<p>Neato is correct, a late application (at least at the schools I’ve spoken to), if it’s approved, will go into the waitlist pool. So, yes, that candidate could ultimately be chosen ahead of all the rest of the waitlisted applicants who got their apps in on time. Sigh . . . :(</p>
<p>Athletes will (unfortunately) get an edge. My son applied in late April and was told by one school that he was on “the (his name)waitlist”. Only one on it. Got in. And yes, he was a standout athlete.</p>
<p>zp</p>
<p>
It all depends on where the openings are. If a a whole boat load of 10th grade girls decline offers then they are not going to take any 9th grade boys off the WL.
As zuzu said, Athletes can have an edge, but only if there is a specific need. They need a few great underwater basketweavers for their team and all of the ones they accepted declined, then they go to those on the wait list. Does not help you if you are a QB and 3 QB’s accepted admissions offers. </p>
<p>Interestingly, my son was just waitlisted at one of his college applications :(. Their letter has a Q & A and one of the questions is “Am I ranked on the wait list?” The answer is “NO. The wait list is ranked only when it is know that additional students can be offered admission, and then only those students who expressed interest in the College will be ranked.”</p>
<p>Hypothectical…If an applicant received an acceptance on march 10th with full or partial FA does the school expect them to contact them immediately or just by acceptance deadline? Is it different for full pay vs someone receiving FA? I’m thinking most applicants that have been offered FA would respond immediately. I would think that particular applicant pool would be settled quickly after reading other threads on how difficult it is to get off FA waitlist or get FA being a late applicant. Just curious…</p>
<p>Hopefor2011, as far as I know, the deadline for full pay and FA candidates to respond is April 10th.</p>
<p>The deadline is the same. </p>
<p>I assume by “partial FA” you mean partial in terms of meeting need vs. tuition. </p>
<p>However, many FA candidates get nice offers from more than one school and wait until after re-visit days. </p>
<p>In terms of wait lists, after re-visit days it is possible there could be some movement as students make their final decisions. More so on Financial Aid wait lists than admissions. </p>
<p>I know one student a few years ago whose parent was literally driving with deposit in hand to 2nd choice school when call came in from first choice wait listed school on the afternoon of April 10th with an admissions offer. </p>
<p>I also know that sometimes you get called on April 10 (or 11th this year I guess) letting you know that that they are not going to go to the waitlist in case you need to accept another offer by the deadline.</p>
<p>Do most revisit days end prior to April 10th deadline? Must be a busy week for Admimissions offices hosting so many applicants. I quess it is done in more of a group session?</p>
<p>Thanks:)</p>
<p>All official revisit days are prior to the decision date (which I believe this year is April 11 because the 10th is a Sunday). Candidates are asked to by the schools to let them know ASAP so they get an idea of yeild. </p>
<p>Yes, Hopefor2011 they are group sessions on specific days. Most schools have 2-4 dates to chose from (depending on the size of the school) and there is a specific program that varies from school to school but typically includes a parent panel of some sort, class visits and matching of accepted students with current students for the day.</p>
<h1>18 above:</h1>
<p>I don’t know about any of the other schools, but the director of admissions at Lawrenceville told me that while technically their wait list is not “ranked”, it is divided into quadrants. So there is probably a pool of WL applicants in the first quadrant, who would be offered admission prior to WL applicants in Qs 2-4. My suspicion is that each quadrant is sufficiently “diversified” to fill the holes that open up. Obviously, that last sentence is just my guess. The remainder is directly from the director of admissions.</p>
<p>Goodchoices, thanks for that information. I would imagine that all the schools may need some way to organize their waitlists, so this seems plausible. Each school may do it differently, boy vs. girl etc, but I can see how they might rank by quadrants as a way to help identify the next up etc.</p>
<p>Here is some information regarding the Choate waitlist, but could apply to other schools as well:</p>
<p>How does the Wait List work?</p>
<p>As we hear from students who are admitted, we begin to see the class take shape. As the class takes shape, we also begin to see who from the Wait List would best complete that class. This is why we don’t number or order the Wait List; until we see who is enrolling, we can’t know who might fit best.</p>
<p>Does Choate always go to the Wait List?</p>
<p>Typically, we do. The challenge is that we don’t know if it will be boarding boys, day girls, 11th grade, 9th grade, etc. We might go to the Wait List for several students in one grade, but none in another. There are years when there is no or very little movement to the Wait List because more accepted students enroll; and of course, when fewer accepted students enroll at Choate it gives us more opportunity to go to the Wait List. It can be quite unpredictable.</p>
<p>When might we know something?</p>
