<p>A very good friend of mine and I both applied to the same (selective) school. I got in, and she got waitlisted. They notified me of my admission before the normal notification date, and offered me a scholarship as well, so it seems like they really want me to go there. But, it's very unlikely that I will end up going there. And, it's my friend's top choice, her dream school. If I wrote an email to the admissions rep for my area (who emailed me after I got accepted) notifying them that I won't be attending the university, and recommending that they offer her a place, does anybody think it'll make any difference? Will they just ignore it completely? Will it harm her chances of getting in off the waitlist? Or is there any possibility that it might actually help her? </p>
<p>I know that it's probably not my place to say something like that to an admissions rep, and that it will probably just fall upon deaf ears, as it's not how the waitlist system works. But I still want to do anything I can to help her, so any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!</p>
<p>you don’t “own” the spot in the sense its yours to offer to someone else. And that’s what you are proposing. </p>
<p>If its her dream school she should follow the standard waitlist advice, which is to notify the school of any updates since she applied and also to send them a letter reiterating her interest in the school (mentioning it is her top choice in fact) and pledging to enroll if taken off the waitlist.</p>
<p>I think that is a really bad idea. It is presumptuous. But have a work with your GC. It is appropriate that the GC let them know that it is her first choice and she would be a really good pick for them.</p>
<p>Has she let them know it is her first choice? If not she should do that in any update email she sends. I think if you decline, it is possible that they may look to the next person at your school, but waitlists may not work like that at all. You shouldn’t decline unless you are sure, and have your other offers including financial offers in hand. </p>
<p>I realize it’s not my spot to give away. That’s not what I was saying, although I realize it may have seemed like it. I was just hoping that if I wrote what essentially would amount to a recommendation letter along with my notification of not accepting their offer, they would take it into consideration</p>
<p>Writing a recommendation letter from you will have adverse effect of her chances to be admitted.</p>
<p>However, when my DD applying to this school. I know several of her friend in the same HS got admitted to that school and she was wait listed. None of her friends accepted the offer and her wait list got lifted after their decline of acceptance. FWIW, maybe your decline MAY help her, if you were from the same HS.</p>
<p>This is not a good idea… it won’t help your friend. The colleges assume a certain percentage of students are going to decline their offer. And you are one of them. Recommending her would not do one bit of good. They don’t care what you think (especially if you are turning them down!). Generally a recommendation from a fellow high school student isn’t going to even be considered.</p>
<p>It is a nice thought but a terrible idea. A school will simply not let you give your acceptance for a friend. Each college counts on a certain yield (% that will attend) from its acceptances so your choosing another college will not open up a new spot for the school to give away. However, your friend and her guidance counselor could contact the school and let it know (if this is true) it is your friend’s top choice and if accepted off the waitlist she will definitely attend.</p>