WHY DOES IT SEEM LIKE EVERYONE IS WAITLISTED?
Elton Lin
The waitlist isn’t so much dreaded as much as it is disconcerting—especially for someone bracing themselves for the ultimatum of a yes-or-no answer. Amidst the questioning of “What about me didn't they like?” and “Why did my classmate get accepted but not me?” there lies an uncertainty of what the waitlist signifies in the first place. Some say that the waitlist is the middle ground between acceptance and rejection, but with waitlist numbers on the rise, you have to wonder—are colleges really just that indecisive? Why do they seem to waitlist even the most overqualified students? The truth is that colleges are, in fact, far from indecisive, and the reasoning for waitlisting students often reaches beyond an applicant’s qualifications. The following are some little-known yet influential motives behind colleges’ increasing tendency to place students in application limbo:
To control the admit rate. Colleges often use the waitlist as a student holding place, as a buffer so that they can better manage the number of incoming students. It’s perfect for the job—if too few students end up accepting the college’s offer of admission, then the college can pull in some from the waitlist, and if more accepted students than expected end up wanting to attend, the college can avoid overstepping its target class size boundaries by not accepting any waitlisted students at all. A waitlist is flexible ground for any college, and so sometimes it is in an institution’s best interest to waitlist students rather than outright accept or reject them. Some colleges, especially the ones commonly considered prestigious or elite, are highly concerned with their selectivity as well, and so they intentionally accept fewer applicants outright to keep their acceptance rate low, using those on the waitlist as their backup plan.
Because there simply isn't enough space. Along a similar train of thought, even qualified students can be shunted to the waitlist if even more qualified students—more as in both quality and quantity—apply. A college can't accept every single student that meets its standards. In the case that there just isn't enough space in the incoming class for an otherwise would-be-accepted applicant, colleges may resort to the waitlist instead of an outright rejection, which could wrongly convey that the college found the student unsatisfactory.
To soften what would otherwise be a rejection. Sometimes, colleges know they won’t accept certain students, but also want to avoid a harsh delivery of the bad news. Say the college believes that the applicant is clearly unsuited for the institution, but the applicant is from a high school that has rarely or never produced applicants beforehand—the college may then utilize the waitlist so as to not discourage future applicants from that same high school. Perhaps the applicant needs more financial aid than a need-aware college is willing to pay. Whatever the specific case, this unfortunately means that some waitlisted students’ worst fears may be true in that some waitlists are simply rejections in disguise.
To maximize yield rate. Colleges highly prioritize yield rate, or the percentage of students who actually end up accepting a college’s offer of admission. Yield rate suffers when accepted students turn down a college’s offer, and so colleges end up wary of students who apply to their institutions as a backup plan or as one of many other desired schools. Because of this, even if an applicant is more than qualified, if they appear disinterested in the college, the admissions office may assume that the applicant is unlikely to enroll even in the case of acceptance. Also, especially in the case of high-achieving applicants, colleges may reason that their offer of admission would only be one of many others from similar (or even more prestigious) institutions. For such situations, the applicants are naturally placed in the uncertainty of the waitlist. Luckily, students in this situation are more likely to be accepted from the waitlist. If they continue to pursue the college, the show of commitment may possibly reduce a college’s concern for its yield rate.
The waitlist is far from a straightforward limbo between acceptance and rejection; for colleges, it’s a multi-purpose tool, and one that’s been shown to work in their favor. More and more students are thus left in a vague, waitlisted fate. It’s hard to pinpoint a reason for any specific waitlisting—but, if you’re ever waitlisted, keep in mind that within this uncertainty lies possibility! Consider the following steps to try and get off the waitlist.
Take your spot on the waitlist. In the email communicating that you were waitlisted, it will often ask you to confirm if you would like to stay on the waitlist. So, double check the email, and make sure the school knows that you want to be on the waitlist.
Check with the school regarding supplemental materials. See if the school published a list of items they would want to see from students. This could better test scores, better grades, more letters of recommendation, etc. Also take a note of what a school specifically does not want to see. There may be a note that requests you send no further information or materials; in that case, respect that (and skip step 3). If you are not sure whether you should send certain information, it is always fair to email an admissions counselor from the school or call the admissions office to clarify if they think it is appropriate.
Write a letter to communicate sustained interest. This letter should make it very clear that, yes, I do want to go to your school and in fact it is a top choice for me. It also gives a chance to communicate any new information, including awards, honors, or updates to projects you had been working on.
Relax. After these steps, you’ve done all that you can do to communicate your interest in the school and increase your chances of getting in. Don’t try to continuously contact the school for updates on your application. Know you have done your best, and be proud of yourself for that.