Your student worked hard. They challenged themselves academically, completed applications, wrote essays, and submitted everything on time. Eventually, the admission decisions started arriving. Some schools said, “Yes.” Others, “No.” But then, there was the waitlist.
For many students and parents, it can be hard to make sense of being waitlisted. There’s relief that it wasn’t an outright rejection, frustration that it wasn’t an acceptance, and a lot of uncertainty about what comes next.
The truth is that being put on a waitlist has become increasingly common in recent years. Understanding why can help your student respond more effectively.
The Number of Waitlisted Students Have Exploded
Colleges today are managing enrollment more carefully than ever. Admissions offices closely track the percentage of admitted students who ultimately enroll, but predicting that number has become much harder.
Test-optional policies, the Common Application, and the ability to easily apply to more schools have led students to cast wider nets. As a result, colleges have less certainty about how many admitted students will actually show up in the fall.
To protect their enrollment numbers, many schools build larger waitlists and use them as a buffer if fewer students ultimately enroll than they projected. Being waitlisted often says less about a student’s qualifications than it once did and more about a school’s enrollment numbers.
The Truth About the Odds
Waitlist outcomes vary dramatically from year to year and school to school. Some years colleges might admit dozens of waitlisted students, other years they might admit none.
To make matters more complex, waitlists often aren’t ranked. Instead, admissions offices will select students based on the needs of their incoming class–i.e., the number of students in a particular major, from specific geographic regions, or other institutional priorities.
This shouldn’t discourage you or your student about being placed on the waitlist, but it can provide useful context as your family weighs its next move.
What Most Waitlisted Students Do vs. What They Should Do
Most students accept their spot on the waitlist, send a quick email expressing interest, and hope for the best.
The problem is that admissions offices often try to identify the students who are genuinely excited about attending a university while making their decisions. By hanging back, an admissions official might assume a student isn’t interested.
To maximize the likelihood of making it off the waitlist, a student needs to take a more proactive approach by doing some (or all) of the following:
1. Visit the Campus
If your student hasn’t already visited the college’s campus, now is the time. Admissions offices track who has toured the campus, and that form of demonstrated interest is particularly important to many colleges. Simply put: visiting is one of the clearest ways for a student to show they are legitimately interested in attending a university.
2. Send a Letter of Continued Interest
A Letter of Continued Interest (LOCI) is one of the most important tools available to waitlisted students.
A strong LOCI doesn’t reiterate the information already in a student’s application. Instead, it will:
- Share meaningful updates since the application was submitted
- Explain why the school remains a top choice in specific detail
- Confirm that the student would enroll if admitted
3. Submit Meaningful Updates
A student can share additional news about awards they’ve won, improved grades, new leadership roles, or other significant achievements in a professional email sent to an admissions officer. Again, this isn’t another application, so any correspondence should be pointed and concise while still demonstrating enthusiasm.
3. Have a Counselor, Coach, or Mentor Reach Out
A note or call from a school counselor, coach, or mentor can provide additional context about a student’s character, growth, and fit for the institution. However, your student shouldn’t ask someone who has already submitted a recommendation letter. Other than asking a lot of that adult’s personal time, it likely won’t add much to the application that isn’t already there.
5. Be Honest About Whether a University Is Still in the Running
Sometimes students discover another school they genuinely love while waiting for a decision, and that’s okay.
If your student is no longer seriously considering a waitlisted school, it’s important to respect admissions counselor’s time and free up a spot for someone that does see that university as their dream school.
What to Do in the Meantime
Continue to meet any remaining deadlines for the waitlisted university and any other school your student might attend. Complete housing forms if available. Register for orientation. Pay attention to the enrollment deadlines for other schools your student was admitted to. Don’t put the next chapter on hold while waiting for a decision that may never come.
Most waitlist decision arrive in May or June, so your student will need to choose which university they’ll be attending quickly. Having as much as possible in place will make their decision less stressful if they make it off a waitlist.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, everything about the admissions process isn’t within a student’s control. But they can decide how they respond to being waitlisted.
They can communicate professionally, advocate for themselves when appropriate, and continue to show the interest, maturity, and resilience colleges value.
If your student is currently on a waitlist and unsure about what to do next, The Enrichery can them create a strategic plan that puts their best foot forward. Contact us today to speak with one of our college admissions counselors!
