Understanding Brownā€™s Waitlist

Brown releases both more and less information than its peers about how its waitlist works. On the positive side, they release a detailed account in the form of about how their waitlist operates, which is more than many of their peer schools do. This does not answer every conceivable question, and we will go over some that it does not, but this is an excellent starting place. 

What Brown does not release, however, is granular data on their waitlist acceptances. To clarify, they release how many students were admitted from the waitlist each year, but not how many were placed on it, thus making any assessment of actual odds of waitlist acceptance impossible.

They do describe these numbers in broad terms, saying that around 1,000-1,500 students accept places on their waitlist each year.This is a somewhat broad range, and makes any close analysis impossible. There are, however, a few things we can say with a degree of certainty. 

The first is that Brown always admits at least a few students off of their waitlist. Never a massive number, but always some, at least in the years for which data is available. The next is that there is neither consistency or predictability in this data from year to year; the number of students who get in is above zero, but little else is certain. 

This makes sense from what we know about how waitlists work. Brown only admits students off the waitlist if students who were admitted to Brown choose to attend other schools instead; this happens to every college, even elite schools like Brown. Brown more than others, perhaps because they admit fewer purposefully and turn to the waitlist to meet the gaps (though this is just conjecture). 

They do not rank their waitlist (they say as much explicitly),which means that students are likely admitted off of it in the same manner they generally are for Brown; that is, through holistic review. This makes sense; when Brown builds a class each student is admitted as part of a larger whole, when one of those students leaves, theyā€™ll look for similar (albeit not identical) students to fill the gap. After all, Brown doesnā€™t want to end up with a class of nothing but students interested in computer science.

This review may or may not begin before May 1, but acceptances off the waitlist come after that date. How long the review process takes seems variable, but they give a terminal date of the end of the summer; as students who were accepted and committed may be admitted off the waitlists of other schools, opening up new holes in Brownā€™s class.

Increasing Your Chances of Waitlist Acceptance at Brown

While it is unclear what exactly your waitlist acceptance chances are exactly, they certainly do exist, though they may not be high (but then, neither is Brownā€™s overall acceptance rate). This leads to the most common question we get from students: How can you improve your chances of getting in off of Brownā€™s waitlist?

The single most useful thing you can do is officially accept your place on the list; Brown wonā€™t even continue considering you for admission unless you do that. This is quick and easy, and may be done through Brownā€™s student portal. We advise doing this promptly after you are waitlisted so it doesnā€™t slip your mind. You may do this after March 30; we advise doing so by mid-April.

After this, you can send Brown a letter of continued interest. This is a letter which tells Brown you are still interested, and updates them on what youā€™ve accomplished since you applied initially. Brown does accept these letters, but they discourage them. Specifically, they only want to hear updates from you (or your recommenders) if thereā€™s something to add to your application that wasnā€™t included before, and thus not discussed in the initial round of applications. 

In most cases, this means they want to hear about things youā€™ve been up to in the time since you applied (though if you did leave some major accomplishment off your application the first time, you should definitely rectify that mistake). These should also be achievements significant enough to warrant a new look at your application, to showcase new heights of your potential to contribute to Brownā€™s campus. 

What this specifically is can be as varied as the students who apply to Brown, here are some examples (though by no means an exhaustive list): 

• Winning a major competition, be it academic like Science Olympiad, or non, like a debate tournament
• Completing a significant research project (outside of school and not part of your coursework) and submitting it for publication
• Taking on new responsibilities, beginning new projects, or gaining new titles at a job or internship

These can take on many forms, depending on the nature of your extracurriculars, everything from submitting a film to festivals to being awarded a major scholarship (such as Coca Cola Scholars) can count as of interest to admissions officers. Note that things like regular high grades in your courses should not be included here; high academic performance is expected of you. 

In your letter, try to tie each of these to a specific opportunity offered by Brown. The goal in this is to concretely demonstrate why Brown is your top choice, and also make Brown seem like the next logical step of your journey. This, in addition to stating clearly that Brown is your top choice school, illustrates to admissions officers that you will attend if admitted off the waitlist. This isn’t the only thing they look for of course, but is considered.

Additional Letters of Recommendation

Brown does accept these as updates, but these should only be sent in due to exceptional circumstances, where you have accomplished something that was not included on your application before, and want a third party to discuss it. We generally only recommend these come from research mentors if you have completed a significant new project, though there are other circumstances where they may be warranted.

Admissions officers have a lot of reading to do, and they take their jobs very seriously. They will read materials if you send them in, but you donā€™t want to add to their work needlessly; only include materials in your updates that substantially add to your application. 

Final Thoughts

Brown is an excellent college, and is properly regarded as such by students across the US. This high regard contributes to an equally low acceptance rate, with many more students applying than possible seats. We hope that this article has given you new insight into how Brown considers these applicants, and the process they go through when deciding which to admit, and what to do with those they place on the waitlist. 

College applications are complicated, unlike anything else youā€™ve done before or will do after. This can be stressful indeed, especially with acceptance rates at top colleges like Brown being so low. Thatā€™s where ³Ō¹Ļ¹ŁĶų can help. Our mentors are masters of simplifying the admissions process, making it more approachable and manageable for students and families. If you want help with your own Brown applications, or advice on any other aspect of the admissions process, schedule a free consultation today, weā€™re always happy to hear from you.

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What Yaleā€™s Podcast Is

The podcast is hosted by two Yale Admissions staffers, who share various insights into Yaleā€™s process, and sometimes interview their coworkers from the admissions office about specific topics. These generally cover three different branches of information, though different episodes can vary: 

1. General advice about approaching college admissions. This is usually fairly good advice, though is hardly unique.
2. Specific information about Yale, but not anything surprising, the same information you can find on their website.
3. Information about the workings and motivations of the admissions office. These are the rarest pieces, but by far the most interesting.Ā 

One thing this podcast never does, and likely cannot do, is give specific prescriptive advice on what to do to get into Yale. They can give you general tips, illustrate trends, show you what and how and why certain things in an application appeal to them, but there is no silver bullet, no one way to guarantee your acceptance to Yale. This is what many students look for in this podcast, and leave disappointed when they canā€™t find it. 

This is because of how top universities admit students in general. The holistic review process means there is no single thing an admissions office looks for, no silver bullet to guarantee your acceptance. What this podcast does contain, however, are a few select nuggets of information that are interesting, and that help clarify how Yaleā€™s admissions works and prioritizes students. 

They are not going to give away all of their secrets, and they are going to portray themselves in the best light, but if you have specific questions about how Yale looks at different aspects of the application, or how officers review applications, then this can be quite useful. 

What We Can Learn from the Yale Admissions Podcast

Now, the podcast is not quite as prolific as some others out there; these conversations arenā€™t nearly as long as those by some other podcasts. They do, however, put out a fair bit of material, more than may be easy for students to review all of. To help you out, weā€™re going to go over some of the top insights weā€™ve gleaned from this podcast, both in whatā€™s said, and in what isnā€™t. 

Yaleā€™s Essay Questions

Yale asks a lot of essay questions, and students often have a hard time answering these. Many students feel like these are designed specifically to trip them up, but this isnā€™t the case. Indeed, the opposite is true: 

And one of the most common reasons why we edit or we drop a question is because we found that a lot of applicants didnā€™t quite pick up on what we were looking for or if we found that the questions sort of tend to lead to some unhelpful responses. We all kind of sit around and remember instances in the committee where we kind of groaned or said, oh, no. Like the student didnā€™t quite get what the application question was for. And we tend to say, that was on us. (Mark, Episode 33, Application Update 2023-2024)

Now, looking at how much students tend to struggle answering these questions, you may question the efficacy of their process, but they really do have the best intentions. That said, Yale does admit students with less than stellar essays; as they say in Episode 4. This is surprising to many students, but the moral they want to come away with is this: writing a great essay can boost your Yale application dramatically, but students with strong candidacy can get in without a stellar essay.

