<p>Hello everybody!! I would just like to start this thread as a place to give advice to those of us applicants who are on the waitlist! Please, if you have any advice on what to do, how to boost our chances, or anything else. What are the differences between a top schools waiting list, AESD, and great schools that have acepptance rates in the low 30's? Do you have a chance of getting in to a top if you are on the waitlists? Do some schools have bigger waitlists then others? SPS seems to have a big one, but Deerfield's seems to be much smaller :) </p>
<p>I'm sure all of us waiters would gretly appreciate it!! :D Thanks so much in advance!!</p>
<p>Wow, your in like the same situation as I'm in, arn't you Olivia, did you get all wait lists so far also? Like I sais earlier though, They are still better then REJECTION :D YAY :D</p>
<p>To my knowledge, there isn't much that you can do to increase your chances of getting off a waitlist. Most schools don't rank people on waitlists and simply use the waitlists as "reservoirs" to round up their entering class. They know that only a fraction of the students they offer admission to will accept. If it turns out that the number of <enter category--boys,="" girls,="" hockey="" players,="" kids="" from="" the="" midwest,="" etc.=""> accept the school's offer of admission, the school will pick kids in that category off the waitlist to achieve a balanced class. So you shouldn't think of being on the waitlist as having "fallen short" on something that you can now try to make up. If you had really fallen short, you would have been rejected. If you're on the waitlist, it means that you've been deemed Andover/Choate/Whatever "material" (congratulations!). They're ready to offer you a spot if the right opening comes along. So try to look at it in a positive way: feel good about it, stay optimistic that they will need your "type," and start planning what you're going to do if things don't work out. And, of course, if a school that waitlisted you was your first choice, be sure to let them know (don't beg; just let them know. They always prefer to offer a spot to someone who will say yes).</enter></p>
<p>I'm hardly a waitlist maven. Here is what I posted on another thread based on the little I've learned about waitlists: </p>
<p>If you are waitlisted at a school you want to attend -- let them know that you will attend if you are offered admission. They don't want to waste an acceptance on someone who will turn it down because it affects their admit rates. You should also let them know how much you love the school, remind them of all the ways you will contribute to the school community, and update them on any new prizes, accomplishments, etc. Good luck!</p>
<p>prepster310 -- I cannot believe how many waitlists you made today. Good luck on Monday!</p>
<p>Last year i got waitlisted by andover and exeter both top schools.</p>
<p>I wrote to them countless times but in august they finally told me there was no space and rejected me.</p>
<p>But i know for other schools, withdrawing financial aid might help. Also call them early and tell them that you are interested in their school and constantly update them on your activities.</p>
<p>hi guys im waitlisted at hotchkiss and i sent them an email instead of calling them that i would like to remain on the list and i havent received a reply.... do you think that i should call them????</p>
<p>People have offered very good advice above. I just wanted to add one thing. Schools may have different preferences or tactics when it comes to waitlist. My best advice is to call up a school and ask them how you can improve your waitlist chance. It's fine if you talk to the admission assistants because they are around long enough to know what works and what doesn't. As always, it will fall into one of the things people mention (or we think about): submit updates (awards, school results, etc), email and say how much you love them, or send additional recommendation. The goal is to say that "You are my no.1 school". </p>
<p>Give waitlist a shot but do not expect too much. Adcom won't tell you but this is often their game, not yours. It's not 100% hopeless yet extremely hard.</p>
<p>Let's say ABC is a top boarding school.
