When you call admissions and ask questions, there is a pretty good chance that you will be speaking with a student who works there. That explains the vague answers and inconsistencies. An admissions representative is not answering the main phone, and they are not providing these students with up-to-date data so that they can provide accurate information to waitlisted students. It’s not important to them, their class is filled. Admissions officers may not have even been there over the past few months- UNC hosts out-of-state events all over the country in an effort to get OOS students to commit.
As noted above, transparency would be nice (I agree with you), but the school does not owe anybody anything. The WL is for their benefit and most will not take the time to provide these details at regular increments.
UNC has moved on. Their orientations have begun, and those same students (many are admissions ambassadors) who may have answered the phone are likely also helping with orientation activities. There is a lot to do and get ready for so that their new students feel welcomed.
My daughter attended UNC. It’s a great school, but there are lots of great schools and no school is perfect. UNC owes their time and resources to their new and existing students. They need to make sure that their new students enjoy their orientation and adjust to their new school. If their new students have a great orientation experience, make friends, learn about clubs etc, there may be less “summer melt” and less need to turn to the WL.
It’s not unusual to feel as though “the grass is always greener on the other side,” but my advice is to try your best to move on and embrace the school that loves you. That is where you will succeed (and you will!).
If you get a phone call due to “summer melt,” it will be a pleasant surprise. My opinion is that it’s better to be a superstar at a school that loves you than to enter a school last minute off the WL, not even knowing if you will get into your major, etc.