College and University Blog
How to Get Off a College Waitlist: Is it Really Possible?
It鈥檚 easy to equate being placed on a college waitlist with being rejected. After all, the door wasn鈥檛 completely slammed in your face, but your chances of becoming a 鈥渃hosen one鈥� are fairly slim.
Some students just shrug their shoulders and move on to greener pastures, while others cling to their waitlist status as if it were a life raft.
College Waitlists: Things to Consider
That said, getting off a college waitlist is tough but not impossible. There鈥檚 no surefire way to guarantee your acceptance, but the following advice will come in handy.
Learn the School鈥檚 Waitlist Policy
For all intents and purposes, some elite colleges and universities use waitlists as a courtesy measure to inform students that their good grades and talents were not completely unnoticed. Other schools use waitlists as a method of letting students know that they are runners-up. Those schools may rank waitlisted students and accept from the 鈥渢op down鈥� should openings become available. If you鈥檝e been placed on a college waitlist, learn the school鈥檚 waitlist policy.
Find Out Your Chances of Gaining Admission
reports that National Association for College Admission Counseling statistics show just one in three waitlisted students were matriculated in 2010鈥攁 fancy word that means they actually enrolled as a member of the incoming freshman class. A student鈥檚 chances of being matriculated from the waitlist are even much lower than that at some highly competitive colleges. If a school does not prioritize or rank its waitlist, you can ask how many students were accepted from the waitlist in previous years.
Make the Big Decision
Colleges typically ask waitlisted students to return a 鈥渞esponse card鈥� or write a letter informing the school whether or not they鈥檇 like to remain on the waitlist. You’ll have to ask yourself whether or not the waitlist is worth it. 鈥淚f they are happy with their other choices, please don’t say, 鈥榊es鈥� to the wait list,鈥� Eric Kaplan, dean of admissions at the University of Pennsylvania, advises readers. 鈥淭hey could effectively be taking somebody else’s spot.鈥�
Stay in Touch with the College
Should you decide to remain on the waitlist at your dream school, it wouldn鈥檛 hurt to mail a letter or send an email informing them that they are your first choice.
Grace E. Oberhofer, a high school senior who was waitlisted at Harvard, recently took things a step further, creating a YouTube video of herself playing the piano and singing praises about the college while decked out in a Harvard beanie. Her video went viral, reaching more than 5,000 viewers in 5 days. reports that Oberhofer herself calls the video 鈥渟atirical,鈥� 鈥渙ver the top,鈥� and 鈥渏ust a way to show her sense of humor.鈥�
Will it help her chances? Who knows, but in 2008 Jean Jordan, dean of admissions at Emory University, told that she remembered admitting a student who rewrote the words of the school song to argue her cause.
Update the College about Your Recent Accomplishments
In 2009, Bari Norman, the director of a New York-based college admissions counseling agency, told that waitlisted students should call the college admissions office and find out what their applications lack. Once they have figured this out, they can describe any improvements they’ve made in the meantime, such as higher grades or awards they may have won.
If you earned straight A鈥檚 during the final semester of your senior year or you recently won an award or tackled a new community service project that wasn鈥檛 mentioned in your college application, it is okay to let the school know.
Realize That a Second Choice School Really Isn鈥檛 All That Bad
Should you decide to 鈥渨ait out鈥� the waitlist situation, there is a slight chance that you鈥檒l be selected. There鈥檚 also a bigger chance that you will have to make alternative arrangements. Many waitlisted students are heartbroken … until they realize that attending another college isn鈥檛 necessarily settling for less. Lower tuition or more financial aid might wind up seeming pretty good after all!
Melissa Rhone earned her Bachelor of Music in Education from the University of Tampa. She resides in the Tampa Bay area and enjoys writing about college, pop culture, and epilepsy awareness.