Sending notes seems like a good idea to me. There are so many qualified candidates on the WL, it seems that demonstrating continued interest can only help.
I have just said no to Milton and Groton, international student, female boarding grade 9, full financial aid. Hopefully, they will be able to take students off the waitlist!
I applied to SPS but was waitlisted (applying for 11th grade). What are the chances of getting off the waitlist?
@sarahlyn -I know itâs a lot to plow through ( 70 pages and all ) but your best bet is to read this thread, glean whatever you can, and continue to keep your fingers crossed. Unfortunately, no one here can answer your question. All the best and good luck.
@maribrazil: one kid turning down a schoolâs offer does not result in one kid coming off the wait list. Thatâs not how this works. Schools admit many more students than they can enroll, knowing that a certain percentage of those admitted will decide to go elsewhere. The admissions staff is very good at predicting their yields. Only occasionally do they end up going to the wait list, and itâs usually not until later in the spring or even summer. SOmetimes a parent loses their job, and canât pay that tuition bill in June or July. Sometimes there are changes in family situations. Or a kid gets cold feet. But the most selective schools very rarely go to the wait list, so it is like winning the lottery when that happens.
Anybody hear anything new?? We are hanging on 2 FA Waitlists, 2 WL. I spent so much time explaining to my daughter that this was not a reflection on her and her abilities, but rather an issue of funding. I further explained that we could be hopeful but needed to be realistic and understand that the chances are slim. She bought it hook line and sinker and sheâs cool as a cucumber. Me, not so much. This wait to Mid-April seems to be getting to me more than the race to M10⊠the joys of parenting 
@Ginamarie119, not sure which schools youâd be waiting on, Deerfield just sent an email this morning describing the process & giving their statsâŠI guess they generally go to waitlist for about 5-10 spots, but FA definitely makes a difference and they said if you donât want to be in the FA pile to let them know. They also implied theyâd adjusted their acceptance numbers/WL numbers to improve their yield from the 5-10 spots and are predicting the number may be less this yearâŠhope that helps! And yes, A10 would be more nerve wracking IMOâŠhang in there & good luck!
Thanks @buuzn03 she is waiting on Berkshire, Blair, Pomfret and Canterbury. She likes the idea of boarding but only applied to schools within a 1.5 hour radius; which didnât give us a ton of options. Three of the four seemed to think being hopeful was ok and one basically said, âwe love her but sadly, we had few spaces last year and expect the same this yearâ. I took that as a soft rejection. I think there may be a glimmer of hope at the other three though. They have all stated that they will not have any info until mid-April though.
Luckily, itâs just me with the butterflies in my belly. DD is busy with her spring activities and just doing her thing.
What @buuzn03 wrote is correct: FA makes a difference. In theory, the best way to get off the waitlist is to remove yourself from the FA pile. Obviously, very few people can do this. IMO, the waitlist works differently for each grade. For example, if you were waitlisted as an applicant for junior year, there are fewer applicants and fewer spots. Therefore, the school accepts fewer students for fewer spots, and if someone decides not to attend, it is more probable that the school automatically fills that spot with a waitlisted applicant. However, for freshman year, the school over-accepts and does not go to the waitlist unless, for some reason, fewer students than predicted accept the schoolâs offers of admission. This is unlikely to occur. Sophomore year could be like freshman or junior year, depending on how many spots the school has.
I hope this makes sense, and by no means is it a clear cut guide. These are just my observations.
We have declined the Westminster & Lawrenceville waitlists, but will remain on Cate, Thacher & Taft for the time being. After revisits at St. Georgeâs & Episcopal next week we will reevaluate those remaining waitlists. My understanding is that the admissions committees will re-convene closer to A10 and make waitlist decisions then, after revisit days are completed and they have a more accurate idea of yield. For now, we are excited about GMCsonâs acceptances and are looking forward to those revisits.
@GMC2918 and @numberthirty actually those items were in the DA email,too, I just didnât mention itâŠthey mainly referred to 9th, though and explained that the WL spots were pulled based on what opened, female vs male, sport need, etc and explained that upper grades were different based on numbers of applicants, etc. and then they said mid-April the AC reconvenes to discuss need and suitable WL candidates to fill the needâŠfor all of you whoâve followed my progress on these threads, see? I can be learnt! :-B
@buuzn03 Yes you can. Acceptances for WL and general pool is based on what the school âneeds.â
@Ginamarie119 I am saying no to Berkshire today; that means that theyâre one stop closer to not meeting their yield! Hopefully a lot of kids say no this year so that your kid can get off of that list :)>- . Good luck!
Iâm still holding out hope that 1 of the 5 schools I was waitlisted at will accept me but hopefully Blair!!! I feel really bad though because my mom feels really guilty because the main reason I was waitlisted is because we canât afford it without heavy financial aid 
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@mtmtmt1227 Tell your mom not to feel guilty ever! Period! She made incredible efforts to make you what you are now⊠i.e. a person sane enough to study hard and want to enroll at elite schools. Moreover, even if they do not accept you at the end, this isnât the final show. The most important show for youth begins in Grade 12, when you have to apply to college⊠Well, that is the big game for you. And if you keep up the hard work, those colleges have more funds to support those in need of FA. Just compare the endowment funds of any BS with most colleges and youâll identify the differences.
Although, we all admit that elite HSs and Colleges are incredible experience for kids, however at the very end what really matters is how youâll handle your career. And when someone shows up at the door of the company, where I work, last thing we ask for is where one obtained her/his degree, let alone that we donât care which HS youâve graduated from.
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@Sam777 Though colleges/universities and boarding preparatory high schools have different missions and financial needs, check out the endowment per student of the top 10 richest boarding schools against almost any private college or university in the United States. Once you get beyond the most famous private colleges and universities, the remainder have minuscule endowments. For example, the College of Saint Rose in NY has a 42 million USD endowment and 4800 students. How does that compare to Peddie and Mercersburg?
@GMC2918 I went to DC for the first time recently and stayed at a hotel in Alexandria. I fell in love with DC, and Iâm kicking myself for not looking at Episcopal. I hope you enjoy your revisits!
Thanks @stargirl3 ! We are looking forward to them and feel fortunate to have two very good options.
@gmc2918 - hoping Thacher sees the light! My son was waitlisted there as well, with a good news ending. I hope the same for you!!
For people who get admitted off of the waitlist in April, how do things usually proceed?
Is it a phone call or an email?
Are you expected to commit right away, do you have time to decide?
Does the student have the opportunity to revisit prior to committing? If so, do they set something special up since the actual revisit days have most likely passed?
I know that it is highly unlikely to happen but am curious as to how things work.