You can look at the stats for each of your schools -but my daughter’s schools take less than 20 people EACH off the waitlist. The chances of getting off when there can be hundreds of students on the waitlist is slim. There are some schools where they take a lot -but I doubt that is the type of school you’ve been waitlisted at.
In fairness, I can’t imagine what schools you’re going to want to pick over Berkeley or Cornell? And any highly-rejective, top schools are going to have extremely limited movement from their waitlist due to the high number of acceptances of their admission offers (yield). You also have no way of knowing how many people are on the waitlist and where you would “lie” on the waitlist or if there is some internal institutional need your application might meet, so in these schools it’s wise to assume that it will be extremely unlikely that you will move from waitlist to acceptance. That said, if they were going to reject you, they would’ve denied you outright in the first place. Lastly, don’t waste your time staying on a waitlist that you have no intention of accepting.
Congratulations on earning so many waitlist spots. You should be proud of yourself for that even if they (probably) don’t convert to a full acceptance. Remember you were not flat out denied and you should pat yourself on the back because many other students, especially students who are equally qualified, were denied admission outright. It’s kinda like AAA baseball. You obviously have the chops to make the minor league team, but you don’t know if you’ll ever get called up to the majors. See it with a positive, not a negative attitude, but be realistic.
That’s marketing.
They want to accept you - if they decide they need you later. So they are buttering you up.
They aren’t doing you a favor. They are doing themselves a favor and hoping you’ll do them one if they need you.
If they wanted to accept you, don’t you think would have ?
No matter how you want to see it, get in your LOCI and then move on emotionally and find one you’ll love. No matter how you want to view it, you need to move to plan B because the WL school is not in play at this time.
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I completely agree. These are two very well regarded colleges. I would suggest choosing one…and embracing the opportunity you have to attend such a great college.
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Probably Stanford.
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I think sometimes trying to put a label on it might not be productive.
Here is the basic situation. They have made offers to other people. If enough of those people accept those offers, they are done. Even if they have some openings left, they will very likely then fill them in a targeted way based on unmet (or not fully met) institutional priorities.
So for you to even have a chance, enough other people who are sorta like you in terms of how you fit into their institutional priorities need to turn down offers. This includes all the people who started with an offer, and potentially also other people like you on the waitlist they liked a bit better. They need to get through all those people turning them down to finally get to you.
And at the most selective colleges, that sequence of events very likely won’t happen. Because lots of people want to go there and they usually don’t have to go far down their lists to get everyone they want.
What label you put on all that isn’t the important bit. The important bit is knowing they may never even consider you again, because they are satisfied with who else enrolls. Which is why you should move on with the process somewhere else, unless and until you actually do get a waitlist offer (which you probably won’t).
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i’ll update once i recieve the waitlist decision and where i end up committing finally (prob close to early/late may)
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The usual deadline for making your matriculation decision is BY May 1. Don’t miss that date to choose amongst your acceptances. Otherwise you could lose that too!
If you do get a waitlist offer, you can decide whether or not to take it. And you can withdraw your first acceptance.
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Delete. Same @thumper1 said.
Emphasizing the need to matriculate/deposit at the preferred college where you have been accepted before the deadline (typically May 1).
yes i meant as in if the waitlist offer came through if my decision ends up being different. but yes, ill be deciding btwn what i have right now unless a waitlist offer tells me otherwise (which will be much later on aftr the initial sir)
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Love who loves you back. Love the one who loves you now.
Do your LOCI but then forget the WL schools. It sounds like you can’t but you need to.l after doing the LOCI.
Just remember what wonderful programs have already said - we want you for you. The WL is saying - we don’t really want you but you’re an insurance policy, just in case. Do you really want to be used like that - so get the ‘if I get one’ out of your mind. Let it hit you like a total surprise. Find a roomie and get giddy about your committed school. Many actually do this, fall in love and never think again about the WL and if it comes, say no thx. That’s what you want. Excitement for the fantastic school you’ll be attending in the fall.
A WL offer could come in as late as in the week before classes start next fall. So it sounds like you will commit to Cornell (do it and pay the deposit before the deadline) and then you have the luxury of waiting and seeing if somehow that golden ring happens to be available to grab at some point before classes start. Just put it on the back burner and fuggedaboutit (as they say in Joisy).
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I have not read past this. What are your priorities? Top rank wins?? This isn’t how you pick a school. Knowing which schools you have been accepted to (congratulations), I am not sure what your end goal is besides ego stroking (which is fine I guess also). Each school is going to be different in fit and feel and culture. Don’t be the student we all deal with that had fantastic choices currently, waits around. Gets accepted off the wait list then comes back here asking for advise how to get back to the school they were initially accepted to and their friend’s love being there while they are miserable at their “gotta have it “college.
UCB and Cornell are really different schools for fit, culture, missions, campus life . Seems like you just applied to a bunch of name brands. Again, nothing wrong with it but you should really do a very deep dive and compare curriculum, courses, activities, club’s and opportunities at each school.
I think if you do this you will find quickly which school makes more sense for you to attend. Congratulations and good luck.
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Aren’t you planning to study some kind of engineering? I am not sure why you would prioritize these schools you listed over UCB and Cornell where you are already admitted? UChicago only has molecular engineering, and my son has a friend who is happy doing that because he had a specific interest, but it wouldn’t be a suitable major for most students with an interest in engineering.
Is it possible that your waitlisted schools seem alluring and desirable because they waitlisted you, rather than accepting you?
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Also University of Chicago is so vastly different in everything compared to the accepted schools he already has. Great school.