Dealing With the Wait List in a Year of Uncertainty

With a vaccine rollout underway and more and more colleges promising in-person semesters beginning in the fall, there is real hope that higher education – and daily life in general – will soon become more predictable.

The ultimate message of uncertainty in the college admissions process is the wait list. And long waits lists are likely this year, according to reports from the Wall Street Journal and others. A wait-list offer means the applicant is deemed admissible, but not in the initial “cut” of students offered precious slots in the class of 2025. Working through the wait list process can take weeks or even months and can be incredibly frustrating, especially after everything high school students have had to endure the last 12 months. 

After a year of unknowns, no one – families and admissions offices alike – is looking forward to more uncertainty. Here are some tips for students to find certainty and resolution in the wait-list process:

First of all, act decisively. If you’ve been put on the wait list at your first choice, respond right away. This differs from my advice on how to respond to a deferral offer in the winter. At this point, there’s no reason to wait to put together more information and, in fact, delaying could be detrimental. 

How to best respond?

· Respond positively to the wait list offer right away. Make it crystal clear with your prompt reply that you will attend if offered a spot.

· In replying, be sure to follow their instructions (is there a portal to submit your answer or did they give you an email address?).

· Put yourself in the shoes of the admissions office. What are they looking for here? The short answer is fit. You’ve already made the cut in the sense that they view you as admissible. An update on your achievements since your original application is useful, but far more important is how you articulate your fit with the school. 

· Be authentic and specific in making your statement that you will attend. Demonstrate your sincere interest in the school by noting some positive media attention the school has received, describe your visit to campus or a webinar you attended (if you haven’t done either, you should!), or give an example of an activity or club you hope to contribute to if you matriculate in the fall. Give them evidence to believe you when you say you will attend.

· Make it clear to them you’ve been paying attention. Has that school done a good job managing the pandemic? Has a professor in a department you’re interested in recently received an award or honor? Admissions officers are more likely to move you up if they know how much you are paying attention to your future home.

In summary, if you’re on the wait list, the admissions office already views you as someone they like. It is appropriate to include an update on your accomplishments from the past few months, but that’s not the key. Instead, understand that admissions offices want to move through this wait list of top students as quickly as possible. They are more likely to make an offer to a student who has clearly stated they will attend. They are not looking to spend time re-evaluating the entire application of everyone on their wait list. Just as students want to have their college search completed sooner rather than later, college admissions offices also want to wrap up their work by knowing who is attending. Make it easier on them by providing them the certainty that they too are seeking.

As an important final step, look carefully at the schools you have been admitted to and keep an open mind! There are lots of great schools out there and the wait list process could take weeks or even months to resolve and you can’t count on getting an offer. Put down a deposit at a school you’ve been admitted to that is otherwise your top choice. Give yourself the certainty that you will attend a school you are excited about even as you await word!