Tired of Waiting—What to do When You’re on the Waitlist
As student’s college decisions start to roll in, they will likely experience both the joy of getting accepted to school and the despair of being rejected. Some, however, will find themselves on the dreaded waitlist. As students cling to the chance of getting off the waitlist, it is easy to feel frustrated and full of angst and uncertainty. Waitlists can provide a glimmer of hope for students that they’ll end up at their dream school, but getting off the waitlist is far from certain. Here are some tips that will help students avoid feeling paralyzed during the waiting period and take agency of their college process.
Decide if you actually want to wait
Just because a college adds a student to the waitlist doesn’t mean students have to wait on it. Students should talk with their parents/guardians, counselors, and other support systems to decide if it even makes sense to opt into the waitlist. There are many reasons why students won’t want to join the waitlist; for example, the school may be lower on a student’s list than others they’ve already been accepted to or even they simply don’t want to keep waiting. Most schools will not notify applicants after initial decisions have been made, so some students may want to start moving forward with their decisions.
Review your priorities!
While waiting, review what factors really are a priority in future college. Is financial support, academic prestige, campus environment, or any other reasons the most important factor when making their college decision. Students should review their reasons why they applied to each school and what they liked prior to getting accepted (or waitlisted). Looking back at these priorities can help take some of the emotions out of the decision process and allow students to make the right decisions for them.
Make a plan and keep moving
Even if a student stays on the waitlist, they likely will not know until weeks after they need to make decisions for other colleges. Students should make their decision under the assumption they will not get off the waitlist. This includes committing and depositing at their top choice school—as well as getting excited about their current college choice! Taking these steps to plan for their future at another college can help students move past the sting of being waitlisted elsewhere and into the joy of planning their future.
Let colleges know you’re still interested (and why they should be too)
Even as students plan for the reality that they may not get off the waitlist, they still must communicate if they want to be on the waitlist (usually by accepting in their portal). Schools will often give students the opportunity to share any updates to their applications when they opt into the waitlist. This is a great time for an applicant to share why they are still interested in their college and what they have done since they applied. Updates can include extracurricular achievements or recent second semester grades. Even if colleges don’t provide you with an option to upload this in your portal, sharing this information as an email to your admissions rep can go a long way. Students should let colleges know that they still want to be a part of the incoming class and that they would be an asset to campus as well .
While the waitlist can feel like the end of the world, don’t let it ruin your students’ spring. Take the steps to get off of it if that is right for you, but then move on and enjoy the end of senior year!