Target: 150
Admits: 250 (Adcom assume that roughly 100 of those admitted will NOT enroll. In other words, their assumed "yield" rate is 40%)
Waitlist: 60 (Adcom will look at waitlist only if the number of applicants who decide to enroll fall less than 150)</p>
<p>As you can see, the odds for the waitlisted are huge. You can't do anything to make them consider waitlists. What you can do is, make sure that IF they turn to waitlist, you're the top one. Since top schools receive a large number of same applicants, adcom do use waitlist.</p>
<p>This post wasn't meant to discourage anyone but to present a realistic picture of "waitlist" scenario. Hope for the best, expect for the worst. Good luck to all.</p>
<p>I'll add this sobering truth. Not only can you not impact the yield (without committing multiple capital crimes) you cannot impact the timing when the yield reaches the "break even" point. It is not likely that a school will learn (using prepbobcat's example) that its yield will drop below the target until after April 10...the same date that the fortunate among you have to reserve a spot elsewhere.</p>
<p>If you've got one or more acceptances in hand together with one or more waitlists, you're actually at a disadvantage compared to those only hanging on to a waitlist or two. There are some who will hang on to that WL until the bitter end, even after sending in a deposit/reservation (and perhaps even a first tuition payment) to another school. But I suspect most from that group will embrace their reality on April 10.</p>
<p>Which is why that's "moving day" for waitlisted candidates. On April 11, schools will have enough information to act. If they are short -- particularly in some specific area of interest or among certain constituencies -- they'll look to meet their specific needs.</p>
<p>If there was only a way to learn what the school's most pressing demographic needs are...and then reinvent yourself...and convince the Admission Committee that it needs to fill those needs ahead of the legacies and donors...and the other sports' coaches and specialty area instructors who are all screaming that their needs are the most important.</p>
<p>But then if you could know all that, you would have done so the first go 'round and acted accordingly then, right?</p>
<p>You don't have to resign yourself to passivity by any means. Just understand that at this stage the dynamics are 95% out of your control.</p>
<p>Agree ..... that the WL is purely a statistic at this point. </p>
<p>Things you/we can do to help:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Call/write admitted schools that you 100% will not attend and notify them early. Some of the school packages we rcvd had rapid return envelopes for that purpose. Tell all your friends in the same boat .. don't drag it out til April 10. We are talking single digit openings here folks .. so every spot counts. We
will be returning one this week. </p></li>
<li><p>As already posted ..... call your WL and ask if it is a big list (everybody not accepted) .. or a short list. Post that information on this board. I wouldn't
expect any movement at AESD, but consider that every student accepted at those schools probably applied to the other 3 plus a few safety schools. All that should equate to a few thousand openings for those second tier schools. </p></li>
<li><p>If you are still intent on B/S .. don't wait around feeling sorry for yourself.
The SSAT website will post a listing of schools with vacancies. Take a look at schools that you never considered before. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>Hey D'yer
Is that how you got into ND .... bumped off a few in your way? Hee Hee.</p>
<p>schoolsearcher.... what a great idea going to the SSAT site is, I just checked it out, they don't have the Fall openings posted yet, (for obvious reasons), but I could see how it worked. Great info!</p>
<p>I agree with schoolsearcher above that it is not too late if you are willing to look at other schools. If you have your heart set on boarding school, many schools will still have openings after April 10 contracts are signed. Generally, these are the schools with acceptance above 30%. Take a look at boardingschoolreview for schools with rolling admissions. A school may not list itself as still having rolling admissions but still have openings. In late April, the ssat website will include schools with openings. There will be schools with openings that are not on the list. Keep an open mind, and you may discover some real gems.</p>
<p>I think most schools are in spring break right now, so I don't think you'd get an answer anyway. Most schools strictly say do not call regarding admissions decisions after a certain date. I'd wait at least a week.</p>
<p>if you are waitlisted at top schools, dont bank you hopes on it, tho it's not completely hopeless, but for the last couple years the acceptance rate for hotchkiss from the waitlist ranged from 0% to 5% of the entire list ............according to a lucky friend from my school who was accepted off the waitlist last year...he asked the admissions office how to enhance his chance, asked them how realistic his chance is and he also sent in 2 extra recs and wrote an extra essay..hope this helps...
p.s he promised me that he will come on this board soon</p>