Hi
My son got priority wait listed at CMU, what should we do as he only wants to attend CMU? and also what does priority wait list actually means? Does he still have a chance?
It means he deposits somewhere else by May 1. Someone who has knowledge of CMU can speak to their particular waitlist history. I have no knowledge if the word priority is a differentiator. If you have no financial need he could e-mail his admissions counselor tell him or her he will walk away from the deposited college and attend if accepted off the waitlist. But absolutely he needs to deposit at a college where he has an acceptance.
Thanks!!!
This is from CMU’s 2013-14 waitlist. I would have his guidance counselor call … Good luck! Let us know what he/she says.
C2. Freshman wait-listed students (students who met admission requirements but whose final admission was
contingent on space availability)
Do you have a policy of placing students on a waiting list? Yes No
If yes, please answer the questions below for Fall 2013 admissions:
Number of qualified applicants offered a place on waiting list 4,843
Number accepting a place on the waiting list 1,864
Number of wait-listed students admitted 87
Is your waiting list ranked? Yes
If yes, do you release that information to students? No
Do you release that information to school counselors? By request
I would go on the waitlist. Consider asking your son’s guidance counselor to call the school and let them know it is your son’s top choice and maybe ask if there is anything he can do to improve his chances of getting in off the waitlist. Your son might also send an email saying that if he is admitted from the waitlist, that he will attend (assuming that is true).
Once that is done, I’d work hard to re-focus your son on picking which one of the schools he was admitted to would be the best fit. Perhaps go to a couple of admitted student days to help him decide and hopefully get him excited about the options he has available currently. He should move forward assuming that he won’t get into CMU at this point.
Thank you! will have the school counselor call and find out.
In years past quite a few people have gotten off the priority waitlist, but there are no guarantees of course, at least one year not too long ago they were oversubscribed and no one got off the waitlist. Have you also checked out the CMU board? http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/carnegie-mellon-university/
My son got Priority Waitlist from Tepper Business School… is there any stat like last year 80 kids they accepted from PWL, but what number on major baisis ?
I have no idea as to how this priority wait list works…I called them but no one gives you the information you need
How many students get off the WL varies by year. There is a lot of chatter that students applied to more schools this year, possibly lower yield for schools and possibly more schools going to their WL. If HYPS and other higher ranking schools go to their WL, then more space will open up at the next tier of schools, and this is refer to as “summer melt.” You are not going to know how it is all going to play out until after first week of May.
What you can do is have your GC get in contact with WL adcoms to express interest. You can get the GC to put together an updated packet (essay, LORs, transcript, awards) to send in by third week of April. For many schools, by the time they go to WL they want students who could commit fast and preferrably with no need for FA. If CMU is your son’s #1 choice, get the GC to convey that message and guarantee your son will absolutely attend if he is admitted off the list. It’s a very strong statement, so be sure before you ask the GC to do it. If your GC won’t contact the school, you can certainly do it yourself. Right now is not the best time to call because adcoms are probably bombarded with many angry phone calls.
Another thing your kid can do is to get excited with his options and put a deposit down by May 1.
Funny, but true, story: Years ago, my friend was waitlisted at a law school that he really wanted to go to. The day after he received his letter, he showed up at the admissions office and sat down in a chair in the waiting area. They asked him what he was doing. He said he was on the wait list and was waiting to get in. He sat in the chair all day. By the end of the day they admitted him.