Hey everyone. I was waitlisted at Davidson for the class of 2020 and I would very much like to attend. Though I’ve been accepted with a full ride to the university of Wyoming and offered a large scholarship to St. Olaf I would much prefer Davidson. I suppose my question is, how long should I wait to hear back from them with the acceptance decision deadline so quickly approaching, and is it better to accept one of the great deals I’ve been offered at schools I don’t nearly as much want to attend?
If you haven’t heard by April 29 accept one of them (St Olaf would be my vote) and put your $100 down. If you get off the waitlist at Davidson (which is unlikely to happen after August 1st), tell the other college immediately (especially if it is St Olaf!). Why? b/c ‘summer shrink’ works both ways. Somebody at Davidson is probably waiting for a spot someplace else. If they get it, and Davidson offers you that spot, you need to do the same for the person who is waiting for your spot.
Take @collegemom3717’s advice about accepting one of those schools, right away; as she suggests, you don’t want to be without a place to go when the May 1 “drop dead” date arrives. “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.”
Also, contact Davidson IMMEDIATELY and let the admissions office know that you wish to continue on Davidson’s waitlist; and, to the extent that there is further helpful information that you can provide in the future (such as end of year grades/awards, employment, internships, etc.), you can update Davidson with that information, which should be considered by the admissions office in determining who comes off the waitlist. You might also talk to your guidance counselor about what you can do to get off the waitlist.
Although the odds are against you, still you can make the odds a little better. Good luck!
I’d echo everything above. In particular, stay in touch with the Davidson admissions office. Let them know you’d like to stay on the waitlist, and ask what you can do to improve your application. Sometimes they will tell you specific things. Otherwise, update them as much as possible (e.g., grades, new recommendations, awards).
In summary - being successful on the waitlist doesn’t mean sitting around and waiting: you need to be very proactive.