Getting off the Waitlist

Prep School Admissions
1

<p>Hello CC.... I was waitlisted by Deerfield and a three other schools ranging from top tier to regular.... I really want to go to Deerfield... I was accepted by a school... But I'm not really interested. Below I've compiled a list of things I want to do to get off the Waitlist... Tell me if it's a little too extreme</p>

<p>Retake the SSAt(go from 69th to 80th)
Make Varsity Lacrosse
Email Department Chairs of accomplishments since my interview
Drastic improvement in Spring Midterms
Winter Term Awards
...etc</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

<p>P.S. what are my chances of getting off... Almost all the kids in my school who applied to DA are going to PA or PEA. Once again thanks!</p>

2

<p>None of the things you mention is going to “move you up” DA’s waitlist. The waitlist isn’t a competition, and it isn’t ranked. DA knows who you are and deems you qualified for admission. (If not, you wouldn’t be on the waitlist.) There’s nothing more to do. If DA calculated its yield accurately, it won’t go to its waitlist at all. Send in the card saying you’d like to remain on the waitlist . . . and then leave it alone.</p>

<p>Your choice now is between your local (public?) school and the school where you were accepted. The choice is up to you.</p>

<p>If you want to know more about how a waitlist works, check this thread:</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/1300302-wait-list.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/1300302-wait-list.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

3

<p>Thanks! But, you don’t think it will help at all?</p>

4

<p>Getting off the wait list is always a possiblity, albeit small. It comes down to a numbers game and getting lucky. The general advice around here of “loving the school that loves you” is good since, in all likelihood, those are the schools you will have to choose from.</p>

<p>For people of my age, I can’t help think that adage is said better in song by CSN :):</p>

<p>[Crosby</a>, Stills & Nash (Live) - Love The One You’re With - YouTube](<a href=“- YouTube”>- YouTube)</p>

5

<p>Some time after sending in the postcard, I personally would tell them about positive updates to your grades and other accomplishments, along with a letter indicating that it’s still your first choice, briefly describing why you would be a great fit. As long as you don’t pester them, it cannot hurt to simply communicate these things. I really think one’s enthusiasm counts for something, but again, as long as you don’t go too far and become annoying. At the very least, it might keep your name on the tip of their tongue. And if they get to the wait list and want someone like you, perhaps they’ll take you, the one who has been in contact, over another kid with a similar profile who did nothing more than return the postcard.</p>

6

<p>I wrote a long post in wait List of things to do and how you need to have a split mind during this period of time. </p>

<p>There are steps you need to do NOW if you want off the WL (see the post)–but be warned, that for BS (colleges are different) the WL moves very little.</p>

<p>So go buy the sweatshirt, put up the car sticker and get excited about that school you will accept if you do not get off the List.</p>

7

<p>

Probably the 2 most most challenging schools for WL are DA & PA. The AO at DA told us, typically, they do not pull at all from the WL. One year 2 kids came off, and that was an unusually high year.</p>

<p>

Go to the revisit day and SERIOUSLY give this school fair consideration. Otherwise, why did you even bother to apply…</p>

8

<p>Thanks guys for all the advice! I am just praying that it will work out and DA might over estimate their yield rate. Personally I am not a huge fan of the “love the school that loves you” because obviously if you’re on a Waitlist they do really like you, and what’s the point of settling for less if you have the opportunity to try and strive for higher… But please keep on coming with the advice… It gives me a lot to think about and consider doing!</p>

9

<p>Not only does DA take very few if any kids off the waitlist (GMT is right that 2 is a high number for DA), but there are hundreds and hundreds of kids on the waitlist. Likely between 700 and 800, if the past is any experience. Stop wrapping yourself in a knot about this, the overwhelming odds are that this is not going to happen and there’s nothing more you can do about, beyond writing a nice letter telling them how it’s your first choice and about any recent major accomplishments.</p>

10

<p>While it is true that if you made the WL you are obviously qualified, however most people will not make it off the WL at all, so this “settling for less/opportunity for higher” that you speak of may just be wishful thinking.</p>

