<p>Think of it this way: the waitlist is not ranked, it’s used for crafting the class. As responses trickle in, if not enough, e.g., HS newspaper editors are accepting Reed’s offer, and there is still room, one can be pulled from the waitlist, because it is deep enough with qualified applicants of various backgrounds to find what Reed wants. Or maybe not enough from a particular region of the country have accepted, or not enough dancers, or physics majors. With a deep waitlist, various unpredictable scenarios can be handled. That’s my theory.</p>