As for what they want to see most, thatā€™s the same advice admissions officers always give: they want to know who you are, and whatā€™s important to you specifically. They are reticent to give any specific advice on topics to discuss; they know that if they do, theyā€™ll be swamped by essays of that sort, when many students could write better essays about different events. 

Their final points are about wanting to hear your authentic voice. This is again commonly repeated, but remains good advice. They also give some general advice on approaching college essays, much of which weā€™ve written about on this very blog. 

Standardized Tests

Yale has a somewhat unique test flexible policy, one that has sometimes vexed students, who arenā€™t certain exactly what they want (a common theme). They devoted Episode 38-40 of their podcast to elucidating this; letā€™s explore what we can learn from this, and what they really want from your test scores. 

Much of their initial advice is generic, the kind you find on any site discussing what colleges want to see from students. The answer is simple, they want to know if you can do the work. They check your test scores and transcripts, and if it looks like you can, then great; they move on to the rest of the application. As they put it: 

(…) we have no reservations in admitting students from the exact same school group with lower testing if all the other parts of their application file are compelling and interesting and we really feel like theyā€™re the student whoā€™s going to contribute the most to our community. Again, the testing is a simple binary question at the onset of the application review. (Jeremiah Quinlan, Episode 38 Standardized Tests – The Big Picture)

Note that this is not true of every school. They go on to clarify that Yaleā€™s approach to test scores is not shared by all colleges, and at some schools it very much does matter whether or not your scores meet certain benchmarks. Yale, though, cares only that you show yourself to be a capable student. 

This is why they switched to their more complicated test flexible policy. They saw students spend far too much time and energy fretting about higher test scores, and neglecting other aspects of the application that Yale cares about more (such as extracurriculars). The idea was that students could choose particular scores that showed them in the best light, and not need to fret about them so much anymore. This instead just created more confusion for students, but we will give them points for making the effort. 

How Decisions Are Made

If youā€™re only going to listen to a single episode of the podcast, we recommend Episode 30. In this episode, they break down in detail the review process for applications, and how each is read and evaluated. They may not go into as much detail as you would like, but this is still an incredible resource to understand the Yale admissions process. 

The most notable thing in this episode is that Yale has added a new step to their admissions review process, the first major change in how they review applications in some time, due to the number of applicants they are receiving. In this, every file is first reviewed by a senior admissions officer to make sure applicants meet Yaleā€™s basic requirements; academic competence, command of English; the very basic fundamentals that indicate a student is capable of succeeding at Yale. 

If the student doesnā€™t, they mark the file as such. These files do not then receive a full review by initial readers. The reason they have added this is simple: 

Iā€™ll say it very plainly. We have more uncompetitive and sort of unqualified applicants in our first-year admissions process now than we did not even all that long ago. (Mark, Episode 30: Reading Reloaded)

As more and more students apply to these schools, there is less self-selection in the pools. This means that more students who do not have a realistic shot at acceptance apply. Now, these students may still be bright and talented, but they have not indicated that in their applications, and with 50,000 files to review, Yale needs to streamline somewhere. 

The students who do meet basic competence requirements are then reviewed in full by their area readers. This actually helps these students, as it means area readers are more willing to dive deep into these applications, looking for reasons to admit a student. They do not give some specific ratings, but primarily rely on notes on what a student has done and accomplished: 

So I actually went back and found a tagline for a student who applied years ago that I thought was a good example of a typical sort of thing that I might write out for a case that Iā€™m excited to present to committee. I said, ā€œI find his part impressively mature and reflective. This is a consistent file for a compassionate and self-aware young man who stands out as a value-added community member.ā€ That was my in-the-moment take, and then, when I presented it to committee, I read exactly those words. (Mark, Episode 30: Reading Reloaded)

This is interesting, but means understanding exactly what makes any one applicant likely to get admitted over another difficult to parse; they even specifically go over how the numerical rankings are used, and how different reviewers use them differently. A student who scores higher than another may still be rejected, while the lower scoring one is accepted. There is no easy answer. There is no one secret to learn or trick to do that will get you admitted to Yale. They will review all that you give them, and then deliberate on how you fit into their idea of the university. 

Final Thoughts

This podcast sometimes lacks the specificity we would like to see, but offers a frequently unique set of insights into how admissions officers think about and approach applications. It may be a bit much for students to listen to all of, but does contain a lot of genuinely useful general advice for college applications as a whole. If Yale is your top choice school, then we do recommend checking this podcast out. If you would prefer to read them, you can find the transcripts ; thatā€™s where we sourced the quotes we used. 

If you are nervous about your own applications, or have questions about how to improve the odds of you standing out in this byzantine process, then ³Ō¹Ļ¹ŁĶų can help. We work with students to make them the sort of applicants that colleges love to admit, and help them tell their stories in unique and interesting ways. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more about how we can help you.

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Understanding Princetonā€™s Waitlist

Princeton, as with most universities, is somewhat opaque on the inner workings of their waitlist process, as they tend to be for admissions generally. There are some things we can glean however, based on what information they do make available. The first key piece of data they give us is that their waitlist is unranked. 

This means that there is no immediate preference for which students are admitted off the waitlist; theoretically, all waitlisted students begin on an even playing field. This makes sense; Princeton uses holistic admissions for their admissions already, and they will likely do the same for waitlisted students, seeing which will fit best into the particular holes which open up in their incoming class. 

Princeton is trying to build a whole greater than the sum of its parts when admitting students. When those students choose to attend other institutions instead, that leaves holes in this image. Admissions officers turn to the waitlist to fill these gaps. For example, if all of their admitted computer science students chose to attend MIT instead, Princeton would turn to the waitlist and admit a bunch of CS students to fill those empty seats. It is, of course, rarely this straightforward, but that is the logic admissions officers employ when deciding who to admit off of the waitlist.

Your Chances of Acceptance Off of Princetonā€™s Waitlist

This same logic makes determining how likely you are to get accepted off of Princetonā€™s waitlist rather challenging. Nobody, not us, not even Princeton, can precisely predict how many admitted students will choose to attend other schools. For this reason, thereā€™s no way of knowing how many seats will be available, and how much Princeton will need to turn to the waitlist. 

To illustrate this more clearly, letā€™s look at data from past years on how many students Princeton admitted off of the waitlist. This information comes to us from the , a set of statistics that Princeton releases each year. 

These numbers vary quite a bit year to year, with no noticeable pattern. Overall acceptance rates tend to be a bit more predictable, if variable in their own right, but acceptances off of the waitlist are far more finicky, and much harder to predict. This means knowing your own chance of acceptance off of this list is almost impossible. To further illustrate this, and for ease of reading, hereā€™s a graph of the same information, as those are often easier to parse. 

This graph shows starkly how variable waitlist acceptances can be. What is interesting is how much the number of students Princeton puts on the waitlist fluctuates each year, especially compared to some other schools. Many colleges place the same number on the waitlist each year (or close), but Princeton showed a high degree of volatility in this over the past few years. 

Notably, the number of students who were waitlisted by Princeton showed no correlation to the number of waitlisted students eventually admitted by Princeton. This indicates that admissions officers at Princeton are no better at predicting the number of waitlist acceptances than the rest of us, even with all the information we donā€™t see. The one thing we can say for sure, is that getting in off of the waitlist at Princeton is always going to be competitive.

How to Get Admitted Off of Princetonā€™s Waitlist

There is no way to guarantee admittance off of Princetonā€™s waitlist, just as there is no way to guarantee acceptance when you originally apply. There are, however, definitely ways to improve your odds. The first, and most important thing to do is accept your spot on Princetonā€™s waitlist. 

We donā€™t know exactly when Princeton begins looking at students on their waitlist, but we do advise responding promptly if you do find yourself waitlisted. This prevents you from forgetting, and must be done if you want a chance of getting in off of the waitlist at all. 

