The Waiting Is Not Over for Some High School Seniors

It's nearly April and for high school seniors across the country, this time of year is filled with anxiety-provoking anticipation. College. Decisions are coming out in droves. What happens when students open up their online college portal only to find they haven't been accepted or rejected? What if the college or university says - WAIT. 

In the words of Tom Petty, the waiting is the hardest part. After-all, stress is born of not knowing.

We checked in with Amy Chatterjee, Director at Collegewise in Westport about the dreaded WAIT.

Advice for Wait-listed Students from Collegewise

Offering you a spot on a waitlist is a college’s way of saying that you were good enough to be admitted, but there just wasn’t enough room for everyone who was qualified.  If too few of the accepted students decide to enroll, the college will go to the wait-list and offer a limited number of those students a spot in the class. But there are no guarantees here, so wait-listed students, even though you've elected to be placed on a waiting list for a college you really want to attend, you still have to officially commit and give a deposit to a school that accepted you BEFORE the May 1st deadline! 

And when you officially do commit, allow yourself to be excited.  Don't just spend the next few weeks or two months crossing your fingers that you'll be taken off the wait-list.  I know it's not easy.  But you really should make today a celebratory day.  This school you've picked said, "Yes."  They didn't need to wait to see who else enrolled before they admitted you.  They deserve some excitement, and so do you.  Make an emotional commitment to this school.  The wait-list school needs to become your back-up plan.   

Improve your odds:

If the school that wait-listed you really is your top choice and you want to pursue the option, the best way to improve your odds is to make contact with the admissions officer and express your desire to attend.

Call the admissions office and explain you intend to accept the offer to be placed on the waiting list, and you are calling to find out if there is anything specific you could address that would improve your chances of admission. (TIP: before you hand up, write down the person’s name- as you are going to write a letter to him or her next)

Write a letter of just two or three paragraphs and thank them for taking the time to speak with you, update them on any recent achievements or awards you’ve earned since applying and reiterate your interest in the school.  If the school is your first choice (and it really should be if you are accepting a spot on the waiting list), make that clear in the letter.

Other Options:

If you aren’t happy with any of the schools that you’ve been accepted to, another option is to play the college admission gamble and wait for the NACAC Available Openings Update to be released the first week of May (after the May 1 universal reply deadline).  This is a list of colleges and universities that still have openings after May 1st for qualified applicants.

Please note: even if this is something you would consider, it is important that you still officially commit and give a deposit to a school that has accepted you before the May 1st deadline.  We don’t want any students to play the waiting game and cross their fingers.

Remember that no college, even that top choice, will be perfect in every way for you.  Selecting a college is a big decision and big life decisions always come with some uncertainty.  You likely won’t be sure you’ve made the right college choice until you get there, eat some dorm food and get lost trying to find a class.  It will be up to you to make your college experience perfect for you.  So whatever you do, accept admission to a college where you feel excited to spend four years, a place where you can’t wait to go to class, meet new friends and find what college life has in store for you.

N
Submitted by Newtown, CT

Become a Local Voice in Your Community!

HamletHub invites you to contribute stories, events, and more to keep your neighbors informed and connected.

Read Next