I’ve spent some time on here looking through threads, and I’ve now gone through my own admissions cycle. Something I I’ve been surprised to find was how much I have been waitlisted. I’m not saying that I should have been accepted or that it was unfair, etc. just that I would have preferred to be outright rejected than offered a spot on a waiting list.
At least at my HS, many people know where they’re going in October, and I’d say about 90% of the senior class has their plans for next year figured out by February. This makes waiting for RD decisions at the end of March somewhat stressful, and they seem prolonged or pushed back. This is a major contributing factor to my decision not to stay on any waitlists, even for my #1 that gave me that option today. I’ve been waiting a while, and I want to choose my college, be happy about it, and get excited. That said, it’s hard to put in hours on an application and then you are the one that has to tell the college no, not the other way around.
The common ideas I’ve seen expressed here on CC are that students are waitlisted for a few reasons: legacy courtesy, actual lack of space, and to soften the blow (and not discourage future applicants). But with such high numbers of students waitlisted (just look at this year’s UChicago thread) and such low percentages that many selective schools do pull off their wait lists, is it even worth keeping your hopes up? Especially when staying on the waitlist comes at the cost of getting excited to go to a college that you did get into, I just don’t see the advantage. Often, when posters on here are rejected and then immediately come up with the idea of transferring in later, the first thing said is to just make yourself happy at the school at which you’re accepted. Are wait list offers really that different?
Obviously, wait lists do work out for a few students each year, and those that have that opportunity shouldn’t have it taken away. Colleges also need to figure out a strategy for enrolling the right size class, something that is getting more difficult each year as application numbers continue to rise. Maybe the point I’m trying to get at is that there may be a need for a 200-person waiting list, but certainly not 3,000 kids for a class of 1,500.
So here is my modest proposal. On the Common App (or equivalent), offer a box to check. Say that if students check this box, they are saying they do not want to be considered for a waitlist. It can be made school-specific to account for preferences (eg. will take waitlist spot for say Brown but not Duke, etc.). It can be changed after apps are submitted, up until say March 1 or an appropriate date for each college. Admissions office cannot see it. Just when decisions are made, it automatically triggers a wait list no.
I can see where there may be a lot of problems with this - changing your mind, admissions wanting to see, drastic changes in situations, financial considerations, technological logistics etc. But I think something needs to happen with the crazy long wait lists that are happening. And of course, my own anti-waitlist bias is affecting my opinion. But for applicants that know they don’t want to be on wait lists (I decided in January) I don’t see the harm. It may even help adcoms get a more accurate picture of their wait list once it’s created, maybe returning decisions faster. Bottom line, I know it won’t happen, just interested in opinions. If you hate the idea, feel free to tell me.
TLDR - Waitlists stink. Should there be a pre-opt-out?