Tips for weathering wait-list limbo
By Peter Schworm, Globe Staff
High school students who land on the wait-list at one of their top-choice colleges are often unsure how to proceed, frozen somewhere between hope and despair.
While the limbo of the wait-list can be difficult, extending an already protracted and stressful admissions process, it also gives students the opportunity to change admissions officers' minds. At the same time, college counselors and admissions officers warn wait-listed students that the odds of acceptance are long, and that they should plan accordingly.
Here are a few pieces of advice for wait-listed students from college counselors, education consultants, and college admissions officers.
-- Accept an offer of admission at another college. Colleges do not begin dipping into the wait-lists until they know how many accepted students will enroll, usually in early May. So students should choose their favorite college on the assumption they will not gain acceptance off the wait-list. Students can always rescind their acceptance, although they forfeit their deposit (and have to put down a deposit at the new school).
-- Let the college know your intentions. Colleges look to the wait-list for certainty, and a definitive signal that you will attend if admitted will boost your chances. Colleges usually send a postcard asking students to describe their interest and plans, but students may also write the admissions office directly to declare their intentions.
-- Market yourself. Admissions officers say they only wait-list students they believe can thrive academically, and are willing to review supplements to their applications, such as an additional recommendation or news of a recent achievement. Guidance counselors will often call a college representative to put in a good word, and students can do the same. Students can sometimes schedule another interview. However, while colleges appreciate earnestness, they don't want to be hounded.
-- Celebrate your acceptances and move on. Many wait-listed students do just that, seizing the definite offer and removing themselves from waitlist consideration. Many are ready to have the selection process behind them and begin looking ahead to their freshman year. Many counselors note that once students have made up their minds, and started buying college paraphernalia, they are unlikely to reconsider.
rising
falling 