WL at Penn is 
Hopefully you have lots to update them about.
Would your GC be willing to submit an update, too?
In the meantime, your choices are Public Ivy or Elite LAC. NOT BAD. 
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Thank you! I didn’t really care about any of my decisions besides UPenn anyways!! Should I do anything else besides write a loci like call admissions? I am not sure what to do because this is all new to me
I would write a short (admissions officers are not looking for more essays to read) LOCI. In the LOCI you should confirm your interest in the college and briefly state any meaningful accomplishments and awards since your application. Do not call admissions.
Once that is done you need to put Penn in your rear-view mirror and focus on choosing from your great acceptances.
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Ok, and if I submitted all of my award updates in February to them, should my loci just be about why I am interested in the school and how I would attend if admitted? Unfortunately I don’t have any more updates on awards for them.
That sounds right.
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Reiterate your awards list. Any accomplishment in any EC (not necessarily award)? New grades?
Ask your GC or your teachers if they’d write an update rec (there should be a possibility in their version of commonapp.)
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Congratulations on all your great work.
Parents thawing at all on the idea of UNC?
Did they give you instructions? Often schools have a form to check on in their portal and tell you specifically what you should do.
Here’s a 3rd party article from a few years ago that you might want to review - scroll to the bottom and it might give you some ideas or things to confirm.
Good luck.
Yes, there’s a waitlist faq, where they said this:
“ If you have additional information that sheds new light on your candidacy, and you would like to express your continued interest, you may submit an update through your Penn Applicant Portal by May 1, 2024”
They start reviewing waitlisted applications in May. I’ll write a loci for Vanderbilt and Wellesley as well, but I am not sure about Emory because I was told that the people who get priority off the waitlist were the Oxford admits.
Ever since I got into macalester they’ve been pushing for me to go there. In fact, my financial aid was negotiated so now the school is close to free and they’ve been urging me to go. I’ll probably attend macalester instead, but if I get off of a waitlist I will 100 percent attend those schools.
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Macalester for nearly free is hard to beat even in the unlikely event that you get off a waitlist!! A fantastic outcome!
I’d quickly get any LOCI submitted and then focus on accepting an offer and getting excited about attending that college.
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Macalester for free is incredible 
(I assume you would be living on campus).
You have 3 weeks to craft that letter. Do not hurry. Also, things may happen in between now and then - top grades, a service project that ends successfully, etc.
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Thank you for your help everyone! If I want to send them my final grades so that they consider that when reviewing my waitlisted app, what should I do? Do I send them my in-progress self reported grades, or do I wait until mid may to get my college transcript?
And I looked at Vanderbilt’s waitlist information and they said that they may start giving offers of admission in late april. Should I get this turned in as soon as possible? As in, by the end of next week? For Penn I wanted to take my time and submit everything by mid april.
I would say to wait till mid April in general though you may prioritize Vanderbilt a bit more.
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And just to clarify, at all of the schools I was waitlisted from I requested nearly full financial aid. Since I’m waitlisted, do they take need into account despite being need blind for domestic students? Thanks!
school by school - you’d have to check to see if the WL is need aware.
But you shouldn’t count on any wait list.
Get on - and then move on - emotionally and pick your school.
Get giddy whether Mac or UNC - both great but it sounds like Mac is more palatable to family.
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Generally yes, even the most generous schools may take need into account when choosing students from the waitlist. I would encourage you to accept waitlists that you are interested in, but then psychologically move on to the schools that have accepted you…and make sure to deposit at one of those by its enrollment deadline.
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Your parents are ok with Vanderbilt but not UNC?
Yes only because I have family in the area. And that’s in the unlikely event I get off of the waitlist. I don’t think they’d be ok with Wellesley though, and potentially Emory. But they’re fine with Penn too if I get off the waitlist.
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I would love to hear where you’ve committed! Hope you’re happy and excited.
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