<p>i’ve got a quick q about the wait list in general, i figure i’ll pose it to the amherst thread. i’m currently wait listed at 5 schools…am i allowed to hold a spot on the waiting list at all of these schools or can i only be on one?</p>
<p>You can accept a waitlist spot at as many schools as you want...and obviously you are under no obligation to accept a place after all should you be offered one later but find you've changed your mind. Getting in off the waitlist generally (or always!) requires some persistence and work on your part...and prolonged stress that can last into June...but worth it for a lucky few (and let's face it, luck played a part in all our decisions, whether in/out/waitlisted). My brother was one of a couple dozen out of 500-600 who made it into Williams (sorry to mention on this thread!) off the waitlist back in 2003, so it happens --- rare at most top LACs but possible.</p>
<p>athiker, how did your brother go about getting off the Williams waitlist?</p>
<p>I wish there was some specific secret formula guaranteed to up the odds but I don't think there was/is. He simply wrote a couple of very down-to-earth from-the-heart letters, several weeks apart, in April and early-May, copied them to the director of admissions and our regional rep there...I guess they moved someone. No calls from school counselors, no additional recs from influential people, no dramatic gestures or gimmicks; just a couple of earnest letters and some luck.</p>
<p>Thanks, athiker! I know there's no secret formula, but advice like yours is helpful for a girl who doesn't really know where to start.</p>