<p>Ivies digging deeper into waiting lists and are sure to create a domino effect down the line. So PWL guys,is it good news for us? If so, to what extent?Wish somebody could figure out a model to predict!</p>
<p>Probably depends on the extent of overenrollment … I doubt the admissions office will release any exact figures though</p>
<p>Anomandaris,</p>
<p>You think there was overenrolment? Any particular source for that?</p>
<p>Wasn’t it mentioned in the PWL results thread for this year?</p>
<p>This article should be helpful in explaining why Carnegie Mellon is keeping its waitlist despite having no/few current spots.</p>
<p>Top Colleges Dig Deeper in Wait Lists for Students </p>
<p>By TAMAR LEWIN </p>
<p>Published: May 9, 2008 </p>
<p>In what may be a happy surprise for thousands of high school seniors, Princeton and the University of Pennsylvania plan to offer admission to 90 students on their wait lists, and Harvard may take 150 or more. </p>
<p>The ripples from the offers will probably send other highly selective colleges deeper into their waiting lists, as well. </p>
<p>“This year has been less predictable than any recent year,” said Eric J. Kaplan, interim dean of admissions at Penn, adding that when one college in the top tier goes deep into its wait list, others are affected. “We all need to fill our classes and replace students who have been taken off wait lists at other institutions. The wait-list activity could extend for a significant time.” </p>
<p>Although colleges turn to wait lists to fill out their classes, it is unusual for the most selective to go so deep, college officials say. </p>
<p>For high-school students graduating in an unusually large class and for colleges trying to shape a freshman class, this has been an unusually challenging year, with the changes in early-admissions programs and the broad expansion of financial aid at many elite universities. </p>
<p>Right up until the May 1 deadline for students to respond to admissions offers, colleges have been unsure what to expect. </p>
<p>“Our class is coming in exactly the way we wanted it to, fitting into the plan we had to get to a class of 1,240,” said Janet Rapelye, dean of admission at Princeton, which, like Harvard and the University of Virginia, eliminated early admissions this year. </p>
<p>Ms. Rapelye said that with such a big change in policy, it was difficult to predict results, so “we deliberately aimed to have a slightly smaller group.” </p>
<p>Harvard would not confirm its plans for its wait list. In an e-mail message sent on Thursday to colleagues at dozens of other institutions and passed on to The New York Times, William Fitzsimmons, the Harvard College dean of admissions, said, “Harvard will admit somewhere in the range of 150-175 from the waiting list, possibly more depending on late May 1 returns and other waiting list activity.” </p>
<p>In answer to an e-mail message on Thursday afternoon asking about those figures, however, a Harvard spokesman said that the numbers were not accurate and that the university would not release any numbers or make any statement until next week. </p>
<p>The Yale dean of admissions, Jeffrey Brenzel, said there would be about 45 wait-list offers this week and probably another round later this month. </p>
<p>Even colleges that had more than filled their freshman classes were wondering how many students would melt away if admitted off waiting lists elsewhere. </p>
<p>“We’re over target right now, so we’re in good shape,” said Rick Shaw, the Stanford dean of admissions. “But I’m keeping a small group on the wait list, because I think there’ll be some impact of wait-list activity at other schools.” </p>
<p>At Dartmouth, Maria Laskaris, the dean of admissions, said although Dartmouth had more than enough accepted students committing, she was “in a holding pattern, because it depends on what other schools do.” </p>
<p>“If they go deep into their wait lists,” Ms. Laskaris said, “there’s a domino effect that has an impact on all of us.” </p>
<p>Amherst College offered admission to 15 students on the wait list Wednesday and expected to make offers to about 10 more. Swarthmore and Pomona planned to take 15 to 20 students from the wait list, admissions officials said. </p>
<p>At Bowdoin College, William Shain said he was slightly over the 480-student target, “but not so much that going to the waiting list is out of the question, if we lost a lot to other schools.” </p>
<p>Some high school guidance counselors said the wait-list activity this year seemed to have occurred especially quickly. </p>
<p>“In the last few years, more and more kids have been getting put on wait lists,” said Margaret Loonam, assistant principal at Ridgewood High School in New Jersey. “Now we’re seeing more get off the wait lists and earlier. It used to be a formal letter. </p>
<p>“But this year, it’s still early May and we’ve had a kid who got a call at home at night saying, ‘You’re off the wait list, do you want to come?’ We’ve already had kids get off waitlists at N.Y.U., B.U., Fairfield and Quinnipiac.” </p>
<p>At the University of Virginia, which also ended early admissions this year, John Blackburn, the dean of admission, said because he had received 3,200 deposits for a target of 3,170 freshman, he might not go to the wait list, unless an unusual number of students defect to other colleges. </p>
<p>Mr. Blackburn said he considered the move from early admissions a success because it seemed that, as hoped, it had brought in more low-income students. </p>
<p>Harvard, which ended early admissions this year and greatly expanded its financial aid to middle-income families, sent out offers of admissions to 1,948 students March 31, for a freshman class that is to number 1,650. Harvard would not say how many students had accepted the admissions offers.</p>
<p>to lfecollegeguy: are you a student at cmu? you seem to know a lot info about the whole admission process at cmu.</p>
<p>Any domino effect will probably be diffused over many different colleges</p>
<p>A lucky few might get off CMU’s waitlist later this summer … but I would be surprised if that number reaches double digits</p>
<p>i agree with fistandantilus. when i got my phone call on may 6th, they said there might be some spots open later in june. but, don’t count on it. just move on with your life.</p>
<p>This is going to sound selfish, but could those who have genuinely decided to move on remove themselves from the waitlist?</p>
<p>I’m only semi-serious haha … a man can dream, right?</p>
<p>Heh moving on isn’t the same as giving up </p>
<p>But I am considering it. No point letting this drag on</p>
<p>well, it isn’t relevant to the topic of domino effect.
i just checked my “where am i in the process?” page, and my decisions changed from blank to “not admitted”.
under document sent, it shows that another decision notification letter was sent on may 6th.
i wonder if i am still on the waitlist or is this whole thing over?</p>
<p>Over.</p>
<p>(10 characters).</p>
<p>Well could someone who has already received this new decision letter please post the contents here? I’m an international so mine won’t be arriving anything soon</p>
<p>to anomandaris: i received my letter today. it says on there that they were unable to offer me admission and asked if i still want to remain on the waitlist for the second round. there is a waitlist reply form attached to the letter. basically, if you still consider cmu your no. 1 choice, you have to return the waitlist reply form and they will give you a decision in summer.</p>
<p>Thanks alot o0shuo0o</p>
<p>Is there a deadline for this second reply? I don’t want to miss it by receiving the letter too late</p>
<p>Anomandaris: I received the same letter in the mail with my wait-list reply slip. It does not have a deadline to be received, however I assume that the sooner you submit it to them, the better.
They also give you two options: you can either mail the checked slip back to them OR you can fax the slip to the fax number that they give in the letter.</p>
<p>I faxed mine this evening and I plan to mail a copy too, just in case.</p>
<p>Hope that helps. :]</p>
<p>Thanks iKrystin</p>
<p>I hope it isn’t ‘first come, first served’ because that’s bad news for me (an international).</p>
<p>i wonder when they are going to tell us…although it says “during summer months” on the letter. i hate waiting…</p>
<p>Anomandaris:</p>
<p>Did u receive the letter with ‘waitlist reply slip’? I am also an international and I am yet to receive it.</p>
<p>Yes, but I only received it 4 days ago. You might want to call them up about it if you’re worried</p>