Getting waitlisted is the ultimate limbo – it’s not not a rejection, but it’s not a full-on denial, either. And depending on your circumstances, you could be feeling everything from mild disappointment to full-on panic. Don’t get yourself into a tizzy just yet, because there are things you can do to give yourself a shot at getting off the waitlist and make sure that you have a plan in place for the next year.
Why Do Schools Waitlist?
There are simply not enough spots at top-tier schools for all the qualified students. You could probably fill all of Harvard’s incoming class with just students from Boston, but that’s not going to create a dynamic campus or culture. If you’ve been waitlisted, that means the school really does think you’re deserving of going there – they just don’t have enough spots. They’re waiting to see who accepts and rejects them. Then, they’ll turn to the waitlist. The waitlist also helps with yield rate. They only want to take waitlisted students who really want to go.
First, we want to say, you’re allowed to feel bummed about this. Take a few days to be mad or sad. Go do the things you like to do when you want to blow off some steam. It’s not worth it for your own sanity to nitpick everything you’ve ever done to attempt to figure out why you got waitlisted and not accepted, but if you’re itching to do something about it, we have advice.
Before we get into your action items, we want to talk more about yield rates. A college’s yield rate is the percentage of students who ultimately enroll after being accepted, and colleges care a lot about their yield rates. High yield rates show exclusivity and prestige, and they are directly correlated with rankings. One of the ways schools protect their yield rate is by accepting a high percentage of students from ED, REA, EA, and ED2 applicants.
Let’s put this into perspective a bit by looking at two schools with similar acceptance rates and incoming class sizes, Barnard and Cornell – both had 8% acceptance rates in 2023. However, their yield rates are very different. Barnard had a yield rate of 86%, one of the highest out of the data we collected for last cycle, and only 201 admitted students did not enroll. Cornell, on the other hand, had a 67% yield rate, and 588 admitted students did not enroll there. You can see how their respective ED rates contributed to their yield rates – Barnard accepted 27% of ED applicants, while Cornell accepted 18% ED applicants.
Sorry for numbering out so hard there – we just want to illustrate how important intent to enroll is when schools decide on applicants. We’ll talk more about this when we discuss your letter of continued interest.
Accept Your Spot
If you’ve been waitlisted at a school you’re excited about, you need to accept your spot on the waitlist ASAP. Many schools have a deadline, and the first hurdle to getting accepted is, well, telling them you want a spot. They typically have you do this through their portal. Now that you’ve done the first and most important part of waitlisting, we have a few more action items for you.
Make a Backup Plan
You need to have something in place for next year, because at some schools, waitlist acceptance rates can be as low as 0% in a given year. If you have been accepted to a school you’d be happy to attend, you need to go ahead and enroll – do not put all your eggs in the waitlist basket!
Now, what if you were waitlisted or denied everywhere? In this case, we recommend a) accepting those waitlist spots and sending letters of continued interest, and b) setting up a gap year. In other countries, gap years are extremely common – but don’t just backpack around Europe. You could get a job, or pursue something in-depth that pertains to your academic interests, strengthening your applications the second time around. Reach out to us if this is you – there are competitive gap year programs out there, and we can help you strategize for the next round of admissions.
Express Interest and Intent
Now, we have arrived to the letter of continued interest part of the post. This is, without a doubt, the most important thing you can do to boost your chances of getting off a waitlist. Because these schools care about their yield rates, they prioritize students who are head-over-heels in love with their school. And the best way to do that if you’re waitlisted? Write a letter of continued interest.
This is somewhat similar to a supplement, content-wise, but it is a professional letter. Make sure you introduce yourself and if possible, address it directly to your regional admissions officer.
Start by, very plainly, reaffirming your interest in the school and state (again, very plainly) that this school is your top choice, and if you are accepted, you will 1000000% attend. Appeal to that yield rate.
Next, we want to provide the school with important updates. Do not just rehash everything you told them in your applications or talk about how much you love the vibes of the school. Don’t tell them about insignificant updates or mention every single little thing you’ve done since applying. Choose things that speak to your overall story – maybe you completed a research project, secured an internship, are in a new leadership role, or won an award.
After that section, you want to reaffirm that you are a good fit for them. This might look like mentioning some classes or special opportunities at the school, or talking about specific aspects of their community you’re looking forward to being a part of. This is not just an omg i looooove your school it’s sooooo cool paragraph. Cite specific things, talk about how they will help you meet your goals, and explain the why behind your choices.
End with a professional closing. Now re-read, edit, edit again, have someone else edit it (maybe us), and then you’ll send it off. Depending on what your waitlist notification specified, you will either email this directly to admissions or upload it via the applicant portal. It should also not be longer than 400 words (300 is better).
Now, Wait
You’ve sent off your letter(s), you’ve secured (or started to secure) plans for next year, and now you want to know if there’s anything else you can do. The answer is: it depends, but probably not. Schools do not like getting lots of emails and calls from waitlisted students – MIT, for example, is staunchly against reaching out to them if you’ve already accepted your waitlist spot. The only kind of updates you should send them after this point are things like transcripts and new and improved test scores. Another exception might be sending them an additional letter of recommendation – only if they allow it and if the person knows you exceptionally well and can write a very personal letter. Don’t just have like, your dentist who went to that school or your dad’s work friend write a letter, they’ll see right through that.
Getting waitlisted sucks, we know. But we help tons students get off the waitlist and into their dream schools every year. Miracles can happen!
Frustrated or anxious about getting off a waitlist? Reach out to us today.