I have been waitlisted at 3 colleges (inclusive of my 1st choice). I have been extremely busy. not to mention lazy and discouraged by not being accepted from the get go. So I have finally completed a more than decent waitlist update for my first choice college (top private college) and in thinking about the fact that I would be writing the same thing for the others I have been wondering if I should just use the same. Ofc I would change the names for the colleges and any other description that is too specific and maybe replace it. Basically use 90-95% of the document I wrote initially. Is this a bad idea? Why or why not? MOST IMPORTANTLY. Is there a way for colleges to check that I’ve done this, would they even care to [it’s not like i’m telling them they are ALL number one bae]?
Keep it concise and simple; only two messages are necessary: (a) I ardently desire to attend and (b) only if you can honestly state this, if offered admission I will matriculate. EVERYTHING else – unless you truly have a SUBSTANTIAL and ADMISSIONS-GERMANE update, and that’s rare – squanders the admissions officers’ time and will not be appreciated.
Have you looked up the waitlist stats from previous years at these schools? At many of them, your odds are going to be greater for being struck by lightning than getting off the waitlist. If this is the case, you need to move on and concentrate on schools where you have been admitted, sending the message described by @TopTier to your first choice school in order to maintain the microscopic chance that something breaks your way.
I would concentrate on your top choice and also tell them you would atttend if accepted…and then start concentrating on where you WERE admittted.
I have concentrated on where I have gotten offers and scholarships however I am interested in widening my options and so would like to get of the waitlist for at least one. Two of the schools almost always take students off the waiting list (i’m talking about anywhere from 50-200 and a decade rarity of 0) whereas my first pick is unpredictable in its waitlist patterns. So I know the reality but I just wanted to know how to go about the update letter.
I have done my research. I have made educated decisions regarding the offers I have at the moment. That said, I still want a wider pool of options which is why I have chosen to remain on these waitlists. I just want an opinion on whether specialising my writing matters. I do have accomplishments that I think may be worthy of updating the colleges about (where I am from my sporting seasons have just closed so I have awards, research work I hadn’t mentioned before because it was too early days, etc) .
thank you! But should I then opt out of sending anything to the other two?
@sltxdad , I personally know at least 7 or 8 people off the top of my head that are currently attending or had the option of attending their WL college (Cornell, UPenn, Vanderbilt and WashU). OTOH, I do not know anyone personally who has ever been struck by lightning.
I would assume the OP has or is in the process of choosing a May 1 school from her acceptances, she would simply like to keep her options open. I think at this point most of us on the WL know we have to pick something. It does not mean that we cannot aspire to something more. Therefore, the forget about the WL advice is not too helpful.
To the OP, assuming you would attend WLs 2 and 3, absolutely update and say you are very interested but of course do not say you would attend no matter what if not true. They want to hear from you and make sure you are still really interested in them. Maybe you moved on. Absolutely update even about minor things. For two reasons, first it gives the Rep something to say, when they advocate for you and shows you are still serious about school and are not goofing off.
Thank you so much. You actually gave useful advice and explained my waitlist position so well- interested but also making pans for my acceptances. Thanks love. Best of luck with your WL.
Your chances of getting off a WL increase, sometimes sharply, if you have your high school college counselor advocate for you. In practice that would mean that he can advocate for only one of the choices and that he needs to believe that you are in fact deserving of the advocacy and that you would accept an offer. Having a very strong final semester is a hugh plus in the process. Others on this email thread have speculated that admissions would find updates irritating. I don’t agree. Your counselor will no doubt direct the updates to the regional rep for the college. You may choose to send updates to the colleges that your high school counselor chooses not to do. Go ahead. You have nothing to lose. It’s very hard to imagine that someone in admissions would convert a “yes” to a “no” because they have received an update from you.
@Emmaspirant
Aside from sending a brief one page update to the school expressing your continued interest and with any new information, everything else about getting off the waitlist is out of your control.
If schools need to pick from their wait lists, whom they select will be based on their needs.
Here is a great CC link from a few years back providing a comprehensive assessment of what it means to be on a waitlist for a competitive school. It is well worth reading.