Hi everyone,
I’m a freshman who applied to 5 schools this previous admission cycle. The results didn’t come back well, and I wondered if it’s worth reapplying as a repeating 10th next year.
I am now on the Hotchkiss waitlist and trying very hard to get a spot (emails, withdraw FA need, etc)
Will becoming FP increase my chances by a lot?
Hkiss is not my original top choice of the five. I’m worried I might regret going to Hotchkiss (if I’m lucky to get a spot) this year since that’ll be after I withdraw my FA. I feel like I could’ve had some chances (a WL perhaps) at the other four schools I was rejected from if I were FP since the beginning…so if I do not get off the waitlist, is it worth reapplying next year and don’t even bother applying FA from the start?
PS. It makes me think this way because I’m ORM, international, and needs FA when applying. (almost non-existent and straight-up rejection combo)
Thank you for reading, any advice is greatly appreciated!
2 Likes
Maybe. Maybe not.
We have no idea why you rejected.
I’ve been under the impression that FP/FA is usually more of an issue in determining whether one is accepted/waitlisted. After all, schools have only so many FA$, and most are not need blind.
1 Like
WL is not much chance at all. I am WL with several top schools. One of them was a school I applied for grade6, and got WL last time. This time my chance with this school didn’t improve at all, despite improved application stats, awards and essays.
OP was rejected by 4 schools, WL at Hotchkiss.
OP is wondering if those rejections would be at least a WL were they FP.
One might be WL’d for FA, but not rejected.
1 Like
Thanks for all the responses!
My parents and I send out emails to the Hotchkiss DOA this afternoon. Should I be expecting any response? (DOA did not respond the last time I reached out). I don’t want the DOA to miss any information, especially my parents’ email about becoming FP. Do they usually always respond after they’ve read the emails?
I read somewhere on this website that WL is a soft rejection. Schools put so many candidates on WL ( like dozens for each category), the chance of coming off the WL is like 1.6%, even lower than the original acceptance rate.
So becoming FP increases one’s chances, maybe even double it, but it is like being increased from 8% (financial aid acceptance rate) to 16% (FP acceptance rate) for a very selective school.
2 Likes
I’ve also read that some schools get nervous when you go from asking for FA to saying you can FP based on a rejection or WL situation; not so much about Year 1, but what about the subsequent years. So, if you are switching to FP, it might help to state why your financial status is able to adjust to FP (eg. grandparent funding, selling stock, etc.). I’m not sure how much you asked for, but if it’s a significant swing I would make sure it’s clear to them why you can all of sudden handle FP. Hope that helps!
Yes, our reasoning was that my two sisters’ college tuition will be much lower than what we’ve anticipated; therefore we’re able to become FP. I Hope the reason was clear enough for the school to understand our situation. I haven’t gotten any response yet but hopefully they’ll see it before A10.
3 Likes
Good luck! Keep us posted 
1 Like