<p>I'm looking for advice on strategies regarding the waitlist of a top choice school. </p>
<p>Also, a couple of schools have said that they will let waitlist candidates know starting AFTER April 10. How do you handle that in an honorable way with School Choice #2 that accepted you and wants an answer?</p>
<p>On the earlier thread about positive waitlist stories, there were some students who said they got off the WL pretty quickly - I am sure that depends a lot on the school and the student.</p>
<p>There is no honorable way to keep school #2 on hold after April 10. The April 10th deadline is the drop dead deadline for deposits so the school can figure out their class size and determine if they have spots to go to wait list. So you can’t ask the school that admitted you to wait until you find out your status at the waitlist school</p>
<p>You have two choices if you have not heard from your first choice by April 8 or 9th:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>decline the school where you have a spot and take a chance you’ll get off a waitlist (which is risky)</p></li>
<li><p>accept the invitation you have and Fedex the deposit to arrive by April 10th (10% of tuition - nonrefundable to hold your spot)</p></li>
</ol>
<p>— If you get off the waitlist after April 10 - just be prepared to lose your deposit in full at the first school.
— or love the school that gave you a spot</p>
<p>Thanks Exie. I feel the same way and while I completely understand why a school (on which you are a WL) won’t or cannot notify you until after April 10 - it makes for a difficult situation. I’ve heard of schools offering places as late as August. While that might work if you have a strong public school option… it does NOT work if you are committed to attending a BS. By August you will not have only paid a deposit, but a huge chunk (if not all) of the tuition.</p>
<p>Mamakiwi: If it helps, one thing I noticed last year was that most people who reported getting off waitlists got off just before April 10. So if your child really loves a particular school, I think it would be worth going with Exie’s choice number 2. For all some of us (including me) preach about loving the school that loves you, I’ve yet to hear of a child who got off a waitlist who wasn’t doing great at his/her school. So maybe it’s okay to love the school that just likes you a lot…at least until April 9 :)</p>
<p>We are in a similar situation, as our son has great options but was WLed by his first choice. The good news is that he is only one of two boys on the WL; the two boys on the WL last year got off and are now happy 7th graders at my son’s first choice school. Unless we hear before April 11th, we plan on biting the bullet and putting a deposit on his 2nd choice school. We are prepared to forfeit a pretty sum that I will not allow myself to think about.</p>
<p>The uncertainty and the "what if’s are really hard. And the tuition insurance in case you want to change your mind and withdraw is not cheap. </p>
<p>We had few viable options locally and we were lucky she found a school she loved and that loved her back. She was enamored with another, but in the end, found her perfect match and loads of friends.</p>
<p>Can’t imagine people who choose to withdraw for a better offer in August - We started paying tuition well before then and it was substantial so there was no turning back even if another BS knocked on the door and invited her in.</p>
<p>Good luck with your journey. It’s a tough one for sure. We’ve all been in your shoes.</p>
<p>If you look master list of acceptances you will see there are many kids who are accepted to multiple schools, there are at least 5 that are accepted to both PA and Exeter so there will be movement in those WL - maybe all 5 at one school. Check the list for the schools you are interested in. People may not make thier decision until after visit day, if you are going to call AO for update on WL waiting until after visit day may give you better info.</p>
<p>aaralyn almost the exact same thing happened to me lol</p>
<p>It seems like there were quite a few multiple acceptances this year, so maybe that’ll help. Don’t count on getting off the waitlist for DA though-- my tour guide was telling me how they wound up with an excess of students after more than the projected number attended, and now they are trying to cut down.</p>
<p>I honestly don’t think it matters whether you take yourself off the waitlist early or not–except (and I’m guessing here) in the case of accepted student who were offered significant aid. I suspect that schools have a higher yield rate for FA admits, so turning them down quickly might mean freeing up aid and thus making it possible for the school to pick an FA candidate when they turn to their waitlist.</p>
<p>Otherwise, though, keep in mind that schools admit more than they accept–so they don’t automatically pluck someone off the waitlist as soon as someone else turns down their offer of admission.</p>
<p>Our educational consultant said that there definitely was movement in waitlists just before April 10th. This happens when enough students send in their accept or deny letters well before April 10th, and the school has a good sense of that magical yield number.</p>
<p>My son was WL at one of his top choices, but accepted at the other. He wants to stay on the WL but I’m personally wary of sending him off to a school without having that chance to do a revisit, should he get off the WL on April 9th. In the meantime, we will revisit his top choice #1 plus one other school.</p>
<p>Just wanted to add more info on tuition insurance, as it was mentioned on this thread (I’ve made a living reading financial contracts LOL). Read the policy on the specific school, of course (though most are through one main company that does this & probably have similar rules). For the one I am most familiar with, the student must attend 14 days of school, at the school where you bought tuition insurance, before they are eligible for any refund under insurance. Also, the refund is at most 50%. And…this 50% is based on the amount (I believe) the <em>full year’s</em> tuition…even if not paid quite yet. After a certain date (such as June 1), you are usually contractually obligated to pay the full tuition. Collection of any insurance amounts later in time is considered a separate matter.</p>