<p>Parents,
S got wait listed from one of his top choice schools. Can anyone give me a list of items that I should go thru? S and I have made a list already, but wanted to check w/my CC friends.
Thanks.</p>
<p>Seems to me the most important thing to know is how many are on the waitlist, what number he is on the list, how many they took from the waitlist in past years, and if they anticipate it will be similar in this year.</p>
<p>The admissions office might say that when they experience their yield, they'll then decide "holistically" from the waitlist so there's no rank order. (In other words, if all 25 oboe players say "no thank you" then they'll go looking for an oboe player from the waitlist). </p>
<p>Then think about the best possible letter your S might write to ask for consideration to get off the waitlist. </p>
<p>Talk with the GC to see if anything can be known from there, or if s/he's willing to make a phone call to ask what, if anything, might be new information that might help get him off the waitlist. </p>
<p>Be aware that some kids will remove their names from waitlists when they get accepted to other places they prefer, so that could lighten up the list a bit.</p>
<p>I suggest doing a search on CC for other posters who've been waitlisted at this school, or have children who were placed on the waitlist. This might give you some specifically helpful ideas about what to do next. You could also check out threads from last year that address how to move off of the waitlist in general terms. And you can look up the college's common data set to determine how many students have been waitlisted in the past few years, and how many of those have been granted admission - though it might be difficult to infer much for this year, since so many schools have received a record number of apps. Best of luck!</p>
<p>Don't forget the obvious thing: help your child get psyched up about his other opportunities.</p>
<p>Thanks so much friends for all your advise.
Have placed a call for the GC this morning. Read couple of books on waitlist. Will do more search on CC. The psychological effect is huge on the kids at this age. Trying my best to keep up the momentum. But it's hard to do for the smart kids. So trying to behave normal also.</p>
<p>Decisions about whether or not to stay on waitlists can't really be made until the student has all his acceptance/waitlist/rejection letters in hand.</p>
<p>At that point, the student will have to accept some offer of admission. Whether the student also wants to remain on any other colleges' waitlists is a very personal issue.</p>
<p>I know that the moment I had all my letters in hand, I found that I had zero interest in staying on the waitlist of the one college that didn't accept me, even though it had been my first choice. I was perfectly happy to say "yes" to my second-choice school and start planning my life there.</p>
<p>I have known of several cases where a student accepted an offer of admission from School A, while staying on the waitlist for School B. Later in the summer, the student was admitted to B off the waitlist but turned it down because by that point, he was psychologically committed to School A.</p>
<p>On the other hand, I also know of a kid who got accepted off a waitlist a week before classes started and who decided to accept the offer and change all his plans, even though he had already attended a summer orientation at the college he had originally planned to attend, communicated with his prospective roommate, and established a class schedule.</p>
<p>It's a very individual matter.</p>
<p>My son's experience echoed Marian's. He had 3 top choices, when one of them waitlisted him he immediately said, "Thanks but no thanks, now I only have to chose between two." </p>
<p>Of course that's a lot easier to say with the other acceptances in your hand. Perhaps when you get all of your admissions results the path will become clearer.</p>
<p>My favorite waitlist story is the one in The Gatekeepers where the student (who later became a writer on The Letterman Show) sent a postcard every single day to the staff at Wesleyan's admissions office. The staff began eagerly anticipating the mail each day to see what little story he told on that day's message. Evidently he was granted admission after space became available.</p>