which university waitlist ?
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Mom of a DD in this unending year of college chaos as well. She accepted her RD offer at WashU but stayed on waitlist for Brown ⊠with very little thought that it could actually happen. It was just such a tough year to even get WL at Brown, that she figured âwhy not?â
Deferred, then denied at her dream school (Williams - shout back up to @Acccdad whoâs been with us since the beginning and congrats on Amherst!) That Williams dream was actually her only denial (not sure sheâs really emotionally recovered - or will - but she has come to accept it). In RD, waitlisted at Brown and two others (Middlebury, Wesleyan) and declined the waitlist for the latter, then accepted at a few others that sheâs now declined after visiting all of them (some again, some for first time bc of covid.)
Back to the original posterâs comments, while the waitlist obviously existed and was used in pre-covid years, I do think that the WL has become more of a regular tool in the arsenal of college admissions. Which isnât a good thing in my book. Our girls went to a small private school in MD (not ideal for this current landscape) and we always heard about college process - very little of this long tortured process in years previous to covid.
Setting aside the much discussed explosion of application numbers (and applicants), I feel like all the power has shifted to the college side in this whole thing. And nothing is standardized with the process, so kids begin application stress with applying to some as early as July/August of fall of senior year and can still be on the hook for waitlists as late as July after graduation. Doesnât seem right to me - or healthy??
Anyway, in my direct comparison, I have a daughter who applied for Fall of 2020 and I think we heard of only two or three students were waitlisted then and then maybe only on WL at one school. (She ended up an early decision acceptance in Class of 2024 at Davidson - I had no idea how good we had it with that process. She may have lost her spring senior year to covid but at least it wasnât this college application chaos!) So colleges ended up dipping into waitlists bc kids took covid gap years or international students couldnât come, etc, but they hadnât been so heavily used so it was a great outcome for students.
Last year, so many early deferrals, then waitlists. One of our friendsâ kids got on waitlists and some just never even heard again (Wake Forest didnât even ever send him closure.)
This year, it was a slew of early deferrals or denials (unless you were an athlete or hooked) and then RD waitlist city all over the place. Even if there is movement, itâs still healthier for the kids to accept an offer from a college, start looking forward, and put the âmaybeâ behind them. I donât think the colleges are helping with that though.
I will be so glad when fall arrives, come what may. This has been soul draining!
Anyway, best of luck to all in just wrapping this up. âLove the college that loves you,â is what I keep saying to my daughter (who rolls her eyes, lol)!
PS. If I had an ideal process: 1) ED or EA would be for very interested and committed students only, none of this BS with slotting in athletes and kids that already know they are going to that school, some with a signed commitment. Makes no sense, 2) Dates would be standard - all applications in on certain dates, all acceptances returned on certain dates. One BIG RD day. Would be brutally hard but you could plan for it and then the emotions of the decision day would be tempered. If SATs and ACTs are same days across the country AND there is a Common App or other centralized apps now, why isnât it standardized timing and not this horrible, long drawn out half a month of acceptances and denials. Youâd have more time to make a decision. 3) And then not this waitlist dragging on - if they have to have it, fine, but give solid standardized dates as to the decisions across all colleges and END the anxiety, strain, mental and emotional stress for the students and families. Let everyone move forward to new adventures. Pipe dream, I know, but this whole process is just nonsensical. Iâm finished after this daughter and thatâs probably a good thing for all involved. Lol
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Congratulations to your daughter! Please ignore this if youâd like, but Iâd like to share my experiences with my college decision with you (30+ years ago now, so likely not relevant).
I attended Georgetown SFS and turned down Brown to do so. Georgetown SFS had been my dream school and I was incredibly focused on studying international relations at the time.
I absolutely loved Georgetown and had a very successful career after graduating. However, I didnât do anything even remotely related to international relations. I went into the pharmaceutical industry.
Though I loved Georgetown, made friends for life and had a good education, I sometimes wonder if Iâd chosen Brown instead whether I would have pursued a different major once it had become clear that IR wasnât for me.
But at Georgetown, though at the time you could change schools (donât know how easy that option is now), it certainly wasnât as easy as attending a school where you simply pick your major at a certain time.
