'Cause You Don't Really Love Me, You Just Keep Me Hanging On

As decisions have been coming in, I wanted to bring up the issue of being waitlisted. In the same vein as the Glee admission decision post, I wanted to express how some people might feel about the waitlist with the song above. (This song was featured on Glee too, but Fox has oh so kindly not released the clip on YouTube. Not a huge issue though because a 1966 original isn't too shabby). Why do they keep running around, playing with your heart?

At most colleges, there are three outcomes in the main round of admission: admitted, waitlisted, and denied. The first and last category are pretty straighforward in terms of their emotional reactions, but being waitlisted is a bit murky. Should you be excited that you are still in the running? Should you be disappointed that you weren't good enough to make it in from the start? Should you be hopeful? Should you move on?

The answer is it is normal to probably feel a combination of all of the above. Being waitlisted means exactly what they say in the letter. They liked you and your application, they think you would be successful at their campus, but they were not able to offer you a seat in the incoming class at the present time. If they end up with openings, you are still in the running to be considered.

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Why does a school do this? For one, if they admitted every student they liked and thought was capable of the work, they would run out of seats, so they use the waitlist as a way to fill the class to a 'just right' level instead of risking being over-enrolled. Sometimes schools guess wrong and over-enroll just with the first round of admitted students, but they normally try to avoid that at all costs. Second, schools are worried about their rankings. Being selective is something that many schools value (a riff on this will be saved for a later blog post). So some schools, particularly if they have a deep and rich applicant pool, are less motivated to admit every student and are more apt to admit a core group and then offer admission off the waitlist as a way to see who is actually serious about coming to their school. In other words, if a school has made 1,000 waitlist offers but only hears back from 200 students that want to remain on the waitlist, in their minds they have just 'saved' their selectivity data 800 admits that they would have been wasting. It is true, some of those 800 may have just been so jaded and upset about the waitlisting that they would have enrolled if admitted but were too angry to stay on the waitlist, but when a school is getting thousands and thousands of applicants, they are normally willing to take the risk.

What should you do if you are waitlisted? If the school is one of your top choices and you really would still go there if you had the chance, you should remain on the waitlist. The decision letter should have instructions about how to notify the school that you want to remain on the list (normally there is a form to return or a website to go to). Next, focus on the schools that you did get into and decide by May 1 where you would like to deposit. Even though you could end up getting a spot where you were waitlisted, you need to have a plan in place in the event that things don't change. You will risk losing the deposit if you end up getting in off the waitlist, but it is a small price to pay in exchange for having a place to go to school in the fall. Last, contact the school where you were waitlisted with updated information about your senior year and a short statement about your continued interest. The note doesn't need to be long, but it should explain why you feel that school is a fit for you. Also have me send a copy of your MP3 grades so they can update your records.

Being waitlisted does NOT mean you are rejected, so don't let yourself get discouraged. At the same time, make a plan where you choose among the options you do have. Things normally have a way of working themselves out, so don't focus on the negative.

If you are eventually admitted from the waitlist, be aware that sometimes financial aid is more limited for students admitted via waitlist. When deciding if you want to stay on the waitlist, also weigh the factor that you will remain in emotional limbo potentially through the entire summer waiting hear the outcome. If you know that sort of agony is too much to handle, you can make the choice to walk away.