The Wait List

Prep School Admissions
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<p>@wcmom1958: I don’t think the wait list experience is quite parallel with romance; a wait listed school can work out fine (as it did for me at MIT; my complaints about MIT are much more complex, and mostly not MIT’s fault. Overall MIT was a life changing experience (for the better) for me.). </p>

<p>But if there is a choice of an admit to a school you’d have been happy to go to anyway, I think it will usually work out better than waiting for months to find out if the first choice wait list works out, which it usually won’t. I don’t remember what my “safety” was for college, but it was much less desirable than MIT. </p>

<p>But waiting for months, for something that probably won’t happen anyway, isn’t a fun experience, as I can attest first hand. I can’t imagine what we’ll do if history repeats itself for a third time tomorrow (though my son is much more interested in BS in general, and applied more widely than my daughter was interested in doing, so the odds are quite different). But again, our “best available alternative” is an excellent public high school, so the downside isn’t what it may be for some/many people here.</p>

<p>Tomorrow’s experience will be different for us/my son than it was for my daughter anyway, as he’ll be much more disappointed if things don’t work out. But at least he’d be very happy to be accepted by any of his top three choices.</p>

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<p>Guess there will be real money on the table if you wait for your WL school. Deposit (may be hefty) will be paid before April 10. Schools will most likely consider WL after April 10th.</p>

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<p>If you have an acceptance, every waitlist should be considered a denial. If all you have are waitlists, they should still be considered denials with the very off chance that you’ll get a surprise at some point. Just don’t count on it. Make other plans and move on.</p>

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<p>I don’t think the deposits are due April 10, but more like sometime in May. I think you just tell them you intend to come by April 10.</p>

<p>But putting money where your mouth is makes it all real.</p>

<p>And yes, to first order, everything else being equal, presume a WL is the same as a denial. If you weren’t interested in attending the other school, why did you even apply?</p>

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<p>In the spirit of non sibi, I would also encourage those who have acceptances and waitlist letters come March 10 to help the schools and other kids out to the extent you can. If you know you will accept an offer at a particular school, relinquish your acceptances and waitlist spots elsewhere as soon as possible. You never know - it might well make a difference to someone, especially if a school offered you financial aid but you won’t be taking those precious funds. A few years back, our child knew she would attend a particular school without revisits so literally informed the other schools on, I believe, March 11. They were very appreciative, especially since one offer included generous financial aid at a time when endowments were down and funds were tight. Just a thought…Good luck, everyone!</p>

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<p>@Valdog is right on: let the schools know <em>as soon as possible</em> what your decisions are, not so much for the sake of the schools, but for the sake of those who are on pins and needles on a wait list!</p>

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<p>If WL is almost equal to denial, It may be good idea for the schools to reduce the number of denials and replace them with WL. WL as a goodwill gesture to comfort little souls… Schools can keep the true WL internally…</p>

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<p>No, a wait list not just a goodwill gesture. Some years, they go to the wait list quite a bit; others not so much or at all; it’s just very hard before April/May for the schools to know if they will need their wait list or not.</p>

<p>Certainly 2 and 3 years ago when my daughter applied, yields were unexpectedly high for Andover (I think due to nervousness about the economy). As I was thinking about it then, I just couldn’t figure out how the economy was going to affect yield and/or how risk averse the schools might be to come up short on kids attending, so I sure understand how the AO’s got the guess wrong (and ended up over 10 kids over subscribed).</p>

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<p>My understanding is that being waitlisted and being declined are two very different things.</p>

<p>“Waitlist” = We think you would be a great fit for our school, but we just don’t have enough seats/beds for us to admit you outright this year. </p>

<p>“Decline” = Something about your application makes us feel that you are not the right fit for our school . . . at least this year</p>

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<p>Even a decline doesn’t mean that you are not the right fit for a school; the wait list is there to help ensure the school ends up full in September and they don’t want to have more kids wait listed than they need to ensure filling the school.</p>

<p>If you are declined and you are interested in applying the next year, you should (once the dust settles, probably no sooner than May or June) contact the school that declined you and find out if they are interested in you applying again. They will let you know if they think you fit and might have a good chance the next year. If you are WL’ed, you already know that applying again is almost certainly welcome, of course.</p>

