My son was admitted off the waitlist last year. First you need to decide if you want to accept the waitlist offer. I can’t remember if there was another letter of interest or not.
Then you need to plan on accepting an offer at another college because waitlists are about filling gaps in the class and it’s pretty random.
S24 committed to another university and was signed up for housing, classes, and orientation when he received the offer. He accepted it because Madison had always been his top choice.
Even so it was really difficult to spend weeks thinking of yourself at one university and then experience the whiplash of a waitlist offer.
You get into Kelley with a 3.7 and a 30 and OSU same likely for business. At Wisconsin that likely does into gain entrance to any program in the university at all let alone the B school. It has become much more selective than those schools.
Thank you for your response and thoughtful advice, I really appreciate it. My daughter is waiting for one more decision then will decide which of her offers to take. She has accepted the Wisconsin waitlist offer, awaiting further instructions - apparently there is a form she needs to complete, they already have updated grades. We know it’s a long shot getting off the waitlist but worth trying. My daughter was prepared for outright rejection so this was a surprise.
Can I ask when did your son receive notification of admittance from the waitlist last year?
Thank you again for your response.
Daughter accepted, oos, 4.4 GPA, 10 APS, 1 Dual Enrollment, 35 ACT, Presidential Service Award, great EC. Pre-business was not accepted to business program, letter said she could apply in her first year. Reading online and the bar does not seem that high, but does anyone know how tough it is to get in to the business school? She wants finance and has some other great choices so right now leaning toward IU Kelley Honors since business here is an unknown.
My son received his offer on May 17th. It’s unusual for waitlist offers to go out until after the May 1 decision day. After May 1 admissions generally knows where they have space to fill. Until they close the waitlist, there’s always hope (@woozie123’s child got in off the waitlist on July 11), but as AFC Richmond fans say “it’s the hope that kills you”.
I’m not going to lie, it’s not fun waiting and hoping for a decision that could come at any time while simultaneously preparing to attend another college.
There were very few admits off the waitlist for the class of 2024 and they seemed to exclusively be in engineering and computer science. The class of 2023 had many waitlist offers. It just depends on yield which even UW admissions has trouble predicting from year to year.
If your child does get admitted off the waitlist, please know that Madison goes the extra mile to make sure that waitlist admits aren’t disadvantaged in any way. They take FOREVER to post housing assignments but my son got a great dorm and had no trouble signing up for classes or orientation.
Similar shock here. OOS, 1510, 4.4 weighted, 2 sport varsity athlete, FBLA President, started a case competition, strong essays and recos. Deferred from EA, then denied last night. We were excited about Madison, but now will likely go Kelley (IU) or Leeds (CU). Tough year for these business kiddos!
Kelley is looking to have a huge year it seems. The bumper crop of prospective biz majors is causing a lot of uncertainty about whether you could end up with a six-figure bill and a major you don’t really want. The DA option at Kelley looks mighty nice in comparison.
Because about half the class is intentionally pre-business it does seem like it’s a better path than most schools pre-business. That’s tricky and we are also inclined to choose the direct admit unless other factors come into play like cost (instate) ect. My daughter is DA to Kelley and UW.
It’s hard to say what they are looking for. The essay is long and we were told carries a lot of weight. We used an outside counselor to help with the essays.
It’s hard to compare on the internet when you can’t actually see what these kids have done to meet the standard. Kelley is a great program and one we are also considering (and considerably less expensive). Your daughter sounds amazing and will do great wherever she decides. The whole DA thing is frustrating.
Thank you so very much for all the additional information. We have seen the 2023 waitlist stats which made us hopeful - could not find 2024. They did state decisions after May 1st - just wasn’t sure how long. May 17th time frame would be great. My daughter applied to the studio art program. No idea on waitlist stats for fine arts!
Great to know that if accepted from the waitlist that the welcome will be warm and help is provided finding housing. We are OOS in North Texas! My daughter wants to escape!
Thank you again for all the advice. I am guessing your son is loving life at Wisconsin.
It varies from year to year based on how many accepted students choose to enroll at Wisconsin. For Fall 2023, many students on the waitlist received offers. However, for Fall 2024, very few students were accepted off the waitlist. There’s no way to know how many will get off the waitlist this year.
Thank you my son is a sophomore at Kelley and he loves it. Very impressed with the program so a great option for her to have. I think generally UW has a “better name” but assume business schools are comparable and the DA definitely holds a lot of weight. I didn’t realize how subjective getting in could be - I thought from initial reading it was meet these criteria and you are in so glad I asked! Thank you again and good luck with choices.
The waitlist only applies to your primary major, though, right? Is it true that since my primary major is entrepreneurship and my secondary major is economics, I couldn’t be accepted for economics?
I think this is incorrect. My S25 got admitted to Electrical Engineering major (specifically stated in his admission letter), not College of Engineering
