Questions about Waitlisting

These are probably questions that have been asked before, so I apologize in advance if I am being redundant.

Just when you think all of the college admissions process is coming to an end, they waitlist you, leaving you for another month and a half or so of uncertainty and worry. Plus, the more I hear about waitlisting, the more it sounds like a half-hearted rejection. Alas, I too was waitlisted, in my case at Columbia and Brown. I want to remain on the waiting list for both, but I need to know a few things before I respond:

<li>I’m aware the purpose of the waiting list is to increase the yield to the school in case people turn down letters of acceptance. They only want to accept people they know want to go. So, if I say I would like to remain on the waiting list and I get accepted, am I obligated to go to the school that waitlisted me? Can I still go to the school I sent my deposit to? I’m still very indecisive about my colleges here, but I want to send my decisions on whether to remain on the waiting list ASAP.</li>
<li>If I do get accepted from the waiting list and decide to go, what about the school I promised to matriculate into? How should I inform them that I am not attending their school?</li>
<li>This is a rather school-specific question, but what are the chances of being accepted from the waiting list in general?</li>

Thanks in advance for your help!

<p>1) You can go to the school you deposited at or the school that took you off the waitlist.</p>

<p>2) You should write them a letter, and probably call too because you want to be sure they know you are not attending.</p>

<p>3) For Ivy league schools, unfortunately my GC said that getting off those waitlists is virtually impossible.</p>