The other thing you can and should do is send Princeton a letter of continued interest. They do not actively welcome or encourage these like some schools, but they do accept them, and they can improve your chances of getting in off of the waitlist if they are done well. These letters should be sent to your regional admissions officer, as they are the ones who will be most familiar with your application. 

The purpose of these letters is twofold: first to express your continued desire to attend Princeton, and second to update admissions officers on everything youā€™ve been up to since you submitted your original application.

On the first point, you want to begin your letter first with standard pleasantries, and then by directly stating that Princeton remains your top choice, and that you will attend if you are admitted (even if this isnā€™t necessarily true). You donā€™t need to fill this with over the top praise, but you want to be clear on this point. Schools want students who want them, and the only way they know for sure how interested you are in attending is if you say so directly. 

Once you have done this, you should update admissions officers on any major developments to your candidacy. This isnā€™t the place to highlight every stellar grade; that is whatā€™s expected of you already. Instead, you should focus on what you have done in your extracurriculars and other activities, new milestones reached and accomplishments that showcase the heights of your abilities. 

You should focus on a few high-impact accomplishments; a major award or scholarship won, a new research project, new responsibilities at a job or the completion of a major undertaking at an internship. The goal is to showcase both that you are still actively involved in pursuing your interests and passions, and to highlight the heights of your achievement, things which can help differentiate your application from the others in the waitlisted pool. 

Each of these accomplishments should further be tied to an opportunity at Princeton. If you won a debate tournament, for example, you should then also discuss how you want to join a particular debate club or society at Princeton. This helps solidify your desire to attend the school, and showcases how you will benefit campus by your presence. 

Final Thoughts

Princeton is a great college, and like all great colleges, it is increasingly difficult to get into, seemingly more competitive every year. This can make it feel impossible to get in, and getting waitlisted, being so close and yet so far, can feel terribly crushing. We hope this article has brought new insight into how the waitlist process works, and what your odds of acceptance are if you find yourself waitlisted by Princeton.

There are many intricacies and oddities in the admissions process, which confound students every year. We hope this article has helped resolve one of these; one of our goals is to help students approach the application process with confidence. If you are dealing with questions or stress in your application process, or want advice on your Princeton application, then ³Ō¹Ļ¹ŁĶų can help. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more about how we can make your life easier.

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How Yaleā€™s Waitlist Works

Yale doesnā€™t release a ton of information about their waitlist or how it works, but there are some things we know for certain. The first, and most important, is that their waitlist is unranked. That is to say that all students on the waitlist are judged the same, and there isnā€™t a set order in which they are admitted off of the waitlist. 

Thai makes sense; Yale uses holistic admissions, judging each student as an individual, and weighing how they will fit into and contribute to the class they are building. They do the same when evaluating students on the waitlist. We donā€™t know exactly how these reviews go, but weā€™re fairly certain they parallel the process Yale uses throughout admissions. 

When admitting students off the waitlist, Yale is looking to fill holes in their incoming class based on students choosing to attend elsewhere. Thus, if all the engineering students they admitted picked other schools, they would turn to the waitlist to admit a new crop. It is rarely this focused, but thatā€™s the essence of how the process works. 

Yale generally only sends out waitlist acceptances after May 1, though we believe they begin assessing students before that. They do request admitted students reply early with whether or not they are attending out of concern for those students who are waitlisted, which does indicate that they begin thinking about this early. That said, if you are waitlisted, do not expect to hear back before May 1. How late waitlist acceptances come out is also uncertain, though we do know they try and get them out in a timely fashion. 

As part of this, if you have decided which college you are going to enroll in, we encourage you to withdraw your applications to the other schools which admitted you but which you will not attend. They might not be your number one choice, but they likely have plenty of students on their own waitlist, eager to hear back about their own futures. 

Your Chances of Acceptance off of Yaleā€™s Waitlist

The most common, and most reasonable, question we get from waitlisted students is what their chances are of getting into the school which waitlisted them. There are some issues with answering this question, however, primarily just how volatile and variable waitlist acceptance rates are. 

Colleges generally have fairly stable overall acceptance rates; they admit a similar number of students each year, even as they have been dropping steadily, there are rarely major shakeups (barring things like Covid, which made everything far too chaotic). Waitlists, on the other hand, depend on the choices of hundreds of individual students deciding to attend a school or not, and are thus harder to prognosticate. 

To illustrate this, here is a chart showing the waitlist acceptances Yale has had over the past few years. This information comes from Yaleā€™s , which they release each year. 

What this table shows is both the high debris of variability in how many students are waitlisted and admitted, and that getting in off the waitlist at Yale is often a very long shot. Of course, parsing a table like this can be difficult, so hereā€™s that same information displayed on a graph: 

This shows starkly just how variable and how competitive admissions off of Yaleā€™s waitlist can be. It isnā€™t impossible necessarily, but chances are often quite low, even compared to Yaleā€™s already staggeringly low acceptance rate. Thai is because Yale has a very high yield; most of the admitted students choose to attend, leaving the school little need to turn to the waitlist. 

Maximizing Your Chances of Waitlist Acceptance at Yale

The odds of acceptance off of Yaleā€™s waitlist are long, but there are things you can do to improve them. First, and most important, you must accept your place on the waitlist. This isnā€™t difficult, and may be done through your student portal, but must be taken care of or they wonā€™t consider you at all. We advise doing this early, as Yale likely begins evaluating students on the waitlist well before May 1. 

The other thing you can do, and the best way to improve your odds of acceptance off of the waitlist, is to write a letter of continued interest and send it to your regional admissions officer for Yale. Yale does not have an official form for these as some colleges do, but they still accept letters of continued interest, though not other additional supplementary materials (such as portfolio pieces or additional letters of recommendation). 

The purpose of these letters is twofold. The first is to state your continued interest in Yale as your top choice school, and to state explicitly that you will attend if they let you in off of the waitlist. Yale uses the waitlist to balance out their class if other students choose to attend elsewhere, and they like assurances that you are committed to their institution. 

The other purpose of these letters is to share with admissions officers what you have been up to in the intervening time since you applied originally. This is especially true for significant extracurricular achievements. High grades are nice, but those are expected, they wonā€™t move the needle on admissions. 

You should focus on major achievements: new research projects, major awards, winning significant competitions, or new responsibilities at jobs or internships. The goal with this is to show that you are still actively involved with your passions, and to differentiate yourself from other applicants on the waitlist when it comes time to review and decide who gets in.

For each achievement or extracurricular you mention, you should also tie it directly to opportunities you wish to pursue at Yale. If, for instance, you are currently undertaking a research project, you should discuss labs you want to work at on Yale in the same field, or professors whose research interests mirror your own. The point is to show that you and Yale are perfect fits for each other, and that both would benefit greatly if you were admitted. 

Final Thoughts

Getting waitlisted isnā€™t any fun. The college is saying you are fully qualified to attend, but then you arenā€™t admitted; which is quite disheartening. While this is an unenviable thing to deal with, we hope that this article has demonstrated that getting waitlisted does not need to be the end of your journey for Yale, and that you may still have a chance of getting in, though it is a small one.

If you are looking for more insights into how the admissions process works, or help on perfecting your applications, to Yale or any other college, then ³Ō¹Ļ¹ŁĶų can help. Our mentors are masters of the admissions process, well versed in every aspect and wrinkle of what admissions officers are looking for. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more, weā€™re always happy to hear from you.

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How Dartmouthā€™s Waitlist Works

Dartmouth themselves offers scant information on their , most importantly whether or not they rank their waitlist. Some schools do; and students are admitted in order based on where they rank. Others do not, and initiate a fresh round of application reviews to determine which students to admit. Most top ranked schools do the latter, as part of their holistic review, but we canā€™t say for certain that Dartmouth does so.

