What Does It Mean To Be Waitlisted
According to the National Association of College Admissions Counseling or the NACAC, 43% of colleges surveyed reported using waitlists, up from previous years, with highly-selective colleges placing a greater proportion of students on those waitlists. So, what does it mean for your student and are there any actions they can take to secure a spot at their top-tier college choices?
What Does It Mean To Be Waitlisted?
Where it can be easy to be filled with disappointment once your student finds out they’ve been added to the waitlist of a college of choice, it’s important to remember that only applicants with all the necessary qualifications make it to the waitlist. In other words, college waitlists include qualified students who might be admitted if room in the class becomes available.
Why Do Colleges Use Waitlists?
The easier answer: because colleges know that some students they accept will turn them down. If more students decline and say "no thanks" to join the university’s student body, the admissions committee can turn to its waitlist to find more qualified students.
Why Was My Student Waitlisted?
Waitlisting can soften the blow of rejection. For example, if you are alumni, employed by the college, or are well-connected, your student might have been waitlisted as a courtesy, to avoid offending you, the student’s parents.
There may have been flaws in their application that made you a borderline candidate. Maybe your grades weren’t strong enough. Maybe your participation in extracurricular and volunteer activities lacked depth.
It may be as simple as there were too few spaces available. There might have been too many students with your particular set of credentials or academic interests. The applicants who were admitted were just slightly better than you in some arbitrary way or applied earlier.
What Can My Student Do To Get Off The Waitlist?
Students shouldn’t take “waitlisting” literally. There are a number of actions they can take to possibly move them from the pool of waitlisted applicants to swimming in the pool of college acceptance.
Ivy Link experts suggest that the wait-listed applicants should contact the admissions office to express continued interest in the school. Students should reiterate their interest in the university by writing a letter to their admissions representative that includes details such as the activities they would like to participate in at the college, courses they’d like to take, and how they would enhance the school’s community.
Have your student find out where they rank on the list. Their waitlist letter may say they are in the first pool of students to be considered for admission. If not, contact the admission office and find out if there is a priority list, or if the list is ranked. Ask where you are on the list, and whether there are any financial aid limitations for students admitted off the waitlist.
Stay Focused and Keep Up The Grades! Students need to maintain senior year grades, study hard for AP exams and finals, and above all maintain a great attitude in school in order to have the best chance of getting off the waitlist.
Consider having your student enroll in their next choice colleges as a backup plan.
Give Updates. Has your student made significant academic achievements since they submitted their application? Have they been deeply involved in community projects they didn’t mention? It’s important that they update the college on everything important they have been doing since they submitted their application. Your student should inform them of any updated grades, honors, awards, or new standardized test scores that they have received. Also, they should consider submitting an additional letter of recommendation from someone that can add new information and depth to their application file
A Few More Notes About Waitlists
The rate of students being accepted from college admissions waitlists may be based on a number of factors. Schools aiming for specific enrollment targets may tap their waitlist at a greater rate, whether that's Ivy League schools or slightly less selective colleges that turn to the next candidate when another prospective student turns down their admissions offer. Many schools require students to respond to admissions offices to accept their spot on their waitlist. Of the students who chose to remain on the waitlist (50%), colleges only accepted an average of 20%, with only 7% of waitlisted students at the most selective colleges eventually gaining admission – down from 14% in previous years. At individual highly-selective institutions, this number can be dramatically lower, with some schools admitting zero students off the waitlist in certain years.
If your student needs academic advising or tutoring Ivy Link can help! To schedule a consultation or learn more about our offerings contact us to speak with one of our experts.
