Blog

The Waiting Game

March 31, 2021

I’ve seen the uptick in deferrals and use of the waitlist with my own clients this year. While I don’t have any concrete data yet, overall applications this year are up 11%, up 42% at more selective schools, and even higher at the uber-selective: Harvard saw a 42% increase in applications, according to the Wall Street Journal. What’s an admissions office to do in a year like no other? Schools must sort out who they can take from these larger pools and determine as precisely as they can the likelihood that those applicants will say yes. By waitlisting, they buy time to determine who is committing to their school. If they come up short in the early and regular rounds, they can turn to the waitlist. But no one can predict even in an average year how many will come off said waitlist. Typically, that figure varies wildly from year to year. And this is anything but an average year.

What should a waitlisted student do? I advise my students to do some soul- searching. Do they still want to attend the school where they were waitlisted? If so, they need to follow its instructions carefully. Beyond answering the question, “Do you wish to accept a spot on the waitlist?” they may need to submit additional info, such as another essay. And if extra information is permitted, I encourage students to send an update on their academics, extracurriculars, and personal information, if relevant, since their application was submitted. Open lines of communication are great, but I caution students not to be “stalker-ish!”

More importantly, I encourage my students to delve into the schools they were admitted to, and determine which one they most want to attend—from an academic, social and financial fit. I urge them to reach out to current students, participate in live or virtual accepted student events, and envision what their time on campus would feel like. And finally, they must notify the school of their decision and submit their deposit by the National College Decision Day of May 1st. The hard fact is, it’s impossible to predict whether they will come off that waitlist, so having a plan B is critical.

And if they do get off the waitlist? Well, let’s just say I’m no longer surprised by the number of students who end up deciding to stay at their so-called “second choice” school—and can’t imagine being anywhere else.