<p>Hi! I just received notification from the Taft School that I have been placed on their waiting list for 9th grade admissions. What are my chances of getting in? I accepted my position on the waiting list. Please respond soon. Thanks in advance! </p>
<p>Admitting an applicant on the wait list happens like this:
Each school predicts some thing called its yield rate. Yield= number of students who accept offer of admission/number of admitted students. A school predicts a certain amount of kids will say no to the offer and decide to elsewhere so the school accepts more kids than they need so that way the amount of kids they need to go will go (if not enough kids go, the school falls short of its budget and thats bad). If not enough kids say yes to the offer (aka the yield is lower than predicted) the school looks at what it needs (what sports teams it needs to fill and clubs and music seats and the like) and then will pull an applicant from the wait list. </p>
<p>What this means:
Your chances of getting of the list are VERY low, AO’s are usually good at predicting their yield and usually never need to pull from the wait list. I have even heard of a year when Andover was over enrolled by ten kids and was scrambling to find ten extra beds. The wait list isn’t ranked and it is more of a safety cushion for the school and not for you. </p>
<p>What I recommend:
I recommend that you be happy with the schools you were accepted to (if any) and love the school that loves you! If you get lucky enough to be offered a spot of the wait list, lucky you! Otherwise, move on with your life and focus on bettering yourself. Don’t count on the wait list since it wasn’t made to help you.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info! @squashisawesome</p>