"The notoriously maddening college admissions race just got a little easier for one group of students – those on waiting lists.
Once dubbed the place where students’ dreams go to die, waitlists are opening up as schools contend with the economic fallout of the coronavirus.
Faced with the prospect of bulging deficits, tuition shortfalls and uncertainty as to how many students will enroll this fall, U.S. colleges and universities are tapping into their bench of prospective students to ensure their classes, and ideally classrooms and dorms, are full.
‘I’ve been doing this for 31 years and I’ve never seen anything like this,’ said Matthew DeGreeff, dean of college counseling at the Middlesex School, a private school in Concord, Massachusetts. ‘It’s been the most unprecedented year with waitlists.’" …
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-06-04/getting-into-college-just-got-easier-if-your-kid-is-wait-listed
Except it really shows who uses the wl as a soft rejection. Right above my D’s wl status at LMU is a call for application. They’re openly soliciting apps on the page where they tell you you’re still on the waitlist. Can’t think of anything that would be more of a turnoff for a student, honestly.
I agree that can be a let down, but it’s likely these schools are looking for something pretty specific…increase URM %, or they have run out of FA (so only full pays can get off WL), or certain majors are full at schools that admit by major, for a few examples.
With around 700 colleges on NACAC’s colleges with openings list, there are many schools not considering any applicants on the W/L , or they have already taken their W/L down to zero.