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Sometimes, the path to a post-secondary education is full of detours. While friends are packing their bags and heading to their dorms, you may find yourself in a confusing predicament: You’ve been waitlisted.
Kim Clark writes in U.S. News & World Report that “30 percent of the students who agree to stay on a college’s wait list are eventually accepted. At many elite schools, the chances are even slimmer.” In Clark’s article, “How to Get Off the Wait List and Into College,” she writes that although the odds are low for getting accepted from the waitlist, students can improve their chances of being accepted by submitting their deposits by the deadline.
Still, if you’re ready to take the first step forward, the desire to attend college right away may outweigh the possibility of going to a particular college. For example, the odds of being admitted go down with more prestigious, Ivy League universities. Here are some examples of waitlist numbers from past years, according to AdmissionsConsultants.com.
Dartmouth offered 1,166 students the opportunity to be waitlisted in the fall of 2006. 669 students accepted the offer, but only 36 were eventually admitted. In the same year, Cornell offered 2,713 students a position on the waitlist. 1,746 students were placed on the list; 18 were accepted. Yale applicants fared a little better with 204 out of 728 students accepted an offer to be waitlisted. Roughly 27 percent of the individuals — 56 students — were later accepted for admission.
Why do Colleges Use Waitlists?
There are several reasons why colleges use waitlists. Most students on waitlists are qualified for admission but may fall just below the desired standards. For instance, a student’s grade point average or SAT score may not quite be up to par with the college’s preferences. Other colleges waitlist students because their application essays weren’t compelling enough to warrant admission over other qualified applicants.
There are other reasons why students are waitlisted. For instance, some colleges accept applicants based on a particular demographic they want to admit (e.g. male/female, regional applicants, minorities). Still, some colleges use waitlists to fill the slots that will inevitable occur when accepted applicants turn them down to attend another college. Waitlisting students is a way for colleges to ensure that all the seats are filled by the beginning of the semester.
What Should You Do?
If you are placed on a waitlist, you may want to attend a community college or other university while you’re waiting for the final decision. Since the odds are statistically stacked against you, it’s a good idea to operate on a Plan B. In fact, it’s advisable to contact the admissions office and ask them what the odds are for admission while you’re waiting. That way, you’ll make your decision based on credible data.
If you don’t want to wait, don’t accept the waitlist offer. If your name takes up space on a waitlist, you’re denying another student the opportunity for that slot. Unless you’re willing to play the waiting game, just cut your ties with the university and move forward with another plan.
Finally, if you really want to wait your turn in line, remain in contact with the admissions officer. Send periodic updates about grades, awards, and other factors that may improve your chances for admission. However, don’t be a pest. There’s a fine line between healthy enthusiasm and pesky behavior. Clark’s article cites Jean Jordan, dean of admissions at Emory. She states that she is “pretty tired of getting mailed shoes from students who ‘want to get their foot in the door’ and is a little leery of any gift of food. ‘Don’t come down here and make a big plea; and hounding us can be super destructive [sic],’ she adds.”
In essence, the best course of action to take is to make an informed decision based on your chances of admission. If you have a backup plan, you won’t regret wasting your time in the event that you are not admitted to the college of your choice.