I guess Iâm writing this to you to pose the question to your daughter about âwhat ifâ she changes her mind about her major and whether sheâd still be glad she picked Georgetown over some other optionsâŠeven if that possibility seems remote now.
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In 2016, my kid was WL at 6 of the 15 schools he applied to including his top 2 choices. Many of his friends were also on WL, included one who ended up at his safety (and who transferred for sophomore year.) A dear friendâs son got off the Stanford WL in August in 2015. My reactions included many expressed here, from outrage, puzzlement, hope, and despair. I get it.
Having gone through this with friends every year since - because everyone is amazed at this practice when they discover it for themselves (and even really thorough college counseling offices donât seem to address this outcome in the mountains of info they share before and during the process), a couple bits of advice.
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May and early June is when most, but not all, activity will happen. Most, but not all, schools will usually ask if you want to stay on the list over the summer. Put differently, almost everyone will be headed off to the school where they are committed at graduation.
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As mentioned above, check email and VM. But not compulsively!
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Do respond if you get those maintenance emails about confirming that you wish to stay on the WL. And if you know you will say 100% say yes if offered a spot (i.e., your #1), tell them.
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Decline WL positions at schools you would not choose over the one where you have deposited - you donât need that drama!
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Beyond 1-3 above, put the WL out of your mind! This is out of your control.
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Stay engaged with the school where you have deposited. Odds are that is where you will go. Learn what you can about academics, housing, activities- everything that will allow you to have the terrific experience you want. This will set you up best for fall and it may even make some of the WL schools less attractive.
Wishing everyone a great outcome to what, I know from experience, has been a very looong year!
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Sorry, I thought I was responding to the Amherst thread. She was accepted off the waitlist from Amherst.
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I am not surprised by this. I know at least 5 students from our community in NJ that committed to Skidmore. A popular choice this year!
What happened with your S16?
Amazingly, got offers from his top 2 schools on May 1 and 2 - the only 2 where he accepted WL positions. Yes, right after deposit was paid! He was very lucky. And he had some significant updates for the interim period.
None of his friends, however, heard anything from their WL schools. And one of them in particular-- the one who transferred - was a pretty amazing kid (now off to med school.)
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Letâs get back to the topic of college wait-lists.
Feel free to use PMs or start a new thread to discuss other topics.
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News in email today from guidance counselor here on Brown waitlist - just including to support everyoneâs advice above to commit and begin to emotionally invest in the college you commit to and not hold on to waitlist as if a traditional decision. I do agree with everyone above who says that itâs most definitely going to depend on the school, but a lot of times itâs the reach/dream thatâs still in WL purgatory. Weâve filled out housing, put on the magnet, booked move in arrangements, so â WashU is lucky enough to land herâ is my philosophy!
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So what I am seeing is what I expected to see â I could end up being wrong, but I think there will be lower amounts of kids taken from WLâs this year once again. NYU is offering Spring to those that are coming off the WL. I do not think there are going to be a lot of the T50 schools and top LACâs that are going to need to go to the WL for a lot of spaces. Just my opinion based on some of the schools and what they are saying and offering right now.
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I totally agree with this. I know there are some instances in which the WL situation works out, but after an application season like this one, I feel like it is extremely stressful for the kids to keep waiting and waiting without going all-in at the school that they were loved by. It affects their self-esteem at some point.
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Daughter notified by phone Tuesday evening & official letter came today - accepted off waitlist for Cornell Nolan School of Hotel Management!!!
After a long rollercoaster of an admissions process, she is over the moon!!
Go Big Red!
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Congrats!
thank you!!
On another thread, I saw that BU sent an email saying the WL is closed.
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My daughter got off the waitlist at Tufts yesterday - just happened to check her portal with no phone call. Got a formal email from
The AO and financial aid info today.
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There is a thread with confirmed waitlist closures. Williams, Haverford, Skidmore all closed. People are reporting waitlist movement for Amherst. But I have seen nothing for most of the other top LACs at this point. It seems that the LACS, in general, may have done a good job forecasting yield this year.
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Penn waitlist has moved.
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Thanks! What is the name of the thread?