<p>I am staying on the Yale waitlist, and will be sending a second (previously, I was deferred) update letter, and two more recommendations (one of them very original).</p>
<p>I cannot, however, promise that I will attend Yale if finally accepted (I also got into Stanford). I honestly don't know what I would do if I had the choice.</p>
<p>Is it ethical to stay on the waitlist?</p>
<p>yes...just don't write in your letter that it's your first choice that would be unethical</p>
<p>but otherwise i've read of cases like, "192 were admitted off the waitlist and of those 148 chose to attend" it's not unheard of to turn down a waitlist admit</p>
<p>(and even if you were to say it's your first choice, you're not really bound to it by law, but whatever...that's up to you...i doubt they read the letters anyway)</p>
<p>as long as you don't say anything like "if admitted I will matriculate" I don't see why you would have a problem. I have 3 schools I've been waitlisted on, and there is a clear hierarchy for them to me.</p>
<p>Absolutely OK - if they want to know if you'll matriculate, they'll call you. At that point, you can tell them yes or no. Good luck!</p>
<p>is that how you find out your fate, they call you? Does the answer apply to most schools?</p>
<p>Very few, if any, will take you off the waitlist before sounding you out in advance about your willingness to enroll.</p>
<p>To do otherwise would run counter to the reason so many schools are expanding their use of waitlists: improving the yield rate.</p>
<p>I talked to an admit officer, and this may be just hearsay or exaggeration, but apparently last year they only tapped 8 people off the waitlist. I'm sure there's a solid, verfiable number, but I can't find one at the moment to back up her statement. Maybe she was just talking about our state?</p>
<p>That is correct. The admit number announced in April was 1,950, but the final admit number was 1.958.</p>
<p>Byerly, do you know by any chance Harvard admitted off the waitlist last year?</p>
<p>It was just answered dude, 8 people.</p>
<p>I probably should have posted this on the Harvard board but I asked about Harvard not Yale, read the question.</p>
<p>As best I can figure it, 81.</p>
<p>I'm sorry, perfectionist421. I forgot I was still in the Yale forum.</p>
<p>Thanks for the information, Byerly.</p>