Mt son was waitlisted at Purchase - does anyone know if students ever come off the list, and whether that happens before the may 1 deadline. thanks
My son got called with an offer off the wait list last year on May 2nd, Thespiandad. We had already put a deposit down at another school. Purchase gave him a week to decide. We asked and my son was given the opportunity to sit in on a couple classes. After a few days of weighing the decision (Purchase had been at the top of his list for a long time) he decided to stick with his original choice (Rutgers.) So that opened up another spot. And we were told they had a couple of spots they had to fill. I think their WL is pretty short.
Thanks for that info @bromquest! My daughter is also on the WL so that’s helpful!
I have the same waitlist question but with respect to Carnegie Mellon. D is priority waitlisted for Acting BFA. Do they ever, ever take anyone off that list? Thanks.
A friend of my daughter got into Purchase from the waitlist a few years ago.
I think that at least one and maybe two kids got in off the CMU WL last year and it is not a large list. It’s an expensive school and not everyone can make it work. Good luck.
From what I’ve heard some years 2-3 get off the wait list at Purchase, and other years - 0. My D got off at the beginning of July.
Any one know about the chance of getting off the WL at UMN/Guthrie? Kiddo is on that one as well as Purchase’s. Thanks!
I know a girl who got in from the Guthrie waitlist last year. And know a boy must have because I know a boy who chose another school over Guthrie.
My S at Rutgers Mason Gross has class mates who chose it over Guthrie, Purchase, UNCSA, Carnegie Mellon and others. The wait lists at all these schools can be very active as students weigh options, finances and a million factors to make final decisions.
My D is an alternate at Pace. Does anyone ever get in off the WL there? Is there anything at all we can do to increase her chances?? I hate this! 
I know one person (a biracial girl) accepted to Pace who is not attending. That would likely open up the spot for her alternate.
@2019theatremom Which program is she? Do you know if she notified Pace yet?
@actkid, I’m not very familiar with Pace (and their website appears to be down), but knowing the student, I would imagine it’s the straight acting BFA. She’s not MT and I don’t think she would have gone for the Film, Television, Voiceover.
I’m not sure if she has notified yet, but if you’re the “biracial girl doppleganger,” that could be a good sign.
^^However, keep in mind that many schools accept more students than spots available in the class. So, just because someone turns down an offer of admission, it doesn’t mean a spot opens up to take someone off the wait list. Often, a school must wait until May 1 to determine their yield, before going to the wait list.
At other schools, like CMU, who accept the exact number of students as spots available, if someone turns down a spot, they do go to the wait list.
It is difficult to assess the odds of getting off a wait list. If you are able, you might be able to find out who many students were accepted off the wait list each year for the past five years, to get a general idea for a particular school. Going by what happened in one year is not all that predictable as every year is different. However, wait lists are utilized at many schools and the wait list movement tends to ratchet up after May 1.
I think Pace has the alternate list and waitlist, so each spot that is offered is “double cast” so if the initial person offered a spot declines, there is a specific individual to backfill it. If that person declines also, then it moves to the waitlist.
I’ve merely gathered that from other CC discussions, so I could be totally off.
From what I can tell, a number of schools are really beginning to use the waitlist as a way not to over accept students to get a yield. What happens when everyone accepts? YIKES! I think using the waitlist is wise.
@2019theatremom My D is an alternate for the BFA Acting - FTVC. This is her top choice so it’s hard to be so close but still not get in. I guess whatever happens was meant to be. Thanks for the info!
Does anyone know the pecking order for SUNY Purchase theatre wait list? I heard someone mention they are on a Priority Waitlist, and we got a “high ranking alternate” letter. I don’t really know what these mean for SUNY.
SUNY’s is not ranked. It is decided case by case when they find out someone will not be accepting their offer.