<p>My son has been waitlisted at 3 schools, and is playing the waiting game. He applied to 8 carefully selected and mostly visited schools, and was accepted at one. The results on 1 April showed us it has been a crapshoot all along. Even for highly qualified legacy!</p>
<p>The ball has always been in their court. And now you have to show interest in them? Why? And really, how? These kids can’t get truely excited about one school because they have to hedge their bets, for their own protection. And yet they are supposed to have found, implemented, and can reflect articulately on “THEIR PASSION” by the time they are 18? Let’s be real. There is no reality check on this entire game, and it needs one badly. </p>
<p>As we watched the NFL draft yesterday, we wondered if that wouldn’t be a different option. The existing process requires new rules and regulations. Fewer applications per applicant would help on our part. More transparency on the part of colleges would be a big step in our direction for them. For the mean time, waitlists seem to be the consolation prize of a process in need of innovative thinking. Can we expect this of institutions that pride themselves on holding the keys to creative thinking?</p>