gotten accepted into other schools that you have discovered to be a better fit, or offer advantages that the university that waitlisted you doesn’t. However, if you are positive the school is your top choice, make sure that you respond to the waitlist invitation promptly.
Send a Statement of Persuasion. If you are an early applicant, writing a Statement of Persuasion will help show admissions officers that you have something unique to bring to the university.
Stay in touch, but not too much. Typically, schools recommend you visit the campus, but Covid-19 has obviously changed this. Still, you can do virtual visits and try to schedule a virtual chat with your admission representative to make a good impression. However, don’t overwhelm admission officers with endless emails or phone calls.
Stay informed. Research the percentage of waitlisted applicants the school ends up accepting to gauge your chance of being admitted.
Maintain your grades. Don’t let the anxiety of getting waitlisted get the best of you, and don’t fall victim to senioritis during your last semester of high school. Sign up for tutoring if necessary.
If you or your student would like additional guidance in navigating waitlist decisions, schedule a consultation with an Ivy Link Advisor.
