<p>Hi CC, </p>
<p>Would appreciate anybody willing to share information that has already got off a waitlist for 2011. Please feel free to post results after April 10th as well.</p>
<p>Thanks and best wishes:)</p>
<p>well one poster – despite her acceptance to 3 schools – called the head of the 4th school she applied to and was moved off the waitlist already. The school claimed it was an “admission error” but who really knows what happened.</p>
<p>Which poster was that and which school ?</p>
<p>How do schools inform applicants if they are be selected off waitlist, by phone, email, or mail?</p>
<p>swissbrit, that was vivsters for Hotchkiss. and she was called by the headmaster, not vice versa.</p>
<p>hopefor2011, WL notification is usually by phone.</p>
<p>Thanks DiveAlive:)</p>
<p>absolutely false. SHE called the headmaster, not the other way round.</p>
<p>She initiated contact as she was upset to be waitlisted.</p>
<p>Direct quote from originally waitlisted candidate:</p>
<p>“Yeah, I was originally waitlisted. I got in contact with Hotchkiss, managed to talk with Mr. Mckenzie (over the phone), and then they accepted me =) so I’m really happy. (my mom = not so happy about sending me so far away… but i think she has finally agreed for sure!!)”</p>
<p>vivsters PMed me a while back.
“As for getting off the waitlist, I got a call from the headmaster, Mr. Mckenzie. He’s really nice, and he told me that he was offering me a spot for Hotchkiss. He did say that they had made an ‘admission error’ and that I was definitely a very qualified candidate… but who knows?”</p>
<p>human error happens.</p>
<p>Okay, first, the two versions of this story posted above are consistent. This applicant could very well have called Hotchkiss, and then gotten a call back from the headmaster.</p>
<p>What I don’t understand is what relevance any of this has for the rest of the candidates on this forum who are waitlisted. If you think you are articulate enough to successfully argue your case to the headmaster at School X, then go for it . . . but my thought is that if every one of you tries to do that, it’s going to backfire.</p>
<p>There have been numerous suggestions posted about how to approach a school’s admissions office after you’ve been waitlisted. Notably, none of them involve going over the head of the director of admission and going directly to the head of school! Send a letter telling the school you’re still interested. Send them updates about any important recent achievements. Be patient. Be polite. Be interested. Just don’t be a ***!</p>
<p>“Notably, none of them involve going over the head of the director of admission and going directly to the head of school”
i don’t think that’s what vivsters did, or what anyone planned to do… if so, LOL that’s a terrible idea!</p>
<p>i think the relevance with vivster’s story, and what makes it so intriguing, is that if one applicant could receive an “admissions error”, so could another… obviously the possibility is minute, but if she did indeed reach out to the school to inquire as to why she was waitlisted (fueled by curiosity or improving application next year, whatever) and ultimately receive an admissions offer, wouldn’t it be a good idea for others to do the same-- call the school, inquire politely? or maybe contact your interviewer, etc</p>
<p>i’m not suggesting you go call up every school and demand why you were waitlisted/insist they made an “error”, only that it might be helpful, even if you don’t get an admission offer. and of course, as dodgersmom said, patience and politesse are essential…</p>
<p>Following from EBS Secondary Placement officer:</p>
<p>Wait Lists
If you are offered a spot on a school’s wait list, it means that you are qualified to be accepted by the school, but that the school has had more qualified applicants than it has spaces available. You may opt to wait for a space to open at the school, or you may decline your space on the list if you are no longer interested. To be completely honest, your chances of being admitted off a wait list are less than twenty percent. If you decide, however, to hold on, you will have an additional month or so as the school waits to see how many spaces they will be able to offer to applicants on their wait list. In general, absolutely nothing will be done regarding the wait list during this intervening month. You—or others on your behalf—can phone the school, but there is no hope of making any progress until early April. By about April 15, however, most schools may begin to review their wait list candidates, as they determine how many additional spaces they can offer. If you wish to remain on a wait list, you should notify the school early by either returning the card the school provided you or phoning the admission office.</p>
<p>They might say “admissions error” to make her feel better but there was no mistake in waitlisting someone. They might have done it thinking she may not come, and then when clarified it is her first choice they may change the status, but please don’t think these schools make errors.</p>
<p>They check everything and are very very careful. It is so difficult as many many qualified applicants are waitlisted let alone rejected (see recent NPR story on amherst admissions for some insight).</p>
<p>To echo dodgersmom, it would be a terrible miscalculation to go over the AO’s head. It would, in my view, immediately disqualify a candidate for consideration. It’s essentially saying that “your Admission’s team got it wrong when it came to me. Here’s why I’m special and should be treated differently from the rest.” Yuck.</p>
<p>This is the worst time ever for parents and kids. Waitlist is purgatory. If you want to do something, it’s worth sending a note to your top choice WL school letting them know you’d go there if admitted, and thanking them for taking the time to consider you. Other than that, don’t do a darn thing. There will be a tiny bit of movement following revisit days, which is when you might get a happy call.</p>
<p>Who do you think AOs accept from the wait-list first, if they go to the wait-list at all?</p>
<p>Does anyone know how many people they put on waitlists? My thinking is that they would WL about as many (or more) than they admit because usually, kids who were WLed are admitted somewhere as well and schools would have to plan for the number on the WL to go down by as much as 75%.</p>
<p>I realize that this question has been asked before and I apologize for not doing the research.</p>
<p>BTW: I agree with Parlabane and Dodgersmom.</p>
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<p>Whomever they want - depending on (1) what holes were left by candidates who declined offers; (2) “fit” and the overall makeup of the class; and (3) what the AOs had for breakfast that morning! In other words, it can’t be predicted. Not by any of us, anyway. It will vary from grade to grade, from year to year, and from school to school.</p>
<p>And neato’s question about numbers is an interesting (albeit potentially discouraging) one, if anyone has an answer.</p>
<p>Just curious…since waitlists seem to be unranked and filled based on specific need to the school it seems that a late applicant could possibly be admitted before someone on the waitlist. Either way, wishing everyone the best of luck on however they are able to get accepted and go on to a great education:)</p>
<p>I think it is possible, unfortunately, particularly if they fill a hole in a team.</p>
<p>I have always understood a late application to be an application TO the waitlist. I suppose it’s possible for schools to make room for a superstar at a late date though. Anything is possible.</p>