What are waitlists?

Every year, almost every college creates a waitlist, a sort of admission purgatory. Students offered to join a waitlist are not accepted but may be accepted later into the spring or summer should they choose to stay on it.

Why do colleges have a pool of students who are neither in nor out?

Colleges use waitlists because enrollment is unpredictable. Most students are choosing between several acceptances in April, so virtually every college will have students who accept the offer to enroll and those who don’t. If colleges under-enroll students who were initially offered spaces, waitlisted students can help fill the incoming class.

If every college has students who turn down the offer of admission, shouldn’t that mean that every college goes to the waitlist every year?

No, because it’s not a one-to-one ratio. Colleges expect and build into their enrollment models that a certain percentage of accepted students will say thanks, but no thanks. For example, a college with 5,000 spaces might accept 7,000, guessing that about 2,000 will say no. The operative word is “guessing.” The predictions are based on historical data which may be adjusted for things like, say, when a global pandemic keeps families from visiting campus. Enrollment teams do their best to guess how these factors will play a role in who accepts the admission offer, but they are bound to miss the mark once in a while. In any given year, more students could say yes than they expect (at which point a campus might be scrambling to add beds to rooms or rent out local hotels), or more could say no. When more students turn down the offer than the enrollment teams estimate, a college turns to its waitlist.

How does the waitlist process work for a student?

The first thing to know is that not all students offered a place on the waitlist are on the waitlist. A waitlist letter is actually an offer to be on the waitlist, which a student can accept or reject. For students who indicate they would like to stay on the waitlist, the college might suggest sending updated information, or a letter of continued interest. (Other colleges might explicitly say that students shouldn’t send anything additional.) Then, the actual waiting begins. After the May 1^stdeposit day, colleges take stock of how well they managed to enroll a full class. If they are short students, they will likely reach out to some students on the waitlist to offer places. This process can continue well into the summer.

If colleges know who said yes on May 1^st, why would the waitlist offers roll so deep into the summer?

Remember that it’s not just one college figuring out the class, but every college. Let’s say that Green University looks at the number of students who said yes on May 1^stand decides that they need to find an additional 40 students to come into the class. After making a bunch of calls to students on the waitlist, they find 40 students who say yes. Those 40 students are coming from Geller University, Tribbiani College, among others. In fact, so many students are choosing to leave Geller University in June because students are getting off of other waitlists that suddenly the incoming class looks much thinner than it did on May 1^st. This is called “summer melt.” Geller University suddenly decides it needs to go to its waitlist. It takes 20 students. Those students had already said yes to Buffet University, Bing College and others. Bing College is fine. It had enough students say yes early enough that even losing some means the class size is still healthy. But Buffet University was already starting with lower numbers and losing additional students to Geller U and others means the class is much smaller than they wanted. They then turn to their waitlist and make offers to students who had already enrolled at other colleges. This pattern could continue well into July and even sometimes August!

Also, while colleges might want assurances that students who say yes to them when they are offered a spot off of the waitlist will definitely come, there’s no guarantee that those who say yes in June will still be there in July. If some of these students are offered places off of other colleges’ waitlists, they might forgo their earlier waitlist deposit and choose to enroll elsewhere. It’s a dance. Some years it’s a slow dance, other years, a swing dance.

How many students come off of a waitlist?

Because it all depends on the year and how each college enrolls, there’s no definite number that comes off of a waitlist at any given school. If the school over-enrolls or if the students who initially say yes stick with their choice, it could be zero. If the school under-enrolls or if there’s big “summer melt,” it could be many.

Are waitlists ranked?

While a few colleges might have a ranked waitlist where students with a “higher waitlist rank” might be the first ones called when a space opens up, more often colleges select students off the waitlist based on the needs of the incoming class. For example, let’s say Geller University had many more men say yes to the offer of admission than women. They might decide to offer more waitlist places to women to balance the class. Any number of needs may determine who gets contacted to come off of the waitlist.

If I want to stay on the waitlist, what can I do to improve my chances?

First, take a deep breath. Whether or not you are called off of a waitlist is mostly out of your control. It has to do with numbers and college needs. That said, there are things you can do to demonstrate your interest in the college that could potentially help your chances should a college goes to its waitlist. If a college asks for an optional essay, update or letter of continued interest, submit it! Spend time on it like you did on your college essays. This is where you can express enthusiasm and show the college that you care enough to jump through more hoops. If a college allows you to submit an additional letter of recommendation, you might want to consider this too, if you have someone who could offer a different perspective. (Remember they have everything you submitted before, so don’t send the same information or materials.)

Be sure to pay attention to what each college says they will accept and will not accept. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that a college is playing mind games. If the admissions office explicitly says don’t send a letter, they don’t secretly want you to do it anyway to show that you are just that interested. That said, if a college doesn’t explicitly say not to submit additional materials, it’s never a bad idea to send a letter of continued interest.

What should I include in a continued interest letter?

-Start off by expressing that you remain very interested in attending and thank them for the chance to remain on the waitlist. If it’s your first choice school, be sure to say so.

-Update the school on any updates since the application went in. Have you work on a research paper or school project that was particularly meaningful? Did you run an event for one of your clubs or begin working on a community service effort? Obviously, activities and academics this year have been curbed by Covid-19, so the pocket of time between regular applications (generally, early to mid-January) and now may only include about a month or two of normal life. Still, think about what you could highlight from that period of time.

-Clearly (and briefly) lay out for the school why you are still so interested –focus more on the feelings you have about things like the campus culture, the mission, etc — than pulling lots of facts and figures and class names off of the website. You want to make them care by showing them how much you care. Don’t be afraid to share your authentic voice.

-Finally, be gracious in your conclusion. No part of the letter should come off like you “deserve” to be admitted, or that you are confused, saddened or angered by the fact that you didn’t get in outright. Instead, recognize that it’s an honor to have the opportunity to be on the waitlist. Thank the admissions committee for their time and consideration.

What do I do once the letters of continued interest go in?

Put your focus on where you were accepted and decide which college of the ones that are “sure things” you most want to attend. Don’t count on the waitlist coming through – you need to still put down a deposit at a school that’s saying yes now. And, you never know, the more you learn about the college you choose now, the more excited you may get about attending. Ultimately, a waitlist offer may not seem as important as it once did.