<p>My daughter is on the undergraduate waitlist for Columbia University. What size is the waitlist? If someone gives up one's place to Columbia before May 1th is this place given to a student on the waiting list before May 1th?</p>
<p>There is no way for any of us to know the size of the waitlist. The odds of a waitlisted student being admitted is usually pretty slim, so you should have a backup school in mind, to the extent that it would be a good idea to file make an admissions deposit at the other school.</p>
<p>Consider wait list a soft reject. Do not expect too much, if you got off, consider you have won the lottery. If you take this attitude, you will be happy to move on to another school without much regret.</p>
<p>However, if you are very determined to go to that school, you must keep in contact with the adcoms in charge of your region and show your interest. My DD did just that four years ago, she got off the wait list along with about 14 students in her class, perhaps 1% of the total wait listed applicants. Know nothing about Columbia, but I believe they are all the same.</p>