Hello! I’ve recently been waitlisted to Carnegie Mellon School of Arts and Sciences for Biochemistry, and have the option of accepting a place on the Priority Waiting Pool. However, I have already been accepted to Rutgers Honors Engineering Academy and Honors School of Arts and Sciences. With goals of either becoming a software engineer or continuing onto med school, I am able to double major in Comp Sci and Chemical Engineering at Rutgers, and am happy to take this option. However, my mom said that not matriculating to Carnegie Mellon (should the opportunity present itself) could be a lost opportunity that I regret. I have accepted a place on the Waitpool, but was wondering if Carnegie Mellon was worth it, in my case. I wouldn’t be able to study Computer Science, because I didn’t apply to the School for Computer Sciences, nor would I be able to pursue an engineering field, as I did not get into the program. In my opinion, Rutgers certainly isn’t a bad school, and it would be better for me to get better opportunities there than to limit myself at a more reputable school. Any advice?
Hello. Firstly, the fact that you have accepted the place on the Priority waitlist despite being unsure about whether you’d truly attend is a bad action in itself. Although no place on the waiting list is binding, if you are accepted you are expected to submit a desposit almost immediately and commit to the school. Are you prepared to do this 100%? If not, then you are wasting the school’s time and taking away someone else’s opportunity. Rutgers is a reputable school, particularly for engineering - and if becoming a software engineer is what you would truly like to do then I would suggest choosing Rutgers.
That’s not true at all. Taking a place on the waitlist doesn’t take anyone else’s place. If @$Kash$ is offered admission and turns it down, the college may offer admission to someone else. But they have time to mull it over. It may be a day or two, but that’s NOT almost immediately. And s/he doesn’t have to be sure they’ll accept an offer of admission to accept a place on the waitlist either. Kids who are already on the waitlist and who’d like to discourage the competition might like to think so, but that doesn’t make it true.
Another person disagreeing with post #1. Accepting a spot on a waitlist in no way binds you in any way to attend the school if you are offered a spot down the road. If you are accepted off of a waitlist schools general give you a few days to decide if you want to deposit or not. That said if you want to study engineering then Rutgers sounds like the only school where you can do that.
Tell ma to chill if she’s laying on the guilt for a lost opportunity. What opportunity? The odds of you being accepted off the waitlist are less than 1%, according to the 2015 stats. It sounds like Rutgers is your best opportunity. Move on.