Every year, colleges send out their decisions as winter begins to shift to spring, that awkward melt and freeze cycle. Some students are elated, let into the schools of their dreams. Others face the sting of rejection, settling for schools they like, but perhaps didn’t quite love. There is a third group however, those who are admitted, but not quite, rejected, but not really; those placed on the waitlist.
We see this happen each admissions cycle, students hearing back from their top choice school with this odd middle option. This simultaneously dashes and reignites hopes, but always raises the same question: why? It’s a reasonable thing to ask, as it doesn’t make much sense on the surface; surely colleges know whether or not they want you to attend, so what’s the point of a waitlist? In this article, we’re going to explore the multifaceted realities that shape college’s decisions, and what you can do if you find yourself in this situation. Let’s jump right in!
The Reason Colleges Waitlist Students
This question really has two parts; both why colleges waitlist students generally, and why they waitlisted you specifically. It is impossible to answer that second question; none of us are in the room where it happens, none of us can say for sure why admissions officers make a particular choice. In this section then, we’ll go through the various reasons why colleges waitlist students generally.
Note that these reasons often act in combination; and more than one may impact why a particular choice was reached in your case.
The Problem of Yield
Not every student a college admits will decide to attend. Some are bound to, sure, that’s how Early Decision agreements work, but those admitted in the regular decision round may choose where they wish to attend. Sure, most of the students admitted by Harvard will decide to attend, but there’s a world of difference between most and all.
Thus, all colleges admit slightly more students than they have seats, though they fiddle with these numbers each year; admit too many and classes are overenrolled. So they aim low, and put some extra students on the waitlist, to give them some cushioning. That way, when the numbers inevitably don’t line up perfectly, they have a pool of students to make up the gap. This, more than anything, is why any given student ends up on the waitlist. There are other particular reasons for who gets on the waitlist versus admitted however.
Too Much Quality
There are always more qualified students than there are spots at a school; there are simply lots of bright, motivated, hard-working high school students, and a finite number of seats at Harvard or Yale or Stanford. Not every student is going to be right for a particular school, and this is what admissions officers try to determine through their process; not just if you are qualified (which you likely are), but how well you fit with the perceived ethos of the school.
This still leaves them with too many students, but it is those students who are both fully qualified and who meet the ethos of the school who end up on the waitlist. Being waitlisted generally means you fall into this category; the real trick admissions officers face then is deciding who to admit and who to waitlist from this smaller subgroup.
Building a Cohort
Colleges aim to build an entire class when admitting students; each adding to part of a great whole. A school like Harvard, for instance, doesn’t just want to admit students interested in finance, even if they do get enough bright and talented applicants interested in finance to build an entire cohort.
Thus students who apply to more competitive majors often face more competition, and are slightly more likely to end up on the waitlist (though applying to a less competitive major doesn’t mean you’ll get in; see our article on strategic major selection). Colleges build a well rounded class, and then use the waitlist to fill in the gaps; too many students interested in finance choose to attend MIT instead? Head to the waitlist to make up the lost numbers.
What to do if You’re Waitlisted
The one thing that stands out through all of these reasons and reasonings is that the entire process seems to be in the hands of colleges. Once your application has been submitted, it is entirely their choice how they handle it, and whether or not you’re waitlisted. This is unsurprising in some ways; colleges are always going to hold gate-keeping power in college admissions, but it doesn’t make dealing with that any more fun.
In this section, therefore, we’re going to discuss what you can do. First how you can minimize your chances of getting waitlisted, and then what to do if it happens.
Avoiding Getting Waitlisted
There is no secret trick to avoiding getting waitlisted really, just submitting the best possible application. Now that we know what makes colleges waitlist students, however, we can give some specific advice:
- Choose your major strategically. Make sure it is one you are suited for based on your academic background, and one you have prepared for extracurricularly. It should be clear to anyone reading your application how you’re a perfect fit for this major.
- Apply to colleges specifically. Each essay should be edited and tailored to appeal to each specific college’s values, even if the core of it is the same. Show why you and the college are meant for each other.
There are no guarantees of course, but by applying deliberately and mindfully, you can make your chances as good as possible.
If You Have Been Waitlisted
Of course, sometimes you try your best, make no mistakes, and still come up short. This isn’t your fault, but simply a result of how the system is built. There are still things you can do in this circumstance however. Note that if you’re looking for advice on specific schools’ waitlist policies, we have many articles on that; here, we’re going to cover the general case.
The first thing to do is decide whether you still want to attend the school, though if you’re reading this article we assume you do. That done, you need to accept your palace on their waitlist. This is usually quite simple, and can be done in most cases through the student portal you received access to when they processed your application. Colleges will only consider students who have confirmed their place on the waitlist.
Once that’s done, you should consider writing a letter of continued interest. Some schools actively encourage these and have forms to fill out; others will accept them only if you have something truly meaningful to say. You should always check the policies of the school you’re applying to, but we recommend a letter in most cases.
A letter of continued interest serves several purposes:
- To confirm to a college that they remain your top choice, and that you will attend if they admit you. You don’t need to praise them excessively (they already know the school is great, they work there), but should instead show genuine interest and appreciation.
- To fill them in on what you’ve been up to since you applied. This should focus on major extracurricular updates: research publications, major competitions one, and the like. You want to share things that may move the needle on your candidacy.
- To make any needed corrections. If you somehow left off an activity or award when you initially applied, you should rectify that in your letter.
These letters don’t need to be extensive, around a page in length is generally enough to cover all needed information. Note that you can include new standardized test scores, but shouldn’t go over things like updates to your grades. If you got on the waitlist, your grades were generally good enough, and keeping them there is what they expect of you.Ìý
A small number of colleges also accept additional letters of recommendation. You should only send one of these in if they accept it, and if the letter will say something that wasn’t present in your original application. In most cases, it isn’t worth sending an additional letter of recommendation.
Sending a letter of continued interest does not guarantee you acceptance off the waitlist, nothing can do that. What it does is make sure admissions officers have all the information they need to make a proper judgement of you. We have found that it does increase a student’s odds of acceptance if they submit one of these letters.
Finally, if you are waitlisted, make sure you accept your place at another school which admitted you before April 1. Waitlist decisions don’t start coming out until after this, and you don’t want to get stuck with nowhere to go at all next year. You can always withdraw later if your top choice school admits you off the waitlist.
Final Thoughts
Getting waitlisted is never fun, especially after all the stress of waiting for admissions decisions to come out. The news that more waiting is in store is unwelcome, but there’s sadly no remedy for it. We hope this article has helped you understand why colleges do this, and why the admissions system works this way. It’s not ideal of course, but it’s the only game in town.
If you are looking for advice on your own applications, or want help writing a letter of continued interest for yourself, then ³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø can help. Our mentors are skilled at advising students on every step of college admissions, whether you’re just starting out, or need help with that final push. If you want to learn more, and see how we can help you with your college journey, schedule a free consultation today, we’re always happy to hear from you.
