<p>^^ thank you, bookworm540–that is a great post. Where did you end up attending?</p>
<p>@waveboarder, just my uninformed opinion, but I would think if you are a FA applicant, the school wouldn’t particularly want to support you for an extra year.</p>
<p>I’m sorry you did not (yet) get an acceptance but you should be proud of making the WL of nine schools. It seems to me you have a little more chance than usual of having a school offer you a spot.</p>
<p>@alooknac</p>
<p>Repeats aren’t that uncommon and more aid is available for 9th than for 10th because many schools take the majority of their new students in the 9th grade. In some cases, students have found better luck with admissions when they repeat specifically because their stats are strong with that extra year at college admissions time. Depends on the student.</p>
<p>But if the student needs FA, offering to repeat AFTER the admissions decisions may cause problems as the money is already allocated to both classes and the 9th grade has its own wait list. Sometimes the committee that chooses 9th graders is not the same as the one that chooses 10th graders. </p>
<p>So it just depends.</p>
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<p>That’s flat out wrong, alooknac! But, as ExieMITAlum noted, the decision needs to be made before the school has made its decisions (and allocated its funds), not after.</p>
<p>Can we please bring this thread back to its original focus: waitlist stories with happy endings?</p>
<p>Questions, concerns, and WL “chance me” queries should all be directed to the thread titled <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/1300302-wait-list.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/1300302-wait-list.html</a>, which is stickied at the top of the forum.</p>
<p>My son was admitted off the waitlist at Thacher (several years ago). He was one of two. He had been admitted to three big name schools in the East, but everything about Thacher had so strongly resonated with him that it remained his first choice by a huge margin. </p>
<p>So…we each wrote a letter to the Thacher AO. My son’s letter explained why Thacher remained his first choice and promised to commit if offered a place - up until the drop dead date for the other schools.</p>
<p>I wrote a letter thanking the school for their consideration and letting them know that we supported our son’s desire to go to Thacher, despite his admission to some other fantastic schools, and would commit if offered a spot. </p>
<p>These letters expressed our sincere feelings, but we didn’t push more than that. It was up to the School. We would have sent him to one of the other schools rather than lose a deposit. So, we had our limits.</p>
<p>Thankfully, the Thacher AO called him up one night and asked him if he still wanted to go, yes!!!, was the answer. He then had four of the best, most transformational years ever. Of all the education dollars I’ve ever spent (3 kids, 3 private schools, 3 colleges), Thacher was our smartest money.</p>
<p>@dodgersmom, sorry to hijack your thread, please excuse me, I just have a comment to make since you so EMPHATICALLY stated I’m wrong (sorry I don’t know how to do bold). </p>
<p>My comments are addressed to other readers, who may assume that you have some inside knowledge which I lack, which based on your previous posts, I don’t think is the case.</p>
<p>I did not say schools never give FA to students repeating a grade, but I stand by my opinion that a school might be reluctant to do so. Times are tough all over and FA budgets are maxed out. It makes no fiduciary sense for schools to subsdidize a whole extra year.</p>
<p>I know they sometimes do it in extenuating circumstances (such as for sports recruits).</p>
<p>dont mean to fan any flames but my D applied to 6 schools as a repeat 9th and only one school chose to consider her as such. Every other school made their decision based on a 10th grade spot. We need significant FA, about 85%. She does not have any hooks.</p>
<p>One AO told me her decision was based on my Ds course load and grades. I have no idea why the others decided the same. Half accepted her with FA and half denied her.</p>
<p>@ThatcherParent was this before april 10th?</p>
<p>Yes, it was.</p>
<p>for the people that got accepted from the waitlist! what did you guys do to get off the waitlist?</p>
<p>I was waitlisted and taken off late may, this is because I needed a lot of FA. I was so excited!!!</p>
<p>FWIW/YMMV/ETC</p>
<p>My daughter was accepted with 80-99% aid to 4 schools this year. She applied as and was accepted as a repeat 9th grader. </p>
<p>She is NOT an athlete.</p>
<p>what did you do to get off waitlist?</p>
<p>@justgolf I know that you want to get off the waitlist and I know what it feels like, I’m waitlisted at the school that I would kill to attend. I wish that I could tell you there was some magic way to get in, but there isn’t. The chances of being taken off are slim, but they could happen. I’m being incredibly hopeful and probably just setting myself up for disappointment all over again. </p>
<p>What it seems like you don’t understand is that the waitlist is more like a waiting pool. Everyone swims around in the deep end, pretty much drowning, until an AO decides that they need a girl who excels at writing and plays guitar and saxophone. If you happen to be that girl, you’ll be the one taken out of the water and dried off. When one kid doesn’t accept a spot, the AOs look for someone with similar qualifications. This is why it just happens. No one can tell if the letter they wrote had anything to do with them eventually being admitted or if them calling the school every other day helped or hurt their chances. I wish you luck in your school search and hope that maybe I’ll eventually be able to listen to my own advice. Easier said than done.</p>
<p>bumpity bump bump</p>
<p>I got one. Not exactly happy, but I think it could be beneficial.</p>
<p>I was wait-listed last year at one of my dream secondary schools for entry as a freshmen, and I was not accepted anywhere else. Anyway, at the end of the year, I received no word from the school and realized the wait-list was closed. It was devastating.</p>
<p>This year though, I applied again for entry for sophomore year. Now, it was a bit ambitious, but, I seized the chance. Now next year, I’ll be entering my dream secondary school as a sophomore.</p>
<p>I hope you guys don’t give up. </p>
<p>Good luck</p>
<p>Wait, this was a school you were waitlisted at?</p>
<p>Yes. </p>
<p>Sorry, I should have been clearer.</p>
<p>What school did you get accepted to, if you don’t mind me asking? (I’m really hoping you say Episcopal)</p>