Oh No! You’ve Been Waitlisted!
You worked hard on your college applications and then you go to check your portal only to discover you’ve been waitlisted! It’s completely normal to feel disappointed. Take a deep breath! It’s okay to be frustrated and sad…but only for a day. Then it’s time to get to work to improve your chance of being offered a seat, or move on to one of the other schools that made your list.
While every school is different in how deep they go into their waitlist, here are some steps that can help you navigate a waitlist decision.
SEND A LETTER: Show continued interest to admissions updating the school on your senior grades, leadership opportunities, honors, and awards.
CHECK YOUR PORTALS: Continue to check all the school portals to which you’ve applied. Keep track of decision dates and any supplemental materials they require.
VISIT: Schedule a campus visit. Not only will you determine if you love the school and want to stay on the waitlist, but it will demonstrate to admissions that you would really like to go there.
CHECK YOUR EMAIL!: If the school reached out to you with additional information, open the email and explore the link. Not only will you learn more, but you will also show a demonstrated interest.
APPLY TO ANOTHER SCHOOL: There are many schools that accept applications throughout the year with no hard deadline.
While getting waitlisted can feel pretty bad, these steps can help you get closer to your goal and ensure that you’ve done everything possible to show your interest to the school. And remember, you will have other options. There are over 4,000 schools to choose from in the U.S., and by working with College Mode, you’ll have a strong college list. The waitlist experience may give you the proverbial ‘when one door closes, another door opens’ experience and that can be eye-opening and end up being very positive.
How Likely Am I to Come Off of The Waitlist?
Generally, the more selective a school, the smaller the pool of students that eventually enroll from the waitlist. One place where you can find this data is in the Common Data Set.
As an example: in Fall of 2021, Boston College, a highly selective college, offered 4,337 students a place on their waitlist. Of those offered, 2,073 decided to accept a place on the waitlist, and of those only 50 students were enrolled. In Fall of 2020, University at Binghamton, also a highly selective college, offered 5,792 students a place on their waitlist. Of those offered, 2,411 decided to accept a place on the waitlist, and of those only 343 students were enrolled. Of these two schools, Binghamton would be a little easier than Boston College to come off the waitlist and be accepted.
College Mode Consulting can help you build a robust college list that will give you flexibility and options in your college selection process. We’re here to guide you every step of the way and find that perfect college fit. Contact us today for a free consultation by calling 845-704-1650, email us at info@collegemodeconsulting.com and be sure to check out our website collegemodeconsulting.com.