<p>I heard about 100 students got off the waitlist last year.
Are spots offered in a rolling manner?
When are the waitlistees notified?
Would it be before may 1?
If not, does this mean you lose the deposit money at the originally intended school I'd you accept the spot at Penn?</p>
<p>sorry for so many questions</p>
<p>I’d -> if*</p>
<p>The people I know that got off found out in June. Yes, you will lose the deposit money you placed at the other school.</p>
<p>I was placed on the waitlist in 2008, and I assumed this meant a rejection because I knew the acceptance rate was low (how low it was, I had no idea until just now when I calculated the waitlist 2008 acceptance rate to be 170/2300 = 7.4%).</p>
<p>Here’s my story:</p>
<p>On the Friday of the first week of May in 2008, I was sitting in class when I received a notice to see my counselor ASAP. So, I went to see my counselor and she asked me if I had applied to UPenn, because a lady from there just called a few minutes ago to ask for me. I told my counselor that I had been waitlisted, and she suggested that maybe they’re calling to tell me I got in. The lady (admissions officer) had left a number, so together with my counselor I called her back. After a few rings, we reach her voice mail, so we leave a message. After a few minutes of talking with my counselor, I’m ready to leave when we receive a phone call.</p>
<p>Admissions officer: Hello
Me: Hi, how are you doing?
Officer: Great thanks. I’m calling because you sent in a reply saying you wanted to be placed on the waitlist. I was just wondering if you still wished to remain on the waitlist?
Me: Yes, definitely (at this point I was a bit disappointed since I thought I would find out about the decision)
Officer: Great, we’re actually about to review your application right now. We’ll let you know in 2-3 days about the result.</p>
<p>Later that day, I checked my email at school, and came across an email titled “CLASS OF 2012” from the admissions officer I just spoke with. Since she told me it would be 2-3 days until I would hear whether or not I got in, I opened the email thinking this was one of those “confirmation” emails to confirm my status on the waitlist. Well, after reading the email a few times, it finally dawned on me that I had been accepted off the waitlist!</p>
<p>So looking back, this is like a Cinderella story for me. I never sent in any additional materials like recommendations to improve my chances (never occurred to me, and I don’t know if it really helps), and never got any phone calls besides the one I mentioned above. I wonder what it was that ultimately swayed the decision in my favor… did the admissions officer talk to my counselor during the first phone call? What did they talk about, given that my counselor had probably left her contact details on the letter of recommendation she wrote for me? Was it the “yes, definitely” that I said to the officer which conveyed my “strong interest in attending Penn”? I suppose I will never know.</p>
<p>So the moral of my story is… prepare yourself mentally in the event that you don’t get in (I had already accepted my spot at the University of Toronto when Penn called), but don’t give up your hopes! It is possible that even the littlest of things could sway the decision in your favor and you really never know. Granted, I was a little pessimistic because I didn’t want to increase my hopes in the event that they come crashing down on me, and I suppose because of that I had the biggest surprise of my life.</p>
<p>I wish you all the best of luck! Let me know if you get in when the news come out in May.</p>