@yellowheart I think you have to see how your D feels about it and where she wants to be. I don’t think anyone makes any distinction between kids that were accepted in the first pass and those accepted off the WL.
@yellowheart - I would not take the deferral/waitlist as any sort of indication she was not wanted. The fact is, if they only take 13, there are very, very few people who were able to get the first round of acceptance. I am sure they had to tell many qualified and talented applicants they didn’t currently have a spot for them, but if a spot became available, they sure would like to offer it to them. I think you will read over and over here on CC of kids who attend schools who came off the waitlist. They are not treated any differently or considered any less talented than the rest of their cohort. Usually nobody knows, or if they do, nobody cares. They are all there and in it together. And there are still hundreds of students who would probably love to be where they are, waitlist or not.
As far as which school – you may not hear from your waitlist by May 1. Many times they don’t go to the waitlist until after they see who accepts the initial round of offers So be prepared for that. You do need to accept to your best/most favorite offer in hand by May 1st to assure yourself of a spot somewhere for Fall. Just be aware that if you do come off a waitlist after that date and decide to go to the waitlist school, you may have to forfeit the deposit at the school you originally committed to.
As far as size goes -size of class is not indicative of quality of training. There are plenty of schools with large classes that produce lots of professional, working actors. (NYU, Boston Conservatory, etc…) So I would look more to alumni success - especially current alumni . The acceptance rate or all of these programs is low. So I would not base where you go on which one has the lowest acceptance rate assuming its the best . The “best” is the one that is “best” for your child and your family. That may not be what someone else considers “the best”. So just be honest with yourself about what feels best to you all.
Having said all that, it does feel good to feel “wanted” so I understand the appeal of the initial offer school. But again, don’t take the waitlist process as feeling like you are “less than”. There are hundreds of candidates who wish they could be in your position. Being waitlisted should be celebrated and recognized. It is an achievement whether you ever come off the list or not. And it is an acknowledgement by that school that you are deserving of being in their program.
@vvnstar @speezagmom Thanks for your thoughts! And for reminding me we should be thankful and celebrate a waitlist! You are exactly right! I appreciate both of your comments and insight!
@yellowheart ~ Also, is your waitlist from a school that has a national pull or a regional?
@yellowheart, my D is a freshman (Acting major) at a school where she was waitlisted. No one knows who was initially accepted and who wasn’t. It doesn’t make any difference at all! My MT D had NO idea who in her class was WL or not. Ultimately you D needs to go with her gut/heart and not worry about how she was accepted. An acceptance is an acceptance!
Thanks @MTmom2017 that is so good to know!
Can anyone share what happens at a WL school that you have an academic award but may not get off the WL until after May 1? Do the offers at these schools go away come May 1 if you have not committed to them? Would I need to put a deposit down at this school as if my D is intending to go there (or a few WL schools) with big hopeful fingers crossed that something comes through? Thanks for any insight!
@KBreedlove That is my understanding - you risk losing all merit and financial aid if you do not commit by May 1. You would have to weight the risk of losing a deposit at one or more schools.
It’s still early. You’ll likely know by May 1st! Fingers crossed.
You should only put a deposit down on one school. Some colleges reserve the right to rescind an offer of admission if they discover that a student has made a double deposit.
@KBreedlove – I suggest you reach out to the school(s) in question. If it is a school where academicc and artistic decisions are separate, and (as far as they are concerned) you could go the the school in another major, the academic merit could possibly go away if you do not depost to attend by May 1. In other words at some schools where the academic and artistic decisions work separately, academic admissions may expect a decision to accept merit by May 1. However, depositing at multiple schools is not encouraged. So, I think that reaching out to the school(s) directly to ask this question will get you the full answer you need.
Waitlists moves a lot the last week of April