, they offer fewer than 10% of applicants a spot on the waitlist, and as application numbers increase, this percentage has been decreasing. Waitlist decisions go out generally in May-June, , though they do warn decisions may take until later in the summer, depending on the year. This indicates they likely do not begin admitting students off the waitlist until after decision day on May 1, though they may begin evaluations before then.

Dartmouth admits students off the waitlist to fill holes in their class left by students choosing to attend other institutions. Not every student admitted to Dartmouth attends; the fewer that do, the more students they admit off the waitlist that year. It is unclear if Dartmouth also tries to fill holes in their class when doing so.

Some colleges and universities will specifically try to fill gaps off the waitlist; so if many of the admitted CS students choose to enroll elsewhere, they admit more CS students off the waitlist. This makes sense as an approach, as these colleges often want to build well-rounded classes. We are uncertain if this is Dartmouthā€™s chosen approach however. 

What are Your Chances of Acceptance Off of Dartmouthā€™s Waitlist?

This is the first question any student has when theyā€™re put on a waitlist, wanting to know if they should hold out hope, and what their odds really are. This is a difficult question to answer, and to illustrate why this is the case, weā€™re going to look at data from past years. 

Dartmouth releases data on how many students they admit off the waitlist each year on the . Here is what that looks like for the last four years at time of writing: 

Tables arenā€™t always the easiest to interpret, though some things stand out already. To make this even more clear, hereā€™s that same data on a graph: 

Between this graph and the chart, we can say a few things for certain. First, the number of students placed on Dartmouthā€™s waitlist is relatively consistent. Itā€™s not set in stone by any means, but itā€™s been a bit over 2,000 students each year. The acceptance rate off the waitlist has been significantly less consistent however. 

This makes sense; the number of students admitted depends entirely on how many spaces are available, and this in turn depends on the actions of hundreds of other students choosing to attend Dartmouth or head elsewhere for college. There is no way to predict this with any real certainty, and thus no way of predicting what your odds of acceptance off the waitlist will be.

One thing we can say for certain is that these odds are always quite low. While there is usually some chance, the odds of getting in off the waitlist are generally just as long, if not longer, than your overall chances of admission to Dartmouth.

Improving Your Chances of Waitlist Acceptance at Dartmouth

Long odds are different from impossible, and there are concrete steps you can take to improve your chances of getting accepted off of Dartmouthā€™s waitlist. The first, and most important, is of course accepting your place on that waitlist. As the table above shows, not every waitlisted student does this (though most do), and the only students who are admitted are those who have indicated that they want to be considered for such by accepting a place on the waitlist. This is done easily enough, through your student portal on Dartmouthā€™s website. 

The next thing to do, and the most important for your admissions chances, is writing a letter of continued interest. This is a chance for you to update Dartmouth on everything you have done since the first time you applied. These arenā€™t required of course, but can improve your odds, showcasing how your candidacy and fit since you applied the first time.

These letters are generally submitted to the school in , and can be submitted through your student portal. These donā€™t have a set required length, but shouldnā€™t be overly long. They do note that they only want written submissions, not pictures or scanned certificates. 

What you include in this update depends on what youā€™ve been up to, but hereā€™s some key things to consider telling admissions officers about: 

• That Dartmouth is (and remains) your top choice school. Colleges want to admit students who want them, and letting admissions officers know Dartmouth is your top choice (and that youā€™ll definitely attend if admitted) is appreciated.
• Any notable extracurricular achievements. You donā€™t need to update them on every single thing youā€™ve been up to, but you should cover notable achievements; publishing new research, awards youā€™ve won, or other notable developments.
• Tie your activities to Dartmouth. If you won a debate tournament, talk about how much you want to join their debate club. If you published research, then discuss labs or professors at Dartmouth you want to collaborate with. Show them how you and the school are a perfect fit for each other.

While Dartmouth encourages students to submit a letter of continued interest, they that you not come visit the school to speak with admissions officers directly. This makes sense; this is a very busy time of year for admissions officers, and they are unlikely to have time to meet with waitlisted students, especially when Dartmouth waitlists more than 2,000 applicants each year. Your update letter is where you need to show off all you can bring to Dartmouth, and why they should let you in.

Final Thoughts

Getting into a top college is hard, especially for a school like Dartmouth, one which admits a single digit percentage of students each year. Getting waitlisted can be disheartening as well; good enough to attend, but without a seat to fill. We hope that this article has given you the insight you need to understand how Dartmouthā€™s waitlist process works, and your chances of getting admitted off of it.

Of course, there are plenty of things you can do to increase your chances of getting into Dartmouth in the first place, and one of the best is working with ³Ō¹Ļ¹ŁĶų. Our mentors are well versed in every aspect of college admissions, and excel in helping students find and apply to the best programs for them. To learn more about how we can help you, schedule a free consultation today.

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How Harvardā€™s Waitlist Works

Every year, Harvard places some applicants on their waitlist; the exact number varies by year. These students are ones who meet the qualifications to get admitted, but donā€™t make the final cut for one reason or another. This waitlist is ; that is, there is no ordering of students on the waitlist with some definitely getting admitted first.

This is because of how waitlists function generally; Harvard and other colleges use waitlists to balance their admissions numbers. Most of the students who are admitted to Harvard attend, but not all of them do. If too many go elsewhere, then admissions numbers might slip; to prevent this, admissions officers admit students off the waitlist.

When admissions officers build a class, they try to do so in a balanced manner. Harvard could admit nothing but stellar computer science students, but that might shift the campus in a direction they arenā€™t looking for. They do the same when admitting students off the waitlist.

If, for example, most of the CS students admitted to Harvard decide to attend MIT instead, then Harvard will dip into their pool of waitlisted students and find some other CS-interested applicants to make up that gap. Itā€™s not always that straightforward; indeed, it usually isnā€™t. This is the general principle they use however. 

Your Chance of Acceptance Off the Waitlist

Now that weā€™ve covered how this waitlist works in theory, letā€™s see how it actually functions in practice. This is somewhat difficult; most universities release their waitlist statistics via the , but Harvard chooses not to do so. They confirm that they do have a policy of waitlisting students, but give no indication how likely you are to get admitted once youā€™re on the waitlist.

This is annoying, but does make sense in a way. One thing we know well is that the number of students admitted off the waitlist varies wildly each year; this is true not just of Harvard, but at every college that makes use of a waitlist. This is counterintuitive, but makes sense with some additional examination of the factors at work.

The key point is that how many students are admitted off the waitlist depends on the decisions of hundreds of other people, namely all the students admitted to Harvard who must choose whether or not to attend. The more of them that head elsewhere for college, the more students get admitted off the waitlist; the more who stick with Harvard, the less admissions officers need to dip into the pool of waitlisted students.

Annoyingly, however, we have no idea how many students Harvard puts on the waitlist each year. Even if the number admitted varies, having a sense of the scale of the waitlist can still give you some information. Harvard, however, chooses not to release this information either, leaving us with nothing but conjecture. 

So what are your chances of acceptance off the waitlist? Uncertain, but using Harvardā€™s peers as a comparison, they are quite low, but highly variable. We are confident in saying acceptance rates off the waitlist are generally less than 10%, and some years much lower. More exact numbers, however, elude us.

What to do if Youā€™re Waitlisted by Harvard

So the chances are uncertain, but are definitely somewhat low. In that case, what should you do if youā€™re waitlisted by Harvard to improve your chances? The first, and most important thing, is to accept your place on the waitlist. This is not automatic, and you must indicate to the school that you want to be considered. There is time to do this, but we recommend accepting your place as soon as you are waitlisted, so you donā€™t forget later.

Step two is to write a letter of continued interest. Harvard doesnā€™t have an official portal for these, as some other universities do, but they do accept them. These are of course optional, but as with most optional aspects of an application, they can greatly increase your odds if they are done well.

