On a College Waitlist? Here Are Some Tips

As if this waiting period isn’t stressful enough, having to deal with being placed on admission waitlists is just, well, cruel!

You should be receiving admissions letters during the month of March – Good luck! – and sometimes as late as the first few weeks of April.  Yup, I know how stressful this is.  But here are a few tips on what to expect and what to do:

Do:
1.  Definitely accept admission to one of the colleges from which you have received an admission offer.  In other words, don’t decline admission to all of the colleges and cross your fingers that you’ll get off the wait list and accepted to your #1 college.  If you do get in to your top college, you’ll lose your deposit that you paid to the college that you had previously accepted to.

2.  Sign up for housing at both colleges to ensure that you get housing on campus.  Again, you’ll lose the deposit that you paid for the college that you don’t attend, but it’s worth it. (Some colleges will not allow you to apply for housing if you haven’t paid your deposit and accepted admission)

3.  Visit the campuses to make sure it’s the right fit for you.  Sit in on classes, stay in the dorm (if you can arrange that), eat a meal on campus, and talk to students to learn about campus life.

Don’t:
1.  Don’t file an appeal.  Most students cannot appeal a rejection if they were denied admission from the waitlist. Check with your individual colleges to be sure.

2.  Don’t call or send letters to the admissions office declaring why you should be admitted if you don’t have new relevant information.

3.  Don’t let your grades drop!  Any grades that fall below a C- can result in the college taking back their admission offer – even if you paid your deposit!

I hope this helps.  Just think, in just 3 short months, you’ll be a high school graduate and on your way to college!  Yippee!