<p>I am only a junior but I am confused how waitlist works. When do you typically get off the list. Is it after May, if so, if you already decided where you want to go, and get off the waitlist, how can you change the school your attending. Very confused.</p>
<p>If the college gets a lower yield of matriculants than it predicted before making decisions, it will make offers to those on the wait list. If so, it will happen after May.</p>
<p>If you have put a deposit at another school but then change, you will lose that deposit if you accept a wait list admission offer.</p>
<p>Once the deadline comes for the acceptance day, the school will look at how many spots it still has open, if any. If it has spots open, then they will send offers out to people on the waitlist.</p>
<p>Once you receive a spot on the waitlist, to accept it, you simply respond to that offer that you wish to attend and send in a deposit. You then withdraw your acceptance at whatever other school you were accepted at. You will most likely lose your deposit there.</p>
<p>darkaeroga: this is the normal process. Colleges know some kids withdraw or otherwise can’t attend for a variety of reasons – it’s called the “summer melt”. Accepting another preferred college’s wait list offer is a common one. </p>
<p>Students can accept spots on multiple waitlists. Students are not bound to attend if later offered a spot off the WL. </p>
<p>This unusual situation can even occur: You get accepted at school A and are offered spots at schools B and C (C happens to be your #1 choice but you like B more than A). You accept both WL spots. You make a deposit at A, fully intending to attend. In mid May, B contacts you with an offer. You accept B’s offer while immediately withdrawing from A (possibly losing any deposit made). In early June, school C comes with an offer. If inclined, you can even then, decline B’s offer in order to accept C’s offer.</p>
<p>Got it?</p>
<p>Yes, thank you guys, it clears it up much more. I thought accepting of an acceptance from a college was sort of binding.</p>
<p>Of course, if you matriculate late off the wait list, you may be last in line for course registration, dorm choice, etc…</p>
<p>are wait lists first come first serve or?</p>
<p>"are wait lists first come first serve or? " certainly not. It’s just a holding pool from which the Admissions office can dip into to fill gaps in those who decide to not matriculate from the original accepted pool. e.g. say of the 15 superstar music prodigies offered admission, 10 of them decide to go elsewhere, the college will look at the musicians on the WL for the top musicians.</p>
<p>Also the WL has been seen as a “courtesy” for some – especially with legacy applicants. If a school waitlists 1000 kids but traditionally only accepts 20-50 off of this list, one has to suspect that some kids are offered WL as to not cause excess hurt feelings of alumni parents even if they have no true hopes of every obtaining a WL offer</p>