What is a letter of continued interest? Exactly what it sounds like; a letter meant to tell a particular college that has waitlisted you that you are still interested in attending. Not just that, but in fact that this college is and remains your first choice school, and youā€™ll definitely attend if you are admitted. 

On top of this, these letters are a place to update admissions officers on what you have done in the time that has elapsed since you applied. You should focus on major accomplishments; admissions officers donā€™t need to know every detail, but if you have significant achievements, then you should definitely update them. Hereā€™s some examples of what that can include: 

• Publishing original research in a peer-reviewed journal, or presenting that research at a conference.
• Winning a major competition, like a science olympiad or a national debate tournament.
• A major achievement in an existing extracurricular, such as a major project completed in an internship.

These are not the only options of course, but give a sense of what you can talk about. Each of these should be tied to the options available at Harvard; if you won a debate tournament, you should then talk about how you want to join Harvardā€™s debate club. If you published research, you should talk about specific researchers at Harvard that you want to work with, or labs you want to join, or ongoing research projects you want to take part in.

The goal of this letter is to demonstrate that you and Harvard are natural fits for each other, not just that you really like the school (though of course you do), but that by attending Harvard, both you and the school will benefit greatly. Harvard isnā€™t just looking to admit the best and brightest; they already have a full selection of those. They want to select from among the best and brightest those students who will best prosper with what Harvard offers.

These letters should not discuss your grades; your school will send a transcript to Harvard in the mid-year and your final report card as well. You can include a sentence on your grades if you wish, but this is generally unnecessary. You should of course maintain stellar academic performance, but you donā€™t need to inform Harvard that you are doing so.

Finally, these letters should always specify that you will attend if admitted. Your praise for the school should be genuine, not effusive, but the reason schools admit students off the waitlist is to fill gaps left by students going elsewhere. If Harvard is going to admit you, they want to be sure youā€™ll say yes.

Timing on Harvardā€™s Waitlist

Harvard only starts admitting students off the waitlist after the May 1 reply deadline, once all of the students who were admitted early and in the regular round have made their call on whether or not to attend. Until this happens, they have no way of knowing how many seats theyā€™ll need to fill off of the waitlist.

While you are waiting to hear back, you should submit a deposit for another school that accepted you, and move forward with plans to attend there. You should always expect the best of course, but plan for the worst. That way youā€™re safe in every eventuality, especially with how competitive acceptances off of Harvardā€™s waitlist are.

Finally, if there are schools that have admitted you that you know you wonā€™t attend, you should withdraw your applications from them. They may not be your top schools, but they are for somebody, and the sooner you withdraw, the sooner some other stranger gets the letter theyā€™re waiting for about an acceptance off the waitlist.

Final Thoughts

Harvard is an excellent college, with a well deserved reputation. It is also incredibly competitive for admissions, and this continues into admissions of the waitlist. That said, students can and do get into Harvard off the waitlist; the odds are long, but it isnā€™t an impossible thing.

We hope that this article has given you needed insight into how Harvardā€™s waitlist process works specifically, and what steps you can take to make sure you have the best chance of getting admitted if youā€™ve been waitlisted. College admissions is hard, but the more information you have to work with, the easier it becomes. If you want to work with an expert on your own college admissions process, or have more detailed questions about your application, then schedule a free consultation with us today, weā€™re always happy to hear from you.

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Early Decision Strategy: Managing Risk

Weā€™ve discussed Early Decision (ED) applications before; theyā€™re one of the best ways to improve your chances of acceptance at the most competitive schools, providing a boost of two or even three times to your chances of admission. Of course, how impactful this really is depends on the school in question; at Yale, for example, early applicants had an acceptance rate of just 9.02%. While this is better than the regular acceptance rate of 2.75%, this is still not what anyone would describe as good odds. 

In cases like this, where even the ED acceptance rate is at or below 10%, itā€™s often better to find a safer option to apply to early. ED applications are often viewed as a silver bullet of sorts; you only get one, so you have to make it count. Itā€™s therefore better not to spend it on such a longshot, but instead on a still difficult but more feasible aim. 

There are plenty of great schools that have more reasonable ED acceptance rates; these are often in the second tier of schools; not quite Ivy League or Ivy+, but more Ivy adjacent. NYU instead of Columbia; Vanderbilt instead of Duke; USC instead of Stanford. These are all good schools, nationally known and recognized, but are not yet so competitive as to make the odds disfavorable. 

This doesnā€™t mean you shouldnā€™t apply to these ultra competitive schools at all; instead, you should measure the risk when you do so. Applying using the non-binding early action instead of the one-shot early decision for example. Or perhaps applying in the regular round, which we discuss later.

This advice assumes that your primary goal is to get into a top rated college, and want to maximize your chances of doing so. In these cases, it is safest to apply to a school with a higher acceptance rate ED, rather than risking your one silver bullet on such a risky prospect. 

Managing Risk for Regular Decision

Of course, admissions only gets more competitive for the regular decision round, as this is when the vast majority of students apply. Here, however, risk can be spread out more evenly, and it is thus ā€œsaferā€ to apply to riskier schools. Indeed, applying to several reach schools in this round is standard practice for all students, not just those aiming for the most competitive institutions.

The key to managing risk in this round of admissions is building a balanced college list. Weā€™ve discussed how to do this before, but hereā€™s some quick tips in light of the colleges which can be considered ultra-high risk:

• Limit the number of schools with an acceptance rate below 5% to one or two one your list
• Look for other top schools which meet your criteria but which have slightly more reasonable acceptance odds
• Make sure to have a number of target schools on your list; only the most aggressive application strategies should have a list of all reach schools
• Have at least one safety, regardless of what else goes on your list

In addition, you can consider applying to a school using the Early Decision II (EDII) application. Much like ED, you can only apply to a single school EDII. You apply at the same time as regular decision applicants, but hear back sooner, and are bound to attend if admitted. There is significantly less of an admissions boost from applying EDII, but it is still better odds than applying regular decision.

As with ED, we recommend using your EDII application on a school which is merely a reach, rather than one of these ultra-high risk schools. There are other considerations of course, notably cost, but for the safest strategy, we advise avoiding schools with a sub 5% acceptance rate for EDII, especially if your #1 goal is getting into any top rated college, rather than a specific one.

Caveats: When Risk is Worth It

We have thus far focused on a general, unspecified case. A student who wants to attend a top college, but isnā€™t especially particular about where, and who has no other factors to shift their odds. Weā€™re now going to discuss the cases where other factors can and should color this conversation, and how these can impact your application strategy. 

Number One Choices

In some cases, a school is your number one choice, and no other will do. For some students, a school like Harvard or Yale is all they want, and they are more than content with the local state school otherwise. While we do not encourage this approach, we understand it. We warn of the risks associated, but if no other school will do, then using your one silver bullet Early Decision application on your sole top choice is worth it. 

Still however, we often advise these students to build a more balanced list for the regular decision round, and to look into colleges they have not considered. We often see students fall in love with a college they had never heard of or considered previously, and be well served by it when they enroll. 

Legacy Students

If you are a legacy student, that is your parents attended a specific institution, then you have significantly higher odds of acceptance than other applicants. This is not a guaranteed thing, but the acceptance rate for legacy students is usually over 20%, even at the most selective schools. You can read more about how and why legacy applications work in this article, but know that if you are a legacy at one of these hypercompetitive schools, it can still be worth you applying Early Decision. 

Recruited Athletes

Getting recruited as an athlete is rare and difficult, and most high school athletes donā€™t make the cut. Those that do, however, receive a significant boost in their chances of admission to top schools. Many of these schools ask that athletes apply in the early round, to get everything sewn up quickly, so they can begin planning for the future. If you have been recruited as an athlete by a DI school, and have a pledge from a coach, you should apply to that school early. While admissions still isnā€™t guaranteed at the most competitive schools, your chances there are far higher than those seen by standard applicants. 

