Thursday 26 March 2015

What to do with a Waitlist Offer?



It has been an exciting week for us in the UAC as our grade 12 students are receiving news back from universities around the world. Good news and bad, we've been pleased with the maturity and strength of character shown by our Grade 12 students.


In the U.S. some universities have waitlists, and this can be confusing to students. So we have put together a little guide to walk you through it.



I got Waitlisted….. Now what do I do?
What is a Waitlist?
Colleges and universities in the U.S. offer students a spot on their waitlist so that they have a pool of additional  students to admit if they have spaces available. Higher education institutions want to have the exact number of first-year students on campus and they use the waitlist to ensure they get that number.
This means you are an admissible candidate but they didn’t have room for you in the class.  The university will wait to see how many admitted students say YES to their offer by placing a deposit by May 1st.  If they don’t have enough deposited students, they go to the waitlist to fill spaces.
It’s usually starting around the 3rd week of April when colleges will try to predict if the number of deposits from admitted students are coming in on target and how many spaces they might have for students on the waiting list. Some colleges make offers of admission before May 1 while others wait until all deposits from admitted students have been received after May 1.

Stay ON or Off the Waitlist?  

OFF
If you are happy with your other university options and don’t want to be on a college’s waitlist,  it is best to respond right away  and say “No Thanks.”  This is a courtesy and lets the college know who is interested and who is not.  This frees up space on the waitlist for seriously interested students, some of which could be your classmates, so do the right thing and respond accordingly.

ON

If you do want to pursue the waitlist at a university, follow these steps: 

1.     Respond to whatever directive they’ve given you. You are not officially on a waitlist until you respond to the university.  This can be  responding to an email, or checking a box on their online portal, etc.   There is usually a time limit placed on this that states you must reply by a certain date to be on the waitlist.

2.     Email or meet with your Advisor to discuss your situation and think about what you might add to your application at this stage to show you’ve remained an engaged student at school and are keen to enroll at their university.  This type of follow up could include: 

-       A letter from you - (This is required and can be an email attachment, but should be done in a proper letter format addressed to our admissions representative - see your advisor if you need their details).  The letter should bring the admissions committee up to date on your academics and activities since you have applied being sure to include accomplishments, experiences, etc. Include a statement about your continued interest in the college; what do you continue to find compelling about their institution?  If it is the truth.. you can include a statement  that if you were offered a place at their university you would definitely enroll.  This can be a  key statement because they only move people from the waitlist who are keen to enroll. But don’t say this unless you mean it and you would, in fact, enroll. Because your word in this case is equivalent to a verbal agreement and promise. 
-       An additional letter of recommendation-  It is sometimes possible to include a letter of recommendation from someone new and different - someone you didn’t have write for you before. Maybe a G12 teacher who knows you well.  Speak to your University Advisor before approaching any teacher.
-       Another connection- If you or your family have a “connection” at a college that is your first choice  (alumnus,  friend of the family, relative) contact that person and explain your situation and ask for his/her  support.


3.     You need to show SIGNIFICANT, AUTHENTIC interest in a college to  get offered a spot from a waitlist.  Think about communicating with the college representative once a week in a meaningful way (not just to say “Hi”).

4.     Some colleges will make offers to students on the waitlist in late April.  Most will wait until after May 1.  You should therefore plan to place a deposit at one of your colleges by May 1st, be hopeful for your waitlist option, but be excited about the university you’ve deposited to. You may only deposit at ONE school; depositing at two schools is called “DOUBLE DEPOSITING” and is considered a violation of the rules.

Waitlist movement? 
Waitlists are hard to predict. They vary from year to year.  Some colleges last year only took 2 or 3 international students off their waitlist.  Other places may take 20 or more.  It depends on their number of deposited students.  

Coordination
It is important that you are in contact with your University Advisor in this process so efforts are not duplicated and that we are “in the loop” with your efforts.  Please CC us on all emails to the university and check in with us about your status.