I am not sure this is true anymore, with the way admissions has changed. At NYU and others, they specifically ask you NOT to send in letters of recommendation, extra LOCI forms, etc… and instruct you that you should ONLY complete their WL form and ask you not to contact AO’s. I think it’s a matter of them filling the particular need – demographically, geographically, major etc… – no matter how desperately you want it or committed you are to taking their offer. In thinking about it, this may be healthier for the student as well – a student who is still strategizing, writing, contacting, and actively trying to get in to the WL school makes it a lot harder for them to get excited about the school they are already committed to.
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I know schools say not to do more, but I don’t think all of them mean it. UMass Amherst told WL students not to make contact. A friend’s son followed guidelines even though he desperately wanted in. His best friend contacted the AO on a Monday to say he would enroll if accepted, got a “thank you for letting us know” immediately, and was accepted 3 days later.
My friend was so frustrated that she didn’t follow her instincts and encourage her son to make contact.
State schools with more WL movement might be different even though they say not to make contact, but everyone cares about yield.
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Writing to the AO to express his commitment may have helped seal the deal for him (we can’t be sure) - but he wouldn’t have been picked from the list in the first place if he didn’t fill some gap that the admissions office had in their incoming freshman class.
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We can’t be sure — that’s completely true — but it’s also possible that because the AO has his name with a firm commitment AND he fit their demographic needs, he was extended the offer.
It’s a chicken and egg situation and unclear which is causal, but it certainly is possible that his contact brought his name to the top of the list.
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Way back, when my daughter was first going to daycare, I took a tour and they said she’d be put on the waitlist. Two minutes later the director said “Well, you’re here, you can start on Monday, so you’re in.” Too bad for all those babies on the waitlist! She fit their needs (she was tiny, like a baby but 10 months old, so she’d be in the baby room for a while and they didn’t have to figure out who on the waitlist would be the perfect age to stay in the baby room for 6 months or so. She would.
I think sometimes being in the right place (on the phone?) at the right time helps. I don’t think it hurts. I really don’t think they are going to put you on the bottom of the pile just because you called or sent some info.
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I think everyone is right. If the school is open to receiving updates and reaffirmations then by all means do so. If you’ve already developed a relationship with the AO, even better. If a particular college is looking to fill a spot from a specific region and a few candidates have similar stats, I can absolutely see the AOs giving the kid who kept in touch with them the lucky break. But the flip side is, many kids follow this example do not get any feedback from their AO’s(ie.- my kids’ classmates). For us, we got a bit more information BECAUSE my daughter was on the fence when the offer came in. In April, when she didn’t get into her first choice DD was devastated and didn’t care where she attended in the fall. For the next few weeks, we did nothing other than trying to choose a school she was admitted to by fit. When she decided to put herself on two of the WL, we did write a LOCI but tried to forget about it by focusing on the school she committed to. So, it came as a complete surprise when the senior director of one WL school reached out to her. My D was honest and told him she wasn’t sure which school she wanted more. This was when he shared with her a few examples of the students trying to get into the school. He mentioned some students emailed him several times reaffirming that it’s their dream school. They also continuously send updates to keep the relationship going. But for whatever reason, they aren’t the ones being chosen(maybe this is where fit and region comes in). Of course she didn’t ask why this was the case because the point of the conversation was whether the WL school is her number one choice and if it’s not then let him know. He couldn’t have been nicer and gave DD a day to think it over. It didn’t take long for D to make up her mind and we are grateful. My point of this rambling is you can do everything or not do much and it can still happen if they want you so I think in our case it was a luck of the draw.
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Harvard waitlist movement May 20th. https://www.reddit.com/r/ApplyingToCollege/comments/rxs1ux/harvard_university_rd_megathread/i9q0rbc/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3
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A student also has to ensure they don’t come across as aggressive. Investing a lot of energy on a waitlist, especially if the college is hyperselective, stops a student from being invested at the college they’ve deposited at. Bombarding an AO with information and having a guidance counselor chase them down might annoy them, as much as anything else. Sending unsolicited stuff and repeatedly confirming and reconfirming interest isn’t going to make a spot appear.
I think it’s fine to send a brief email or two expressing continued interest, end of year grades, and anything notable you’d like a waitlist college to know. It might be appropriate in some cases to ask a guidance counselor to contact an AO.
My D got off a couple of waitlists, but only put effort into one of those colleges. For the school she ultimately attended, she emailed the AO to express her continued interest around mid April, and again around mid May or so. She moved on then, and didn’t think anymore about the waitlist school until she got an email in early July.
I also think too many parents want their kid to get off a waitlist, generally at a highly selective school. Parents, if the kid isn’t interested, don’t push them. It’s not their job to live your dream. Let them look forward to the school they choose. Given how difficult it is to get off waitlists, it’s so much better for the student to get excited about reality and not dwell on what didn’t happen.
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Also, I think some need blind schools are not need blind for waitlist. That could affect who is admitted in some cases.
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Definitely.
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Duke waitlist movement today - from discord server, kids got rejections.
Hello,
Has anyone heard any WL updates from Tulane?
I have first hand knowledge that Harvard’s waitlist is moving as well.
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So is it over? For the most part?
I wish it were so. I’m on the discord server for reddit/applyingtocollege and there are quite a few extended from the extended waitlist or not rejected from waitlist. Stanford, Cornell, UPenn, UCLA among them.
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As has been mentioned on this thread before, waitlist activity can continue into right into the summer. I’d say getting off a waitlist in August is fairly unusual, but it happens.
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Perhaps I’m misunderstanding your post, but Stanford alone, for example, enrolled over five dozen students from its waitlist last year.
Daughter had two waitlists close. One is still open, but since they do not guarantee housing and she is very happy with her current selection, I am not sure I would want her to take it (or that she even would), even if a spot was offered.
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Out of the entire population across the 50 states and including international students, it’s fascinating to me that a chunk of the ones who make it off the WL are using/commenting on CC Boards. It’s simply interesting to me.
Glad she’s happy with her current selection, that’s the best position to be in anyway. 
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