A Note on Questbridge

We want to conclude with a brief note on Questbridge, as they have a slightly different method for handling early applications, and different associated risks. As we have discussed before, Questbridge is an application specifically for economically disadvantaged students, which combines a college application with a major scholarship, and is an opportunity qualifying students should definitely consider taking advantage of. 

Questbridge offers its own version of Early Decision, to simplify how it works, students select up to twelve colleges, and rank them in order of preference. They apply to all of these colleges in the early round. If any of these colleges admits them, they are committed to attend. If multiple of these colleges admit them, they are committed to attend whichever of the schools they ranked highest. 

This is incredible, and students eligible for Questbridge ought to take full advantage of it. The biggest limitation of ED is that it limits you to a single school. This is not the case in Questbridgeā€™s system, thereby allowing you to more evenly distribute the risk when applying to these schools. 

In addition, many colleges actively seek out applicants from Questbridge, as top colleges frequently pledge to admit certain proportions of low income students; exactly what Questbridge offers them. Questbridge does not offer official admissions statistics, nor do colleges break down admissions from the platform. That said, Questbridge applicants often have an edge when it comes to admissions, and this method of handling early applications only enhances it. If you have further questions about Questbridge, or applying to it, we encourage you to look into our Laurel Scholars program, which seeks to help economically disadvantaged students for free.

Final Thoughts

College applications are all about risk now, as rates drop ever lower and competition becomes ever greater. The pressure this creates on high school students is a terrible thing to see, and thereā€™s no wonder; after all college matters greatly for the future, and a great college is the first step for the rest of your life. We hope that this article has fully explained how to navigate these newly extreme risks, and how to manage your college applications in spite of them. 

We have a long experience of navigating these risks, and at helping students see how the specific strengths of their candidacy can help their college applications. Our mentors work with students to craft college lists tailored to their needs and desires, and help them manage the stress and risk which is inherent to the process. There will always be some stress and worry during college applications, but we know the steps to take to make it manageable for our students. Schedule a free consultation today to learn how we can help you navigate the admissions process. 

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Data on Harvardā€™s Majors 

There are two things we should note, before we continue. First, Harvard refers to these as ā€œconcentrationsā€ rather than majors. They work the same as majors at any other school, Harvard just has their own name for them. For the sake of this, we will be referring to them as concentrations from here on. Second, all of our data comes from Harvard itself, and you may find it . Their Fields of Concentration Handbook both describes each concentration and its requirements, and lists how many students were enrolled in each. The most recent data available is from the 2024-25 academic year. 

To start off with, hereā€™s a chart of all of Harvardā€™s concentrations, along with the number of students at Harvard enrolled in each in 2024-25: 

So thatā€™s a bunch of numbers, and this does not include students who have multiple concentrations, as Harvard tracks those separately. This does, however, give a good sense of proportion, and how popular certain concentrations are relative to each other. Note that refers to students who design their own concentration and program of study; this is a rare option, but intended for students who want to explore something particularly interdisciplinary.

Now that we have this information, weā€™re going to look at what concentrations are most and least popular, and what broader implications this has.

Harvardā€™s Most Popular Concentrations

Weā€™ll begin by looking at which concentrations at Harvard are most popular with their students. While these are all on the table above, thatā€™s not the easiest to read, so here are the top 5 most popular concentrations at Harvard in 2024-25:

1. Economics, with 934 students
2. Government, with 527 students
3. Computer Science, with 510 students
4. Applied Mathematics, with 391 students
5. Neuroscience, with 336 students

This is, overall, a not terribly surprising list. The fields of study on this list are some of the most popular at many universities. We will note that Government is higher on this list than at many schools, but the number of students who use this as a prelude to a law degree or an entrance into a career in politics is likely quite high at a school like Harvard. 

Neuroscience is the least popular of the popular concentrations, but we will note that Harvard offers four other biology-related concentrations (plus biomedical engineering). Biology and neuroscience are often incredibly popular due to demand from premeds (even though pre meds do not have to major in bio, many do), but by splitting these programs up, Harvard is able to better serve this demand, along with that of students interested in biology for other reasons. 

If you are interested in pursuing one of these concentrations, then you are likely to face very stiff competition. This comes for two reasons; first, because even if Harvard enrolls a lot of Economics or Government students, they donā€™t want just that. Second, the things that prepare you for one of these fields are often highly duplicated. 

Thus, many students who apply to Harvard to major in Computer Science look quite similar. They have undertaken coding projects, or participated in coding clubs at their high schools, and have very strong academic groundings. Thus, the challenge for these students stands entirely in differentiating themselves from a very crowded field. While this is true for every student who applies to Harvard, when they get thousands of applicants from students who have done coding challenges or written an app, you need something to help you stand out. 

A final note is that while Harvard does offer engineering courses, it is far from their most popular set of concentrations. Thus, students interested in STEM may find an easier time applying to engineering concentrations at Harvard than CS or Applied Math.

Harvardā€™s Least Popular Concentrations

The most popular concentrations are not terribly surprising, but the least popular may raise a few eyebrows. While there are many fields of study noted as being less popular (such as Art History), many of these are not on this list; these are not the most popular majors, sure, but the least are often ones youā€™ve never heard of at all. Again, the full table is a bit much, so here are the five least popular concentrations at Harvard, for the 2024-25 academic year: 

1. South Asian Studies, with 4 students
2. Comparative Study of Religion, with 6 students
3. Folklore and Mythology, with 6 students
4. Germanic Languages and Literature, with 6 students
5. African and African American Studies, with 9 students

The most amusing of these is comparative study of religion being so low, as one of Harvardā€™s main functions at the time of its founding was the training of new ministers. This, and the rest, fall within the Humanities, but this is not to say all humanities programs are undersubscribed; History and English both have over a hundred students in them. 

So what makes a concentration particularly undersubscribed? There are many factors of course, but we have a few that we think are key: 

• Lack of knowledge. We had heard of the Folklore and Mythology program before, but weā€™re nerds who spend all our time researching colleges; most students have never heard of it, and do not even consider it as an option.
• Lack of interest. Many students may want to pick up German as a language, but not devote their full course of study to it.
• Concern over future prospects. Many students attend college with an eye towards future careers, and believe that certain majors will better prepare them for a desired career than others.Ā 

We do recommend investigating any college you apply to carefully, as some of these undersubscribed areas of study may be exactly what youā€™re looking for. At Harvard, for example, Earth Sciences is one of the least popular concentrations, but is a field of sciences that can prepare for any number of good careers.

Applying for one of the less subscribed concentrations wonā€™t necessarily increase your odds of admission, but it can make your application stand out more, especially if you have undertaken work in high school which positions you as interested in that major. Many students have taken part in coding challenges; fewer have undertaken a folklore ethnography in their home town. 

We donā€™t want to encourage you to apply cynically, to only aim for concentrations with the least competition, but this can be a good way to help your application stand out in a very crowded field. 

Finally, while the least subscribed programs vary a good bit from college to college, there are a few that are almost always there, namely area studies (that is, studying a particular region of the globe) and language studies. Language studies are particularly useful, as most colleges have a foreign language requirement and employ significant numbers of language faculty, then receive less interest in students wanting to do a deep study of these languages. 

These can be good fields, especially in combination with other majors, for students interested in international business or public service. Studying Russian, for example, may be a good way to get your foot in the door at any number of government agencies. This isnā€™t the only reason to study one of these subjects, but is worth keeping in mind. 

Final Thoughts

Harvard is an excellent and competitive university, regardless of which concentration you choose to pursue. That said, not all concentrations are the same, and should not be treated as such. Some are going to be more competitive, simply due to how popular they are, even if Harvard does not directly admit by concentration. We hope this article has given you a sense of the relative popularity of concentrations at Harvard, and how this impacts admissions.