<p>For the best schools, there are just too many qualified applicants who fit in the first place, and I’m sure the hardest part of the admissions office’s job is that they have to say no to so many kids that do “fit” and are qualified.</p>

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<p>Bumping this thread . . .</p>

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<p>I was wait listed at the only school I applied to. And before you all jump on me and say this was a bad idea, my mother wouldn’t let me apply to more than one. I really need to get out of my current school system, it’s not bad, just not for me, and I’m bullied constantly. So let me see if I understand… A wait list is basically a no? Well, that’s upsetting.</p>

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<p>Hi Mburghopeful12,</p>

<p>Mercersburg may be considered a back-up for candidates shooting for schools with lower acceptance rates, such as Exeter. Chances are, people who got into the more “selective” schools as well as Mercersburg will choose to go to the more selective school, leaving several spaces open for candidates on the waitlist. </p>

<p>No guarantees, but I assume some positions will open up.</p>

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<p>@Mburghopeful12: I thought you were accepted to NMH?</p>

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<p>@Mburghopeful12 - I’m so sorry you were waitlisted. You must be so disappointed. </p>

<p>Although a few people do get admitted from the waitlist at different schools, if it happens at all it is a very, very small number.</p>

<p>I will share our story, in the hope that it gives you (and perhaps others that do not receive the news they’re hoping for today) a different perspective.</p>

<p>Last year, DS applied to just two schools - he was declined at Choate, and waitlisted at Exeter. He tried very hard to do everything he could to get off the waitlist at Exeter - sent additional information, updated grades and awards, sent them periodic emails to let them know he was very interested in attending. In the end, he did not get admitted - and that turned out to be a good thing after all (more on that coming up).</p>

<p>He was very disappointed, but as the weeks and months passed, he began to think about trying again. He started school this past September with a good attitude: it wasn’t where he really wanted to be, but he was determined to make the best of it and make it count. He has taken the most challenging classes he could, kept up with his current ECs and tried a few new ones too. He found that having a positive attitude - focusing on the things that are good, instead of the things that aren’t - can really make a difference.</p>

<p>He (and me too!) really researched and looked at a wide range of schools to apply to this time around - and not just the ones that are most commonly mentioned on this forum. The “hidden gems” thread was a great place to start, but there are many other great schools that aren’t mentioned on that list, either!</p>

<p>He narrowed the list down to about a dozen schools, we visited eight, and he ended up applying to four schools - all of which are a much better fit for him than the two schools he applied to last year. (And although he considered those two schools this time around, they ultimately were replaced on his list by schools he liked much more, so he didn’t even apply to Exeter and Choate this year.)</p>

<p>He is also waiting for decisions today, so he still doesn’t know for sure what school he will attend next fall. But he does have one acceptance to a fantastic school that he would be thrilled to attend. It’s been a long year, but he has learned so much through this process, and is a stronger, more mature young man because of it. We are so proud of him - not because he was “successful” with an application this time around, but because of the way he dealt with his disappointment last year, picked himself up, and overcame adversity.</p>

<p>Give yourself some time to process this setback - then decide how you want to move forward. Wishing you all the best.</p>

<p>"Sometimes we stare so long at a door that is closing that we see too late the one that is open.” - Alexander Graham Bell</p>

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<p>Does anyone know if anyone really has a chance of gaining admission while on waitlist?
Thanks!</p>

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<p>DS has now heard from all four schools where he applied this time around. He was accepted at all four: Deerfield, Loomis Chaffee, Ridley College and Thacher.</p>

<p>None of these schools were even on his radar last year. Believe me, I understand the disappointment you may be feeling right now. But have faith that good things may yet come from your current situation.</p>

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<p>We made the mistake of only applying to Choate with recs from staff, and still waitlisted! Yes, it is disappointing! Next year, he will broaden his pool.</p>

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<p>Did anyone get waitlisted from Andover? Has anyone heard of people getting off of Andover’s waitlist?</p>

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<p>@perrier2468</p>

<p>I know someone that was waitlisted las t year at Andover - they said nobody was accepted and that the AOs said they haven’t taken anyone off the WL in a number of years. sorry . . .</p>

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