<p>So i got into Tufts today, but got waitlisted from swarthmore on saturday. Swarthmore is my higher choice.</p>
<p>However, I'm not sure how a waitlist works - Tufts needs a decision by may 1st, and swarthmore says it starts picking off the waitlist starting may. Is there still a chance at getting into swarthmore? I have a little letter to send in to swarthmore deciding whether or not to wait on the list, but I'm not sure how that would jeopardize my chances with Tufts</p>
<p>I don't know if there is a good chance of getting off the waitlist for swarthmore, it varies from school to school. But I do know that it is completely allowable to be on a waitlist for a school while accepting admission to another. But for all intents and purposes, act like you've been rejected from swarthmore. Accept tufts admission and pay the enrollment deposit (before may 1). Send in your waitlist card and demonstrate your further interest in attending swarthmore. If you later get accepted off the swarthmore waitlist and decide to attend there, you will have to forfeit your tufts deposit. If you don't get accepted off the waitlist, you still have a great school to attend!</p>
<p>I read recently that Swat placed close to 900 students on the waitlist this year. That is almost the same number that they accepted. What that means is that it is highly unlikely that you will get off the waitlist. Cross Swat off your list and start getting excited about Tufts, a really great school!</p>
<p>Shennie, sounds like Swat has gone over to the dark side. Rather than rejecting kids outright they have joined the club that sends out "waitlist" letters to many. These letters are entirely in Swat's self-interest. Not only do they provide a pool to draw from in case the yield is lower than expected, they further the school's goal of priming the pump for the future. This is not about the current class anymore; Swat wants strong kids to apply in the future. </p>
<p>By sending out a flood of "waitlist" letters instead of rejections, they take advantage of the mistaken belief in the HS's that a waitlist is pretty much the same as an admit, there just wasn't space. "Joe got into Swat; I'm a similar student, so I can too!" This is true at schools like Stanford that only place a small percentage on the waitlist; it is obviously false where every admitted student has a counterpart on the waitlist. </p>
<p>So schools like Swat that send out tons of waitlist letters are doing it for their own benefit, not the applicants. The cost is borne by the kids who aren't on to the game, like the OP who is going to go thru the rest of the spring and summer harboring hope that the mailbox is going to bring news from Swat that they found a space for him.</p>
<p>Just to let you know, I was wait listed at University of Miami and received my acceptance latter in the mail yesterday off the wait list. SO anything can happen!</p>
<p>Mikemac - I think a lot of schools do "courtesy" waitlists. In other words, you meet the academic qualifications to be admitted but we don't have room for you and there are other kids that have what we are looking for. However, we don't want you to feel rejected so we waitlist you instead. It is a nice sentiment but somewhat disingenious and doesn't do much for the waitlisted students. </p>
<p>And yes, students do get off waitlists, but I wouldn't bet the farm on it. I think the best strategy is to put the waitlisted schools behind you and look at the schools that are showing you the love.</p>