So, Rice, Va Tech and Cal Poly SLO waitlists have started moving. Anyone else? Is this really early? Tomorrow is the usual deadline day so hitting your waitlist before deadline seems a little bit like a panic move.
I seem to remember hearing schools use waitlists last year before 5/1, but who knows for sure.
Rice has barely used the waitlist over the years - last time was 2015, and they also made offers in late April so this seems to be their approach. I think it makes sense, why wait until May if you already know that you have spots? That way Rice can bring in waitlist kids who are holding out to see if they get off the waitlist, before they make deposits to other schools. But Rice is a small school aiming for a smaller than usual class this year (because of the higher than expected yield last year and resulting over-enrollment), so they were very conservative in the number of offers that they made. It seems like Rice might have flexibility in timing that large schools might not have.
Someone in the Lehigh forum posted that they were accepted off the waitlist.
I got waitlisted at four schools. It is just kind of sad because I want to get excited about the college that I am attending, but I keep wondering “what if?”
I can hear back as late as june 30th. This will still be hanging over my head in summer which is kind of sad.
@AnneMPam waitlists are so unpredictable. Try to move on and get excited to whatever school you are committed to.
Looks like Duke started hitting the waitlist yesterday.
Word from guidance counseling office at my son’s high school is that UVA will take virtually none of the thousands of kids they put on the Waiting List this year.
Last summer there was a long discussion about overenrollment at selective colleges: http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/2008200-overenrolled-colleges-p1.html More extensive use of waitlists makes perfect sense considering the uncertainties of enrollment management.
Heh, it’s funny. I was reading the thread you linked (thanks @evergreen5 ) and two of the schools that they talk about being overenrolled for 2017 are VA Tech and Cal Poly SLO… two of the schools who we have seen are already taking people off of the waitlists. Looks like both schools overcorrected.
… and if that continues to hold true, Northeastern (overenrolled last year by 308) should start hitting their waitlist soon.
Seems like there was a trend this year for schools to accept less kids, so that might mean more waitlist movement. Obviously not at UVA. I feel like the strong state flag ships are stronger than ever. Good for them.
Will be interesting to see if Cornell accurately forecasted their yield this year based on these eyebrow raising numbers:
We should know in the next week or two based on waitlist results.
Class of 2020 - admitted - 6,337 waitlist 4,572
Class of 2021 - admitted - 5,962 waitlist 5,713
Class of 2022 - admitted - 5,288 waitlist 6,684
@CU1986 , any idea why Cornell waitlists so many?
I’d like to see it as a strategy to avoid overenrollment and keeping the yield rate high, which might be a trend for more colleges.
I agree @Dreamlessnewmember , but what I can’t wrap my head around is the thousands and thousands that are on the WL.
We heard U. of Michigan did the same with a crazy large wait list.
@Winky1 Those numbers posted by @CU1986 in post #132 are the numbers offered a waitlist spot, not the number who accepted. The offer of a waitlist spot has a yield that obviously isn’t 100%. (Likewise, yield of acceptance offers to kids on the waitlist isn’t 100% either.) Waitlist offer numbers are NOT indicative of the size of the waitlist, and accordingly, the numbers in post #132 are incorrect.
class of 2021, offered a spot, 5713; accepted a spot, 3723
class of 2020, offered a spot, 4571; accepted a spot, 2874 (these are found in the CDS)
Incidentally, the consultant quoted in the OP article made the same error with quoted numbers, though in the consultant’s case, I suspect she was intentionally disingenuous.
@Winky1 The convenience of common app encourages people to think that the grass is greener elsewhere! 
@evergreen5 I am glad you pointed out the difference between the waitlist offered numbers and waitlist accepted numbers but I believe my point still holds. There was a substantial drop in accepted applicants (ED and RD) in the last three years - over 16% and at the same time the number of waitlist offers - and the actual size of the waitlist - increased significantly. I’m sure these trend aren’t by chance
The waitlist numbers aren’t wrong but could potentially be misleading. I actually think the waitlist offer numbers are typically indicative of the size of the waitlist and the above numbers support this - 63-65% accepted to be on the waitlist both years. Obviously there will be some fluctuation each year but I suspect typically not too substantial.