Hello everyone,
This is my first post on college confidential, and admittedly, it is quite late for me—as a senior, I am a week away from having to make the big May 1st decision!
I have used college confidential frequently this year, and I know this question has resurfaced a lot in many threads, but I would love someone to shed more light on the ominous topic of waitlists.
I applied EA to Boston College and was eventually waitlisted. Boston College is my dream school and although I know it’s incredibly selective and my chances of getting off the waitlist are extremely slim, I want to at least try. I am going to send an email to the admissions committee within the next few days, but I wanted to know if there is anything else I can do that will help me stand out, or if anyone has advice to make my letter just that bit more compelling. Should I have another recommendation included with my letter of continued interest? I know that it is critical to send grades to show that I have continued my academic integrity, but my high school officially solidifies this trimester’s grades very late; therefore, I would not be able to send an official transcript out in time.
Would it then be acceptable to self-report grades in my letter of continued interest?
Any help is SO appreciated…I love BC with all of my heart and know I would thrive there; however, I know it is incredibly selective and there are so many bright students vying for the same position, so I will do everything I can and see what happens.
@cpcollege
My daughter was in your same position four years ago. It is very important to let BC know that you want to be added to their waitlist and if offered a spot, you will accept it. I don’t feel that another letter of recommendation would help at this point but definitely report any new awards that have been presented to you. BC will start pulling from the list after May 1st. Also, it might be helpful to have your college counselor reach out to admissions and let them know your continued interest in BC. Good luck. BC is a special place!!!
@cpcollege My daughter is a freshman. While she was not wait listed, my only advice would be to be sure you accept their wait list spot, then don’t forget to send a deposit to your 2nd choice!! This is critical!
I might email BC and tell them how much you are interested in being a BC student. If you’ve done anything since you sent your app, let them know.
Also agree with @dreambig101 and have your HS counselor reach out!
I don’t want to rain on your parade but definitely start visualizing your experience at the great school that is your 1b. BC has had a surge and last year only took 15 kids off the waitlist. But one was as late as first week of July so there is hope.
Tell them exactly what you wrote here and send in any updates. It could happen but no need to stress if you have a great other option.
Has anyone heard anything about the BC waitlist? How was the RD yield this year? Does anyone have a sense for how many might come off the WL this year? Hopefully more than last year’s 15.
Thanks! I’ve actually seen that article. Not that it’s “encouraging,” but I thought you were referencing a BC publication specific to 2022 waitlist. Faint sigh of relief?
@BCBoundMaybe That article was from April 2 and the waitlist numbers discussed there are two years old already, for Class of 2020. Note that BC accepted 800 fewer students this year, for Class of 2022, than for Class of 2021, which was overenrolled. Perhaps they will use the waitlist more this year. Good luck!
Interesting: 3 out of 4 students we know have declined their admission to BC. One b/c BC gave no $, another b/c he’s going to Vanderbilt, and another b/c he chose Georgetown over BC.
The only inaccuracy of the article was it turned out BC only accepted 15 last year. Not 100. They actually tweeted out this official figure themselves.
In my D circle we know of three kids who were deciding between uva w and m and Haverford all committed to BC. For various reasons and very unique to each kid. Small sample so who knows.
^100 was the number for Class of 2020 rather than “last year” as the article indicated. The bigger problems I have with that article are (1) that it trumpeted the number offered a place on the waitlist rather than the actual waitlist size (the number that accept a spot is often smaller by half), (2) that it failed to mention the significant overenrollment at many schools for Class of 2021, including BC, which was overenrolled by >100 kids, an indication of yield uncertainty, and (3) lower accepted numbers for class of 2022, which were known before the article went to print (9200 for class of 2021 vs 8400 for class of 2022), suggesting possible greater use of the waitlist for enrollment management this year.
I hope so for the waitlisted students. You have all worked very hard for your spot on the heights. But if you are that accomplished to be on the waitlist you obviously have equally great options on the table. You’ll have a great time wherever you go. And shocked at how smart everyone else is too. Get ready to bring out your A game.
Another interesting fact…though several young men accepted to BC from our local Jesuit Prep not one is going. Cost plus distance may be the factor, but the lack of financial aid is probably #1 reason.
@twinsplus1 BC meets 100% of financial need as determined by the CSS form. Only 15 students get merit in the form of the gabelli scholarship. BC does utilize home equity in their analysis. Many parents could plow all their savings into their home and effectively hide assets. I don’t think that’s the case but many pay extra into house versus saving in a 529. It evens things out. But many people don’t like that and they go elsewhere. Que sera sera