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Wait-listed? What to do.
If you’re placed on a wait-list at your top choice college,
don’t just wait around and hope to be admitted, take control
to maximize your chances of getting accepted.
Contact the college admissions office to let them know you are still
interested in attending. Ask if wait-listed students are ranked
(numbered in order of preference) and if so, what your position is
on the wait-list. Also, ask what percentage of students has been
accepted from the wait-list in recent years. Because colleges
don’t accept many wait-listed students, if you’re not in
the upper ranks of students on the list, you probably won’t be
accepted.
Keep the college updated on your activities
over the next months. Write
a letter to the college admissions office to boost your chances of
getting accepted. In the letter (not an E-mail), explain that
the college is your first choice, why it is your first choice, and
that you will attend if accepted. Describe any new accomplishments
not included in your original application and provide full description
of those accomplishments. Be sure to highlight any awards or
special recognition you recently received. In addition, consider
submitting an additional letter of recommendation from an adult
recommender.
Mention the other colleges and universities
you’ve been accepted
to (if they are as prestigious as the top choice college you’re
writing to).
Consider asking your high school counselor
to call the admissions officer who is responsible for your application file. Have the
counselor tell the admissions officer how the college is your first
choice, about your unique talents and skills, and how you will be a
wonderful addition to their college community.
Another possible action to improve you chances
for acceptance is to schedule a second interview. Some colleges offer wait-listed
students the opportunity for an additional face-to-face or telephone
interview. If you’re offered this opportunity, be prepared
to highlight activities and achievements not submitted on your original
application.
Emphasize your interest in
that school. However,
keep in mind contacting admissions officers to show your interest is
appropriate, but contacting them with a dozen E-mails and telephone
calls makes you a pest and won’t help your position with the
college. Don’t appear to be desperate and a “stalker” by
contacting the admissions office numerous times.
Some colleges do not make final decisions of acceptance or denial
for wait-listed students until as late as August. |