<p>Love the school that loves you? That IS what you should be focusing on.</p>

<p>You can try to get off the WL, but right now your only true option is looking at where you were accepted, or local public school. Forget about where most kids in your school are going and start looking at where you can go.</p>

11

<p>Trying to accomplish more achievements to impress the school is probably futile, because the school will be very specific about the profile of the persons (if any) that get pulled from the WL.</p>

<p>To maintain the balance of the class, a vacancy for a male 10th grade boarder will only be filled will a male 10th boarder candidate.</p>

<p>If u want to remain on the WL then that is your prerogative. If you want to board THIS FALL, then accept the bird-in-the-hand. If a miracle occurs and u get pulled off the DA WL, then u forfeit the deposit to the less favored school.</p>

12

<p>

</p>

<p>The point is, though, that you do not have “the opportunity to try and strive for higher.” You HAD that opportunity . . . and you took advantage of it and submitted your application to Deerfield. But you were not admitted . . . and there’s not a darned thing you can do about that!</p>

<p>If it were a smaller school, with only a dozen students on its waitlist, it might serve some purpose to send a short letter expressing your continuing interest in the school and your absolute commitment to attending if you’re offered a space. But Deerfield is not such a school. As noted, you are one of many, many more than a dozen on the waitlist, and such a letter would be unlikely to have any impact at all.</p>

<p>If you do not want to attend the school where you were admitted, that’s certainly your choice . . . but it would serve you well to consider that the school that accepted you, although perhaps not as well known as Deerfield, is not necessarily “worse” than Deerfield. It’s just different. And, quite possibly, different in a number of ways that might actually suit you quite well. There are lots and lots of schools that don’t want to be like Deerfield - they have their own cultures. their own personalities, their own objectives for their students. Each of these schools offers its students something that Deerfield can’t.</p>

<p>I know this from experience - I attended a school that was most certainly not Deerfield, my son attends a school that is not Deerfield, and many of my closest friends have kids attending schools that are, most certainly, not Deerfield. And we are well all quite happy with the choices we’ve made.</p>

13

<p>Dear Schoolsgalore,</p>

<p>Yes, the advice above about loving the school that loves you is very sound and very true and you should heed it. However, even at Deerfield occasionally people come off the wait list-- very, very few and not very often-- I have written a post on the Wait List thread – take a look.</p>

<p>However, as I wrote there and as others are writing now, you need to fall in love with where you most most likely be at school. If you don’t you will be miserable at a fine institution–and what is the point of that? The problem with wait lists is that do not provide closure. AOs think that by placing someone on the WL they are doing that person a favor but in almost all cases they are not–and in many cases–most likely yours, I’m sorry to say–they merely deny you the closure you need to move on.</p>

<p>Anyway, if you need to feel that you have exhausted all opportunities, then take a peak at my post. However, don’t do anything that might come back to haunt you if you were to re-apply next year.</p>

<p>Best of luck where you find yourself next year.</p>

14

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</p>

<p>Ummm. Ummm. Let’s be blunt. They didn’t “like” you enough to make you their first choice. You’re the backup and with waiting lists being huge, you might not make the next cut.</p>

<p>Hence, stop pining for what you can’t have and look at the options you DO have. If, in the end, Deerfield surprises you and gives you a spot, then lose the deposit at the other school. But, for goodness sake, why did you apply to a school you were not interested in? That is a waste of faculty time reading and debating your file, and its a space another student might have taken for whom it was a first choice. :(</p>

15

<p>I guess since it’s not looking good for me I should ask your opinions on The Governors Academy a.k.a the school that accepted me</p>

16

<p>I loved Gov’s. So did my son. Such a warm, friendly environment. Great arts and sports. Great academically. Did you realize that Gov’s is the oldest continuously operating boarding school in the U.S.? A lot of great history there and a lot of tradition such as jumping the wall at graduation. Very close knit community.</p>