<p>As April 10 approaches (the reply date for admitted students), we will know a lot more about our enrollment situation. While you can send updated grades or information before the 10th, there will be very little happening until April 10 draws near. It is around that time that we evaluate if we have space and if we do, whom we’ll offer admission. Again, we’ll be looking for the applicants that best round out the class. This is an important discussion point with your child. It is not simply a matter of being the “best student” on the Wait List etc. If we do have the opportunity to offer admission, it will be by phone from an admission officer.</p>
<p>What if I applied for financial aid?</p>
<p>Funding creates another variable. Unless we have additional funds to offer, this becomes an obstacle. To offer financial aid to a Wait-Listed candidate, we would need enough money to “come back to us”—that is, admitted applicants with financial aid would have to enroll elsewhere and return our budget to positive territory. This can be stressful and trying at times. I appeal to parents to manage expectations and realities for your son or daughter in this regard as well. </p>
<p>Hope this helps :)</p>
<p>^^ very good info, just the doc has ordered.</p>
<p>Hootoo, are you planning on staying on a waitlist?</p>
<p>No, I have to decide Exeter or Milton. But I found the above info interesting and making a lot of sense.</p>
<p>Well, it looks like all those on waitlists are down to just another week before acceptance deadlines so maybe there will be some good news soon for a few who are enduring this process. I hope that all the students that had or are having their revisits have a great time and pick a great school that fits them best!:)</p>
<p>Do WL students who get the magic call have a chance to visit the campus again before committing?</p>
<p>I have been told that schools will make that offer. However, I would imagine that each school has a different policy.</p>
<p>I have several questions about waitlists I hope can be answered. </p>
<p>1.) This year seems really off to me. WAY more WLed and Rejections than I thought. In my opinion, there is something off about this, but anyways. Do you think this year, it is going to be MORE or LESS likely to get off the waitlist? (Please explain your reasoning.)</p>
<p>2.) How big are the waitlists this year? Are they bigger or smaller this year? Additionally, how big were the waitlists of the past? (Explain your reasoning for this one too.)</p>
<p>3.) I think this may be helpful for some of us, but if you have gleaned any information about a certain prep school on whether they will take students off the waitlist, how many students they are planning to get off the waitlist, and how big the waitlist is, please share!</p>
<p>4.) At this late in the game, for those that need a substantial amount of FA, will they be accepted into the school with a large portion of FA? (Let’s say around 75% or more range.) (Explain this too.)</p>
<p>^ I really don’t think anyone will have access to that information, other than someone who works in the admission offices at these schools. Even if someone has been in contact with someone in one of the offices, I feel like they wouldn’t reveal too much about numbers and stats. It’s also still kind of early. Revisits are being held and there’s about a week left before contracts are due. There should be more information available after that time.</p>
<p>We’ve already explained this on other posts:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>some schools oversubscribed in previous years and are being more conservative. So students who might have been accepted in those years are now being waitlisted.</p></li>
<li><p>More and more qualified students are applying. The internet and discussions boards like these make it easier for applicants to research schools they wouldn’t have considered in the past. Deteriorating school districts has parents looking at boarding schools as an option who would never have considered it in the past. Social networking means more students are communicating with each other about the options. So waitlists and rejection piles may be larger because the pools of applicants are also larger.</p></li>
<li><p>Few people know how big the waitlist is, nor is there any accurate predictor on how many students will get off. Schools plan for a “yield” which means that if two-thirds of admitted students routinely accept in a given year, they’ll send letters to 150 students for 100 spots. If 50 students turn them down, they will still have filled all their slots. In order for someone to get off the waitlist a lot of students have to turn down their spots - and/or - a student with a skill/hook/attributes (such as underwater tuba playing) on the waitlist will be pulled to replace the student with those skills who declined a spot.</p></li>
<li><p>FA - based on comments on and off the list - seems to be this year’s dealbreaker. Too much need, not enough funds - even for those with high endowments. Remember - endowments don’t permit unlimited spending. Only a specific portion is made available so the principal stays untouched. Returning students get taken care of first which is why their FA forms are due so early. Full pay students who have suffered economic declines may also be eating up some of the available funds. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>Hence - it’s anyone’s guess, no one has specific numbers, and the best we can tell you is to express interest in the school and wait for mid April for an answer.</p>