im on the waitlist for uchicago and i was wondering what i could do to get a better chance to make the z list. i already accepted a spot and marked yes when asked
Since UChicago doesn’t complete a Common Data Set, I don’t know if it is public information on how may are put on the WL or how many get offers. With all of the effort that UC does to increase their applications, it wouldn’t surprise me if their WL is huge. A few thousand people saying they got waitlisted is good(and cheap) advertising for next years class.
It is OK to accept a spot on the WL, but you need to treat it like a rejection and move on to plan B.
If UChicago is similar to other schools that have z-lists, they offer the z-list as an option to you, not vice versa. As noted above, assume the odds of getting off the waitlist are slim and, while it’s fine to accept a spot on the WL, love the school that loves you back.
A friend of my son was offered a spot on the Z list last year for UChicago. He agreed to take a gap year and will enroll this fall. However I agree with @skieurope, usually the colleges will be the ones to initiate the offer. I don’t think there is anyway that you can request it. However making your interest known is the best you can do at this point.
However there is hope. Even in spite of last year’s stellar admissions and slight over-enrollment, the College accepted some students off the waitlist and Z-listed others. The calculated yield will be quite important, which won’t become apparent until after the May 1 deadline for deposits. Good luck!
There are many waitlisted students on this thread.