Getting in off a waitlist

Prep School Admissions
1

<p>My DC got his notifications from local private schools in our area today. We applied for 6th grade. He skipped a grade so he is very young for his grade so I was prepared for schools to admit him as 5th grader. His outcome was good he got accepted at all of the schools we applied for as a 6th grader except for his 1st choice. That school was very competitive to get into they accept only 32% of applicants so I knew it would be hard but I was so sure that he would get in. That particular school said that they know that he has all of the qualifications to do well at the school but they could not offer him a spot at this time. They said that they will look into the waitpool in mid April if an opening comes up for the 6th grade. Does this usually happen? BTW We applied for Financial Aid for all the schools but none of the schools offered him a dime. Do you think that if he does get in off the waitlist they will offer him financial aid at that time for that school? All of the schools are very expensive for us at this time and would only justify paying for his 1st choice. </p>

<p>Any tips for getting off the waitlist.</p>

2

<p>From my limited experience and the expereriences I have heard off - waitlists are very random, particularly for small schools. Generally , the more popular a school, the more likely that there won’t be any empty slots. However, sometimes slots open up much later. I know of a family that was contacted just a few days before school started.
You also are very unlikely to get any financial aid when your child is admitted from the waitlist for the simple reason that it is all gone. Again, you might get lucky - a child getting financial aid might be unable to come.
Be sure the school knows you are interested, but don’t be a pest. Send them any really important updates, although I imagine there are few for a 5th grader. (Unless he wins some regional competition…)</p>