Tips For Handling a College Wait List

I got a thin envelope yesterday. I didn't get into my dream college. At least I got wait-listed. What do I do now? What are the chances of my getting off the wait list? -- Sad Senior
Answer: According to a survey by the National Association for College Admission Counseling in 2002, your chance of being accepted from a wait list is roughly one in five. This will vary with the college. If you don't have this information from your college, call the admissions office. Also, find out if the wait list is ranked.
Before you do anything about the wait list, make sure the dream school is still your first choice. Even if it is, you must go ahead now and accept admission at another school. Pay this school's deposit understanding that you will lose it if you get off the wait list at your dream school. You need to be a realist and have a college to attend in the fall.
Dr. Katherine Cohen, a respected college admissions counselor at Ivywise, an educational consulting company, offers these suggestions on the best way to handle being wait-listed:
1. Write a letter to the admissions office. Be upbeat in your approach. If the college remains your first choice, write that if you get in, you will definitely attend.
2. In the letter, have a paragraph explaining how you see yourself at this school. Include the courses you would like to pursue, the professors you want to study/research with and the activities you would participate in. Show how you would enhance the school community.
3. Be sure to update the college on everything important that you have been doing in school and in the community since you submitted your application. Tell the college of any honors, awards or new standardized test scores that you have received.
4. If you don't get off the wait list, you can apply as a transfer student if you are unhappy at the college you choose to attend freshman year.
You will hear about getting off the wait list after the school's deadline for students to accept admission. Then the college will know how many spaces are available for wait-listed students. The sweet spot for getting off the waiting list is between mid-April and July.
College is what you make of it. There's not just one perfect choice.