<p>Son was waitlisted for one school, rejected by another. Waitlisted one simply says "waitlist." How does one know whether they are eligible for the Priority Waitlist? Does it say "priority waitlist" instead of "waitlist?"</p>
<p>bump bump bump</p>
<p>Someone must know the answer!</p>
<p>Does the student choose Priority vs. Regular Waitlist?
or
Does CMU assign the student to one or the other?</p>
<p>Has anyone’s portal already assigned them to a Priority Waitlist?</p>
<p>Or, do all waitlisted applicants simply say Waitlist?</p>
<p>I have no idea how it works. Please shed some light on this. Thanks.</p>
<p>Mine just says “CIT - waitlisted”. I’m not really sure about the priority waitlist but I guess we’ll find out more in our letter.</p>
<p>waitlisted at CIT only 
i should’ve applied to other schools…</p>
<p>Okay, so I have the same question. You can decide your WL status here <a href=“https://webapp.as.cmu.edu/waitlist/[/url]”>https://webapp.as.cmu.edu/waitlist/</a></p>
<p>Now, is the priority WL binding?</p>
<p>From what it reads, yes it is binding.</p>
<p>is the website down or sth? its not working…</p>
<p>Jesse, just asked a current student, it’s not binding. I’ll call the admissions office today and check. Or someone on the East Coast could be kind enough and do that :p</p>
<p>My son was wait listed also. I checked his status again online about 30 minutes ago and there was the option “Admission Decision Letter” When I clicked on it, it stated that he was on the priority wait list. It also explains the difference between the 2. Does not mention if it is binding.</p>
<p>From reading old discussions, it seems like it isn’t binding. HOWEVER, if you are admitted, you must pay the 800 dollars. So pretty much you are not forced to attend but you lose 800 dollars.</p>
<p>Anyone know when we have to make a decision by as to which wait list we choose?</p>
<p>It’s not binding in the sense that you aren’t forced to attend. However, I’m pretty sure you will have to throw down your deposit if you are accepted regardless if you choose to accept or not.</p>
<p>Do you guys think CMU waitlists a lot of people instead of giveing an outright rejection for both colleges? Like (MCS and CIT, I was rejected from CIT but waitlisted at MCS)</p>
<p>Was anyone here not offered the priority wait list? Or does everyone get it? Because the letter made it sound selective but I’m not sure if that’s just there to be nice…</p>
<p>Also, anyone know when a response is due?</p>
<p>I was offered priority waitlist… You too, right?</p>
<p>Yeah to Tepper</p>
<p>This link may be helpful:
[Alan’s</a> Carnegie Mellon Page](<a href=“http://cmu.alanv.org/waitlist.html]Alan’s”>Alan's Carnegie Mellon Page)</p>
<p>so when i press add me to the waitlist, I’m getting an error anyone else getting the same? Or do i have to send my waitlist form from my school?</p>
<p>really…there is no chance this is “binding”</p>
<p>My son was placed on the “priority wait list” as well for MCS. There is nothing in the letter that calls out “binding”; certainly not like an Early Decision application which requires the student, a parent, and the guidance counselor each to agree, and if accepted the student must notify all other schools that he/she is withdrawing their applications.</p>
<p>The response is due back to CMU by April 13th and does not require an $800 check at that time. Most applicants will know about every other school they’ve applied to by then. Further, the $800 check is due on May 8th if CMU pulls a student off the wait list. They are doing this to be competitive with other schools who might also have the same student wait listed.</p>
<p>We intend to mark the block Yes for priority wait list, and then if he receives other offers of admission from equal or better science programs than CMU/MCS, we simply will not mail the check to them. This is no more unethical than the hedge game that CMU and other universities are playing by not accepting a qualified candidate, then trying to push the date sooner. Higher Ed has created this competitive game and now they have to get tactical, otherwise, there will be empty dorm rooms. not a good situation for an already fiscally irresponsible industry. This is why elite students apply to 10-15 schools…simply to hedge their bets.</p>
<p>I plan to call CMU tomorrow to clarify, and I will post an update, but if you don’t believe that its an old game…read an excerpt below from the WSJ from 2007:</p>
<p>excerpted…</p>
<p>Efforts by colleges to measure commitment can be frustrating for students who are uncertain where they want to go. Alex Graber-Tilton, a senior at Wall High School in Wall, N.J., received a letter from Carnegie Mellon University offering him a spot on its priority waiting list – which the school says is meant for students who definitely know Carnegie Mellon is their first choice. When making waitlist offers, the school promises to go to the priority list first, before its regular waitlist. But to nail down students’ commitment, the school asks those accepted to make a decision quickly.</p>
<p>If you get an acceptance, you are expected to send a $600 deposit by May 8 to secure the slot. Since waitlist offers typically roll in throughout the month of May, that could mean committing weeks before the student hears about offers from other schools.</p>
<p>“It’s like you’ve been pushed aside for someone else, but they still want to know if you want to go there,” says Mr. Graber-Tilton, who plans to turn down the priority-list slot. He wants to study engineering and was also waitlisted at Rice University, as well as Harvey Mudd College where he hopes to ultimately go. Otherwise he plans on going to Case Western Reserve University, where he was accepted.</p>
<p>The priority waiting list “allows students who really, really want the place to come forward,” says Michael Steidel, director of admission at Carnegie Mellon, which had a record 22,422 applicants this year.</p>
<p>@First: Haha, I know Alan (the guy who runs that page) and he graduated a while ago - that information is fairly outdated (although still good). I advise people to email the hub directly for more current information!</p>
<p>@completelykate: That’s funny! And oops, yeah. They should definitely do that instead of relying on the page.</p>
<p>I would hope that most people would call FA directly instead of looking at uncertain/uninformative answers, though. (jmlucky’s post is an exception)</p>