<p>One week has passed since April 10. I am not sure my son still has a chance. Please give me your idea to the following questions and thank you in advance.</p>
<p>1.Is it a good idea to contact my child's AO? </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Is he/she usually honest about the situation on the movement? </p></li>
<li><p>Are they willing to help the students they interviewed? Do they still try to advocate the student they like?</p></li>
<li><p>What do they do with the waiting list at this point?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>@wanttobesmart</p>
<p>I think you should call the school and ask pointed direct questions regarding where things stand. I am not sure what school/s you are waiting for, but I know Exeter has had movement on their WL.</p>
<p>I think if you are repectful but direct with them they will tell you the truth.
In the past I am told there has been movement even in August from the WL, (at least as far as Exeter is concerned). We personally know of one student who was offered a place in August of last year.</p>
<p>I am not sure what happens to the WL applicants when all positions are filled, if they notify you in some way?</p>
<p>I am sorry that you are still playing the waiting game, I can imagine the frustration. Good luck!</p>
<p>Schools usually notify applicants that they’re full and explain the options. In many cases there are several other instances where they will see movement:</p>
<ol>
<li>when returning student deposits are due in April/May (a hefty amount) with the contract.</li>
<li>when installments start on the ten payment plan are due (May 1st usually)</li>
<li>when first payments are due midsummer for families making two payments </li>
<li>when full payments are due late summer for families making one full payment.</li>
</ol>
<p>Sometimes families anticipate the tuition, then find they can’t make the payments. Or a student gets an offer somewhere else and withdraws. Or students change their mind, or have a life event that requires withdrawing.</p>
<p>So these are all possible scenarios that might mean a spot will open. It’s rare, the numbers are low - but we have had parents on the board whose child was offered an opportunity in the summer. Andover is oversubscribed, but interestingly enough there have been unsubstantiated reports of movement at St. Pauls and Exeter (which is really rare) so this year may see more “miracles” for students waiting in the wings.</p>
<p>Given what ExitMITAlum said, why would an oversubscribed school, like Andover, give wait listed applicants the option to remain on the wait list? Seem like it would be easier on everyone to just say “we are full and are closing the wait list”.</p>
<p>Because sometimes families change their minds, financial circumstances change, or existing students at the school decide not to return or are “counseled out” (soft expulsion). So the numbers are always shifting a bit.</p>
<p>@PelicanDad - I realize that and it definitely makes sense to keep WL open if school is not over-enrolled. But given the over-enrollment, I would think that it is very very unlikely (more than usual) that the circumstances you describe would result in open spots. But I guess you never know. My question really is why wouldn’t Andover take a different approach here, as other schools have done (according to other threads, some schools have closed their WLs). I don’t know if all WL applicants were given opportunity to stay on WL or just some portion. Whatever, doesn’t matter - I think all/most WL applicants realize the reality of the situation.</p>
<p>As has been observed previously, the waitlists exist to serve the schools, not the student families. So if the school unexpectedly (and late) loses a particular kind of student, and there’s a student with a similar skill set still hanging on the waitlist, it just might become their lucky day. If a family can handle the emotional uncertainty, there’s certainly nothing to be lost by staying on the waitlist, and the potential–albeit small–still remains that you might get a late call. But you’re right, the reality is not very promising.</p>