How Many Were Wait-listed?

joedirt131
Thu, 31 Mar 2011 03:42:06 +0000

Just thought I’d chime in on this, since I was in the same position last year.

Though nobody outside the admissions office knows the exact number of people on the waitlist, it’s rumored to be about 1500-2000. The number is such that if every single person admitted were to decline matriculation (an unlikely scenario), they could fill the class entirely with waitlistees. Nothing to back this up but hearsay, so take it with a grain of salt.

As to whether or not somebody should choose to stay on the waitlist, I’d say go for it if you’d choose Harvard if they let you in. If you’ve got another school that you’re perfectly content with attending, then turn your sights toward that. But if you want another shot at Harvard, another month or two of anticipation isn’t too bad a price. If you want to, find a way to show the admissions office that you’d attend Harvard if admitted, but don’t pester them. They have a lot to handle as is. It mostly comes down to fate, and whether you get off the waitlist has little to do with how worthy an applicant you were; it’s primarily a matter of where there were spots. Making it to the waitlist is a damn good accomplishment in itself, and it shows that you’ve got the traits to be successful no matter where you go.

Sure, the odds of getting off the waitlist may be small, but you don’t want any lingering regrets or what-ifs going into college that could have been quelled with a little bit more waiting and patience. And really, I know you’ve probably heard it a lot, but don’t stress over where you end up going. You’ll grow to love it, be it Harvard or elsewhere.