<p>I'm a prospective Int'l student from Australia. Got waitlisted at Williams, and I want some advice on what to do; the people around me aren't giving me that much advice.</p>
<p>A teacher is telling me to write a cover-letter. For one, I don't quite understand what a cover-letter is, and secondly, I don't know who to send it to and via what medium. Email? Hard-copy? With the little cardboard slip?</p>
<p>Apart from the cover-letter, is there anything else I can do/send? And how should I pen one?</p>
<p>Also, a former professor at Williams is offering to write me a supplementary letter/recommendation letter. The guy left Williams two years ago to a higher position at another college/university. He wants me to email him to tell him the details I want him to supply. What the hell I am to make of that?</p>
<p>On the topic of letters, is submitting additional recommendation letters a good idea to begin with?</p>
<p>I'm grateful for any, any help; I'd leave the craphole university/college I attend now (University of New South Wales), for any college in the US. Go figure that I forgot to apply for a safety, or a more low-tier college.</p>
<p>Cheers.</p>
<p>P.S. You might see a similar thread in the Princeton forum. That's because Princeton is the other waitlisted school that I'd really like to go to.</p>
<p>My son is waitlisted at three colleges (not Williams or Princeton). The advice we’re following, gleaned from people who have successfully gotten off of waitlists, is:</p>
<p>First, make sure you responded “yes” (presumably by e-mail) when the school asked whether you’d like to remain on the wait list. If not, do this immediately!</p>
<p>Now, write a more detailed letter (hard copy or e-mail) explaining why you want to attend the school, and what you could contribute to the school (not financially, but in terms of your strengths). If the school is your first choice and you will definitely enroll if accepted, say so! If that’s not true, say that you remain highly interested in the school. Also, if you’ve received awards or made accomplishments since you submitted your apps, the letter should list them.</p>
<p>A recommendation is a good idea. If that former Williams professor doesn’t know you well, then his recommendation is not as good as one from someone who does know you well. Do you have a coach, teacher, or employer who has worked with you for 2 years or more and really likes you?</p>
<p>Your letter & attached recommendation should be addressed to the admissions person that is handling your file. Their website may list the person who handles international applicants. If you cannot figure out who that person is, then the website will surely list the Dean of Admissions, and you could address the correspondence to him/her.</p>
<p>Any school is going to select folks off the wait list to meet institutional needs: a violinist is out? Find another. An Australian is out? Find another.</p>
<p>The supplemental material works better for deferrals than wait lists.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t go too crazy with it. </p>
<p>A cover letter is a letter that accompanies other things. If you have nothing else to send, it’s not a cover letter – it’s a letter.</p>
<p>If Princeton is your #1 choice, let the school know that. If Williams is, let them know that. A school doesn’t want to make a wait list offer and then be rejected. Slows the process too much.</p>
<p>Well maybe; it depends on how closely they split hairs. Maybe an opening from any international student who’s also a native English speaker is enough – the UK tends to be over-represented.</p>
<p>Williams is a small closely-knit community. I’d guess that a letter from a former professor would carry a lot of weight. You should email the professor a summary sheet of your stats and most significant accomplishments (and especially any very recent ones), which he can use to more efficiently and accurately write you a good recommendation full of specifics.</p>
<p>Absolutely get the letter from the contact. You need to get the ear of someone on the committee. And I think that you should tell both schools that they are your first choice. I don’t think the 24 hours you have to decide between a “yes” or “no” will hold up the list enough to worry about.
My S was waitlisted at 5 highly selective schools 2 years ago-rejected by Williams and Princeton, oddly enough, but waitlisted at Amherst, Dartmouth, Tufts, Midd and Harvard. He sent a detailed personalized letter about what he would add to the student population at each school(his “cover letter”)plus an updated transcript, a dossier of his prize-winning newspaper editorials(he had only sent a copy of his awards initially) and a letter from a college professor stating what the schools were missing out by not accepting him. He also knew a trustee at Harvard, so asked him to write a letter(didn’t work) and had a family friend call a connection in the admissions office at Midd (he wouldn’t allow it when he first applied because it “wasn’t fair”)That’s what fair will get you-wait-listed. Seriously, he’s at Midd now.</p>
<p>Pull out all the stops here-there are 1000 kids on those lists and you need to stand out! Once you have sent the material, call each office and make sure it was received. You can also try to talk to your admissions “rep” and ask if you have any deficiencies- but this may not be possible. If there is a guidance counselor at your school who is helpful, you can ask him or her to call. Good luck.</p>
<p>Another option-if you are a “cash” player-have your guidance counselor call a less selective school, tell them you made a terrible mistake, are NOT applying for financial aid, and will absolutely come if offered a spot, and send your fabulous stats and references. This actually can work if you pick the right school. Consider a place like the University of Rochester in New York. Name drop if you can. The fact that you are wait-listed at 2 such fab schools means you are qualified to attend any college in the US-</p>
<p>About sending letters from college professors, I was told that in some colleges faculty are 100% cut off from the admissions process… Is that true at Williams?</p>
<p>My D was also waitlisted by this great college–but has wonderful choices amongst others, between now & May 1st. She is mailing in her postcard to Williams this week, to give this option (to matriculate) to a more wanting student. Good luck to those who feel this is their preferred school! :)</p>
<p>I was also waitlisted at Williams. Do you think a grade drop is enough so that they will not even consider me? for example, last semester my average was about a 96.5%. at graduation I will expect a 91.6…</p>
<p>and if I do receive a call (knock on wood) is it true I only have 24 hours to decide?</p>
<p>I was accepted at UGA honors, Georgia Tech, Emory University, and Vassar College. but i think I will be going to Emory. I was waitlisted at UVA, Williams, and Amherst … is it too late to start writing letters of cont. interest to try to get off the waitlist? ad will a significant decrease be too much of a turn off?</p>