<p>I loved the campus it is beautiful. Very New England with covered bridges and great architecture. The library building is really nice. The student center is really great too. They just finished expanding and renovating the dining hall and from what we saw online it was looking great. From what we could gather, very supportive atmosphere. The faculty were very caring and really seemed to be know what was going on with the students. It is a smaller school (I believe 350-450?) and from what we saw of it little to no cracks to fall into. </p>

<p>We know several families that attend and they LOVE it!!</p>

<p>You should definitely take another look. It is a very, very nice school. Gov’s is very selective in their admissions, they obviously saw something in you that was special. There were many, many well qualified kids at my my son’s old school that wanted to go to Gov’s and out of his class of 16, (there were 8 that applied), he was the only one admitted.</p>

<p>You should feel very proud and lucky that such a wonderful institution chose you.</p>

17

<p>First - don’t go to Governors. Leave that spot for a student who is really excited about it. Because, frankly, I think you’re not looking at this with the right attitude.</p>

<p>I really liked Governor’s. A lot. It caught me by surprise. We explored it after finding out the child of an Exeter faculty had enrolled there. The ceramics facility in the art building is insane! A few years ago they installed a new building just to house the kiln. The library is stunning. The sports were perfect, every student gets a single unless they want a roommate, and the Model Congress team competes at Harvard. I also liked that they had existing parents present to talk to applicant families during the interview phase. Also, they were very attentive throughout the application process. My husband, a med school Adcom, went with my D for revisit day and loved it. One of their students matriculated to MIT, another to my husband’s alma mater. The class sizes were small and the early morning math class I visited was eating coffee cake the teacher made for them.</p>

<p>My D ultimately chose another school, but I will say she cried when she called to turn them down. It was tough for all of us because we bonded with the Adcom (who I still talk to from time to time). My D later went to Europe for SYA, one of her closest friends in the program was a Governor’s student. (and they’re still friends)</p>

<p>Governors turns down a lot of applicants and has a long waiting list. They’re generous with financial aid, and they really like their students. It was obvious on campus. Plus they have a lot of amenities we were looking for - good theater program, new music facility, opportunities to go abroad, etc.</p>

<p>You couldn’t go wrong attending Governor’s, but since it’s not in your heart, give the spot to another student who was jump at the chance. But I would caution you that will leave you with nothing. Because your top choices rarely go to the waiting list - and if and when they do, it may often be to fill a gap left by another student who declined (i.e if they needed a Tuba player or a midwest kid, they may look for someone else in the pile that fits that profile and expressed interest in staying on the list).</p>

<p>Do you see your dilemma? Many CC students don’t have any options as of March 9th. You have a good one you don’t want. Your choice - be happy about the school that saw your potential and wanted you to be a part of their campus, or decline and stay home at your current school. </p>

<p>There are a lot of students on CC who would change places with you in a heartbeat</p>

18

<p>@Exie</p>

<p>I agree Gov’s caught us by surprise too. My son was definitely sad when he declined.</p>

<p>The former Head of Andover also sent her child to Gov’s.</p>

<p>I LOVED speaking with the parents at interview day. I also loved that the parents of day students have a group which sponsors events at the school and helps the students celebrate birthdays, etc. I loved the library room with the enormous windows. So beautiful. </p>

<p>You are right. They turn down many kids and the WL is very long. </p>

<p>It is a great place. But sadly I do think you are right. If you can’t see yourself there and be excited about it, there are many, many kids who would jump at the opportunity to be there.</p>

19

<p>Then why did you bother to apply if you don’t like it? All the schools that my child applied to she would gladly attend. If any school from her waitlist call she will say yes, so because we both believe that anything else is a waste of time and a opportunity taken away from someone who loves that school. JMHO</p>

20

<p>I think it’s fine to like some of the schools more than others, and do what you can to get off the waitlist, but you really should mentally prepare yourself for loving your backup school, just in case. A good lesson for the college application process. Research your backups as thoroughly as you research your reach and target schools, and be sure you will be excited to attend any school to which you apply. If you cannot picture yourself there, do not apply.</p>