Waitlist Tips


Waiting on the waitlist is never a fun time during the college application season. Students have worked so hard, and have already waited so long for a decision, just to hear that…they have to wait a little longer. However, if you have been put on the waitlist at your dream school, it is not the worse news in the world, as it is better than being straight-up denied. There are a few important things you should know about the waitlist, also known as the purgatory of college admissions…

1) Put a deposit elsewhere! You will not hear back from the waitlist until after May 1st, as this is national deposit day. Schools will see what percentage of the students they have accepted will be attending their school. If the number reaches their goal freshmen enrollment, schools will not go to their waitlist. However, if they are low, they will move to their waitlist and start notifying students they have now been accepted. Unfortunately, since this is after May 1st, the student must put a deposit elsewhere, to ensure he will be attending college somewhere!

2) Even if you put a deposit elsewhere, you can still attend the school you were waitlisted at, if you are pulled from the list. Most deposits are non-refundable, so you will lose out on the $500 deposit, but if that is your dream school, and you are chosen from the waitlist, you can still attend.  

3) If schools ask you to complete various assignments to be placed on the waitlist, do them! Some schools will just ask for a yes or no if you want to be placed on the waitlist, but others will ask for additional writing samples, updated grades/scores, and even interviews. This is their opportunity to filter the students that are serious about attending their school from the not-so-serious.

4) Do not put all of your time, energy, and sanity into the school(s) you were waitlisted at. Chances are there are plenty of other fabulous schools that have accepted you, and want you to be a part of their incoming freshmen class. Focus on those schools and see which one is the best fit for you. If you come off the waitlist, great, but chances are you will not. Do not put yourself through the agony of checking your virtual mailbox every day to see if you have been chosen. Begin moving on and focus on the positives!

5) Do not pester the admissions office for an answer! A great way to get pushed to the bottom of the waitlist is to call the admissions office for a daily update. If you have followed their instructions, they know you still want to attend their school. It will depend on the numbers that year for who will get pulled off the list. Calling them to investigate the process will not give you an advantage!

6) Let your counselor know if this is still your number one school. Your college counselors have relationships with colleges, and we would be happy to contact them on your behalf. We can give them support for your acceptance and talk to them about all of your positive qualities. Just let us know, and we will try our best to help!

-Joe Korfmacher, MA

Popular posts from this blog

Introducing Going Merry - Making College Scholarships Easier

Hey Everyone, A big part of the college process for most families is finding a way to pay for the cost of tuition, room and board, meals, books, travel, and other expenses. If the total cost of college isn't terrifying enough, the search and application process for scholarships certainly is daunting, to say the least. Most colleges will offer merit scholarships to students just for applying to college and getting accepted, but for the majority of students, there is still a gap that needs to be met, and financial aid does not usually cover all of that. So because of that, most students are forced to sift through hundreds of outside scholarships, find out which ones they are eligible for and then spend hours completing the scholarship application, often requiring a ton of personal information and writing samples. This hard work often can result in receiving free money to use toward's college expenses, but in general, the entire process is arduous, time consuming, and students
Read more

Introducing Micro-Scholarships for College from Raise.me

We are all familiar with the high costs associated with pursuing a college education. But remember, there are many options out there to collect scholarships and financial aid. And some are more out-of-the-box that you may expect. Take Raise.me for example. I recently had the opportunity to meet with a Raise.me rep, a new organization that is partnering with colleges across the country to help families rack up "micro-scholarships" against the astronomical costs of higher education. Starting in 9th grade, students can accrue these small, conditional scholarships from colleges for accomplishments such as getting an 'A' in science class, making the Varsity swim team, being involved in community service, partaking in various extracurricular activities, and much more. If you wind up attending a school you've selected through Raise.me, the micro scholarships you've built up will be applied to your tuition. The process is very simple; go to their website , creat
Read more

2018 Admissions Report & the Importance of Crafting the College List

March Madness most commonly refers to that pretty big NCAA basketball tournament that catches our attention for a few weeks, but it can also describe this time of year in college admissions. The last two weeks of March is generally when most colleges send out their decision letters to anxious, yet hopeful seniors, dreaming about celebrating acceptances to their top choices. However, over the years, as more and more students apply to colleges with the ease of the Common Application and Coalition, not to mention an increase of international students, many colleges have become much more competitive. Schools that would have been a slam dunk admit in years past, are becoming as tough to get into as sinking a half court shot. Because of this, and looking towards the future, knowing that it will most likely continue to become more and more selective, it is essential to find colleges that are less selective, but still have everything you need in a college to be happy. When crafting a college
Read more