Decisions, Decisions, Decisions…and Waitlists

Advice for High School Seniors Awaiting Decisions

With college decisions to be announced in the next few weeks, it’s natural and appropriate to hope for good news (and we will too!). We also like to remind our students to be prepared for some disappointment as most every student gets a rejection letter in this highly competitive college admissions process. This year is going to prove more competitive than ever at the more selective colleges as almost every college in the country eliminated their testing requirements.

Given the extraordinarily high number of applications at the more selective colleges this year, we anticipate that those colleges will find it difficult to project their yield (the percentage of accepted students who agree to enroll) and will therefore develop lengthy waitlists. We also believe that between the increased number of applications and economic uncertainty, there will be a lot of waitlist activity well into the summer. Please see our waitlist advice below.

Once you have heard from all of your colleges, you will need to decide by the reply date which of those that have accepted you to attend. That reply date has traditionally been May 1st – the Ivy League however has already announced that they will observe a May 3rd reply date. Take time to consider all your options; now it’s your choice; you get to decide where to go. You may also want to do more research and, if possible, visit some campuses again during April and speak with current students. Most colleges offer special visit days for accepted students, some virtual and some in-person; take advantage of those if you can.

Try to make your decision by mid-April so that you can send in your tuition deposit (where required) to reserve your place well before the deadline. You may not deposit at more than one college.

We also encourage you to advise your runner-up colleges that you appreciate their offer but have decided to go elsewhere. Colleges will appreciate this information and your thoughtfulness might help future applicants from your high school.

Waitlists:

As more students apply to more colleges, it becomes increasingly difficult for colleges to predict their yield. In recent years, many colleges have placed more students on their waitlist, in some cases 25% or more of applicants, which they can go to if they need more students to fill their class. Historically, the number of students who are accepted from the waitlist varies from year to year and from college to college but usually it is a small percentage of students who opted to stay on the waitlist; in some years it might be none. The good news is that, while waitlist offers are certainly not guarantees, they do indicate that the college likes you and might accept you if they have room.

If a college that is high on your list offers you a place on their waitlist, reply immediately as colleges have been known to admit candidates from waitlists in direct relation to the order replies come in. When you reply, it is critical to include a note expressing your continued strong interest in the college; if it is your first choice, say so (and be sure your school counselor is aware so they can confirm that should the college contact them). In addition, should you have new information worth submitting to update your profile – a new set of strong grades, another teacher recommendation, etc., be sure to mention that in your note or ask your guidance counselor to pass the information on to the colleges. Avoid sending excessive new information / recommendations or sending multiple emails to colleges to make your case; that can be counter-productive.

If you are placed on more than one waitlist, rank them in order of preference. You may be contacted and asked for an immediate decision. If you do not want to remain on a particular waitlist, notify that college as soon as possible as it will reduce the waiting period for someone else.

It is important to realize a waitlist means what it says, “You have to wait.” You should not expect to hear from colleges until the May reply deadlines approach. It may take longer, or they may invite you to start in January instead of September; or they might not accept you at all. If you are offered a spot and decide to accept it, notify the college where you initially deposited, as well as any other waitlist colleges, that you will be enrolling elsewhere. Remember that you may not deposit at more than one college at the same time.

Lastly, while we encourage you to accept a waitlist offer if it’s from a college high on your list, you need to be realistic about your chances. It’s best to assume you will be attending the college where you deposited and become excited by it since that is most probably where you will go.

We wish you the best of luck!

The Dunbar Team