This is the case of most top universities, and one of the reasons we help our students do their research on schools when choosing what major is right for them. This is all part of crafting an application strategy, using your background and talents to help you have the best chance of admission to a top program. If you have questions about your own college applications, or want help figuring out which majors are the best fit for you, then schedule a free consultation with us today. We have a long experience helping students get into some of the best schools in the country, and are always happy to hear from you. 

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So when did this change? And why? These are questions we get a lot, especially when helping our students apply to these remarkably competitive schools. In this article then, weā€™re going to look at some historical admissions data from a number of top colleges, to see how acceptance rates have changed over time, and what this information can tell us about college applications more broadly. Letā€™s jump right in!

 A Note on Data

Our data comes from the Common Data Set, a collection of data compiled and released by universities. Different schools archive this in different ways, so our access to historical data does change from school to school. We will include as much data as we are able to find for each, but how much we can access does depend on the university in question.

Harvardā€™s Acceptance Rates Over Time

Harvard is one of the most competitive colleges for admission currently, and has been a leader of the pack for some time. Here is a graph where you can watch this trend intensify, tracking their number of applications and acceptance rate since 2008: 

Worth noting, but not shown on this graph, is how application rates varied by gender over time;, male applicants exceeded female pens for most of this span; women surpassed men in number of applicants for the first time in 2018-19, they stayed close for a while, and then women ran away with the share of applicants beginning in 2021-22. 

The table shows a clear trend, where the number of applications trended upward, and the acceptance rate trended down. The two were not perfectly tethered; between 2011 and 2016 application numbers stayed relatively steady, yet the acceptance rate still dropped slowly. The biggest jolts came due to the Covid pandemic, first causing students to reconsider applying, then driving new applicants when Harvard enacted test optional policies, before numbers fell off slightly when those policies were rescinded. 

Yaleā€™s Acceptance Rate Over Time

As Harvardā€™s longtime rival and counterpart, Yale is inevitably going to be the first point of comparison when it comes time to see how its admissions rates have changed over time. Here is a graph of the same information, tracking applications and acceptance rate since 2009: 

Yale has another interesting pattern for gender in admissions not shown on this chart. For this entire period, they have received more female than male applicants, sometimes a lot more. Despite this, they have generally admitted more male than female students, with only a few years having the reverse; even then female students were admitted a disproportionately small amount compared to their application rate. Thus while this is the overall acceptance rate, we want you to be aware it is much harder to get into Yale if you are a woman. 

The obvious thing that jumps out when looking at this graph is that something changed between 2009-10 and 2010-11. There is a similar, though smaller, jump in Harvardā€™s application rate at this point as well. Our guess is that this has to do with the economic recession that occurred in this period. As high school students surveyed the economic turmoil, many more decided to pursue college, especially top colleges that would land them the sort of jobs that might avoid that turmoil in the future.

Princetonā€™s Acceptance Rate Over Time

Princeton is the third of the big three schools, mentioned in the same breath as Harvard and Yale, but usually behind them, even as it is ranked as the best college as often as either of the others. They are a useful point of comparison for us, especially since they provide Common Data Sets going back to 2001. Here is what that looks like graphed out: 

Princetonā€™s rate of applicants by gender has fluctuated over time, but they generally receive more male than female applicants. In general, their acceptance rates by gender correlate to the number of applicants, though in some years female applicants have been slightly advantaged. There is, however, not enough of a pattern here to say with certainty whether one gender has an admissions edge. 

This chart is interesting, and illustrates a good point, when compared to the ones for Harvard and Yale; while the broad trends are the same, very few things impact all colleges at once and in the same way; applications may spike for Harvard and dip for Princeton, or vice versa. Covid and its impacts were an exception to this trend of course, but few other things were. 

One interesting trend is that even when application rates stabilize (or decrease slightly) acceptance rates often still continue to decline. The consistency of decrease for acceptance rates is one of the most striking parts of this chart, save for the anomalous year of 2022-23; we arenā€™t entirely certain what happened there. Still, this points to deliberate efforts in the admissions office to keep acceptance rates low, rather than having them fluctuate with application rates.

Stanfordā€™s Acceptance Rate Over Time

Stanford isnā€™t one of the Ivy League schools, but is quite often mentioned in the same breath as them, and held in the same high regard. They are quite like the Ivy League, both in terms of the quality of their academic offerings, and in the competitiveness of their admissions process over time, as you can see on this graph: 

Not shown on this chart, but worth noting, is that more men than women have applied to Stanford consistently across this entire span of time. This gap ranges in size, but exists in every year. How Stanford has handled this has varied, but in more recent years, they have admitted slightly more women than men, meaning the acceptance rate for women is very slightly higher than what is shown on this chart (though still cannot be qualified as high). 

This chart is interesting, as with only a few exceptions, the number of applications have increased and the acceptance rate has decreased at Stanford every single year. The exceptions come during the exceptional time of Covid; the major drop in the uncertainty of the 2020-21 admissions cycle, and another shuffle as things return to normal. 

Most people who work in admissions are hopeful there is some ceiling for application numbers, and a floor for acceptance rates. What this Stanford data suggests, however, is that we have not found either yet. It is hard to imagine that admissions can get more competitive than they already are for top schools, and yet Stanfordā€™s acceptance rate continues to decline. Not precipitously perhaps, but going down nonetheless. 

What Does This Data Tell Us?

So now that weā€™ve seen how admissions rates have changed for these elite schools over the past decade or so, what have we learned? First, that headlines arenā€™t exaggerating, it really is harder than ever to get into a top college. We all had some sense of this of course, but seeing the acceptance rates drop so sharply at schools across the board is still striking.

Next, there is the sense that colleges do manipulate their acceptance rates to some extent; as applications hold steady for a few years but acceptance rates continue their decline in several of the schools above, often in different periods. There is a reason for this of course; schools are as motivated by their appearance as anyone, and being perceived as elite is something they chase. Thus even as these schools bemoan how competitive and stressful applications have become for students, they continue to actively contribute to the problem. 

Finally, thereā€™s no way of knowing if we have reached the end of this process yet. Some of these schools do seem to be levelling off when it comes to their acceptance rates, but we can look back in the data and see that has happened before as well. Only time will tell where admissions will go from here, but we can safely predict it will be extremely competitive for many years to come.

Final Thoughts

It can be disheartening at times to look at how admissions worked in days of yore, and then compare that to now. (Of course, 2008 is hardly days of yore, or perhaps Iā€™m just getting old). Admissions rates have plunged so low, and application numbers gotten so high, that it can feel like an impossible challenge to get into one of these great universities, even for the best students.
Thatā€™s where ³Ō¹Ļ¹ŁĶų can help. We have mastery over every aspect of college admissions, and have the knowledge needed to advise you on every step of the process. We use this to help students like you know how to approach college applications, and to give you the best shot of getting accepted at these very competitive schools. Schedule a free consultation today to learn how we can help you increase your own odds of acceptance; weā€™ve helped hundreds of students on the path to top universities, and are always happy to hear from you.

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In this article, weā€™re going to explore the top colleges with the most and least intensive atmospheres. Our goal in doing this is to help you find a college which best suits your own inclinations and aspirations, and to get a sense of what life will be like on campus. Note also that these are general vibes only; your own college experience can be as intensive as you want to make it. That said, letā€™s jump right in!

The Most Work-Intense Colleges

All colleges require you to do work; that should be unsurprising. After all, your technical position is full-time student, so you should expect to spend up to forty hours each week on the work you are assigned, both in your classes and outside of them. Some colleges expect more than others however. These are the five top colleges which expect the most from their students, in terms of both how much work is assigned, and the atmosphere on campus. 

5: Princeton University

Princeton is notorious among the Ivy League for its lack of grade inflation relative to its peers. This approach to academic excellence extends to the rest of the offerings at Princeton, with a culture that is known to expect a lot from students who attend. You may not spend all of your time in the library, but in order to get high grades, you will need to do significant amounts of work. 

