First thing's first: don’t lose hope just yet! Students DO get pulled off the waitlist and there are things you can do to improve the chances that student is YOU. Being waitlisted means that the college is interested in you, but they need to see how many students from the accepted pool actually enroll before they offer you a spot. While it’s not a guarantee, there is still a chance to get in.
In fact, one promising way to look at it was described to me by a Harvard Admissions Officer several years ago: the entire waitlist is a pool of students the college would be happy to have, and the admissions office knows you would flourish at their school and would take advantage of the opportunities given to you there… it just came down to a numbers game (tired of hearing that yet?).
So here are some tips to help you move forward if you’ve been waitlisted.
Accept your spot on the waitlist (I hope this one is a no-brainer!).
Enroll at another school.
It may hurt to do so, but you have to hedge your bets here. While you work on the tips below, try to spend time researching and getting excited about the school you are enrolling. No matter what, you get out of a school what you put into it. These four years of college will change your life, but it isn’t the school that changes it, it’s the way you approach your studies, your extracurriculars, and your network. It’s up to you.
Here comes the strategy part: take a very hard look at your application.
This includes the whole gamut from who sent your recommendations, your grades, reflecting on your interview, thinking about your extracurriculars and leadership. What seems like it may be a weak point? This is going to be a focus for the next step.
Write a letter of continued interest to your college of choice.
In this letter you will need to include several things:
Explain why this is your top-choice school.
Share any and all updates in extracurriculars, awards, competitions, etc.
Tell the school how you will leverage their classes and campus, but also demonstrate how YOU will add value to their incoming class. This isn’t a begging letter, it’s a selling letter. This college needs to know you are committed to making a difference and adding to their culture.
After reflecting on any potential weakness in your application, address it. For example: if you received a C one quarter in Math, say you’ve worked hard to improve your Math score and have asked your Math teacher to write an additional letter of support.
How do I know this? Well, this is exactly what I did to get off the Harvard waitlist in 2008. Even the example is my own.
One point I want to hammer home is this:
It is not a college that makes your future. It is you. If you do not get into the school of your choice, your life is not over. Your career or choice of graduate school isn’t diminished. It is not a reflection on you.
If you do get in, congratulations! However, don’t waste any time thinking you are the admissions mistake. No one, ever, will care that you were waitlisted. What matters is that you showed up and did the work.
If you are interested in working with me on your Letter of Continued Interest (LoCI), please reach out and we can schedule my two-hour consultation to review your application and discuss how to approach the letter.
Let me know if you have any questions through the email form on the home page.
Good luck!
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