This is a culture of how classes are graded as much as it is one of students doing work on their own, and not all courses follow the same structures. It is entirely possible to find easy courses at Princeton, but this must be done deliberately; the norm is doing work, and being graded without as much of a curve as other top schools. 

: Princeton University is certainly an academically rigorous college. It attracts students who hold themselves to high standards which, due to grade deflation, adds to the stress of most students.

4. University of Chicago

Notorious for the unofficial motto of ā€œWhere fun goes to die,ā€ UChicago prides itself in how much work its students need to do. The library keeps late hours, and study dates (wherein you and a date simply sit next to each other while studying quietly), are a common phenomenon. 

This atmosphere is by choice, and one perpetuated by the students themselves, who take a kind of pride in how much work they do for their classes. Not every course is difficult, and you can build a schedule which avoids these late nights, but in general, students at UChicago enjoy the schoolā€™s reputation, and strive to live up to it. 

: The University of Chicago is fast-paced, almost too fast. Since it runs on a “quarter system”, and starts in October, you will be having a test almost every week, and finals in only two months. It’s stressful, but really engaging.

3. MIT

MIT is a school where students work quite hard, and who see themselves as being better for it (there is also a tendency to compare themselves and the amount of work they do favorably to Harvard across the river; this is not to say that Harvard is an easy school, but that it does not have the same atmosphere as MIT). 

Of course, MIT is not a monolith, but the students there do take pride in their work, and the amount of effort they put into their classes. It is possible to take an easy courseload, but this takes some careful work, and is not possible at all for some majors. 

: As a student at MIT, I can confidently say that the experience is both challenging and rewarding. The academic rigor here is unmatched; classes are fast-paced and intellectually stimulating, pushing you to think critically and creatively. The professors are not only experts in their fields but also genuinely invested in their studentsā€™ success.

2. Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech is another school which favors hard work,and where the students pride themselves on the effort they put in. There are some easier options, and not every course requires significant work, but the core of the school is built on the expectation that students are there to do serious work. 

Note that not all students at Georgia Tech are the most studious, and there are cultural differences between schools. The engineering program is, however, notoriously work-heavy, and that is what the school is best known for. 

: I have never been more challenged in and out the classroom. The rigor of the institution will make you call into question your capabilities and you continue to prove to yourself that you can handle it. ā€¦ The food is sub par as well as the dorms. But, the shared misery is what makes camaraderie.

1. Caltech

Caltech is a school with a very small number of undergrads, all of whom are very serious about their studies, and all of whom are at the school in order to work. It is perhaps one of the most studious schools in the country, and definitely the most studious of the top colleges. All of the students there are quite dedicated, and spending long hours doing your coursework is the expectation. 

Almost every class at Caltech is difficult, and the number of courses they require students to take is high. Their admissions process is selective because they only want students who are willing to do this level of work, and who know exactly what theyā€™re signing up for when they attend the school. 

: The stereotype of ā€˜Caltech is lot of work and a lot of theoryā€™ is not exaggerated. Good if you really enjoy doing math and science, but genuinely do not go here if you value your free time.

The Most Laid-Back Colleges

All top colleges expect students to work hard; that is part of being a top college. While some have a whole culture of work however, others are more laid back and relaxed. You can, of course, push yourself at these schools if you desire to, but there is no need to if thatā€™s not what you want. Again, we are only looking at top colleges here; there are a great many schools you can attend if youā€™re looking for a more relaxing time while at college. 

Note also that ā€œmost laid backā€ is not synonymous with ā€œparty school.ā€ While some of these schools do have a reputation for that (looking at you, USC), they are on this list because of their more relaxed atmospheres when it comes to academics, while still having rigorous curriculums.

5. Dartmouth

Located a long ways from everywhere, there is in fact not much of a social scene in rural New Hampshire. This leads in turn to students turning to their own devices to entertain themselves. While there are schools with more parties than Dartmouth, we do admire the lengths students there go to to entertain themselves. 

There is a lot of work to do at the school of course, but it is quite possible to relax while doing so. Dartmouth is also notable for having the highest participation in Greek life of any Ivy League school (and one of the highest participation rates generally). This isnā€™t for everyone of course, but is quite appealing to those who enjoy this aspect of college.

: Great school! Not super diverse, but itā€™s easy to find your people. Profs are for the most part amazing and super inspirational. Definitely less competitive than the other Ivies. I have truly had the best time here and gotten to come out of my shell.

4. Northwestern

In many ways, Northwestern sets itself up as a counterpart to UChicago. While both are quite strong academic institutions, their culture and traditions are incredibly distinct. This is easy to see in their approach to relaxation. Northwestern is not exactly a major party school, but they do know how to have a good time, and how to unwind after a long day of studying. 

The quarter system the school uses does mean you have three sets of finals each year, but also means you donā€™t need to worry about finals or homework during spring break or winter break. Overall, if youā€™re looking for a more relaxed atmosphere, this is a much better choice of Chicago school than UChicago.

: A lot of the social scene on campus is through frats so if youā€™re not part of it then youā€™re kinda left out. People are pretty focused on their learning here and it does take effort to succeed. But if you work hard youā€™ll be able to play hard.

3. Stanford

There is a stereotype of Californians as being more laid back than other parts of the country; this is not always true (see Caltech above), but it does happen that way at Stanford. With excellent weather all year long, students can relax on the quad through the entire school year, and often do. 

Stanford is not a major party school, and there are challenging courses, but there is not the need to stress over them that you see at some other colleges. You can make your schedule more challenging of course, and some majors are more work than others, but overall it is not a school that wants you to work yourself to the bone. 

: Perfect for intellectually curious people as there are a lot of opportunities for all interests. Engineering school is popular but definitely not just an engineering school as I have heard from others who are not at Stanford. I really love the combination of things to do including great extracurricular activities, sports, parties, and work opportunities.

2. USC

The University of Southern California is known as something of a party school, and students do love taking advantage of its location to explore the broader LA area. There are definitely difficult courses and majors at USC, but as a whole, it is a school that gives students enough free time to enjoy themselves as they see fit. 

Of course, you donā€™t have to party at USC, but it is always an option there. Combine that with the perpetually warm weather in LA, and the school has a great relaxed atmosphere. 

: It has a perfect work-life balance. Professors are amazing and the amount of support resources are too good. It has so many events, and the campus is too good. I feel USC is actually the most perfect college out there – Weather, Location, Housing, Campus, Social Life, Work Life, Career Support, Food is Decent. 100000% recommend if you want a happy, overall college life

1. Brown

Unlike most other schools, Brown doesnā€™t really have any required courses, leaving you free to take whatever classes best suit your interests and passions. There are challenging courses there you can avail yourself of, but there is no requirement to struggle through Calculus if you donā€™t need it for your major.

The atmosphere at Brown is quite relaxed as a result of this. The students are engaged and active of course, and they are academically curious and inclined, but they also have plenty of time to relax, and explore the world around them. Brown is definitely a great choice if you are looking for a more relaxed atmosphere. 

: The open curriculum allowed me to explore diverse subjects and tailor my education to my interests, fostering a love for learning. The faculty was supportive and inspiring, and the campus environment was vibrant and inclusive. Brownā€™s commitment to intellectual freedom and social responsibility made it a unique and stimulating place to grow academically and personally.

Final Thoughts

College is a place to work and learn, but thatā€™s definitely all that happens there. Different schools relax in different ways, and put different amounts of emphasis on how much work students are expected to do. What kind of atmosphere suits you best is of course up to you, but is worth investigating for the schools you apply to, to see how each is able to support your needs. 

We hope this article has given you a good introduction to how much atmospheres can differ between colleges, and what you can expect from some top schools. If you are looking for more information about life at top universities, we recommend checking out our college fact sheets. If you want advice on how to find the best school for your needs, schedule a free consultation with us today. We have a long experience helping students get into great schools, and are always happy to hear from you.

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