How To Get Off A Waitlist For College?

College waitlist often leads to big disappointment for applicants who get such news. But does it means that you’ve failed? Read on to find out what it means to be waitlisted and how to get off the waitlist. 

What Does It Mean to Be Waitlisted?

Being waitlisted implies that the admission committee reviewed your application and will decide on your candidacy later if a free spot appears. It means you are neither accepted nor rejected but rather “put on hold.”

The good news is that you can correspond to the committee's requirements with a chance of getting off the waitlist. Let’s discuss what you can do in a situation like this and how you can get off the waitlist.

How To Get Off The Waitlist?

Before starting to come up with a strategy for getting off the waitlist, you need to decide if you want to accept or reject the spot on the waitlist. It’s better to weigh the pros and cons and then make a decision. For this purpose, we prepared a list of the most effective steps for getting off the waitlist. 

Accept Your Spot on The Waitlist

Applicants who have been placed on a college's waitlist have the option to either accept or decline the offer. It is recommended for those who are considering accepting the waitlist offer to ensure that the school is one of their top choices before making a decision. This is an important step in ensuring further consideration.

Look Through the Waitlist Carefully

The waitlist can often contain clues on how to impress the committee and make them change their decision concerning your candidacy. For example, the chosen university or college can request additional recommendation letters, updated grades, etc. So, be careful not to miss your chance of getting off the waitlist.

Improve Your Grades or Test Scores

Even in such a desperate situation, you can act and try to turn it in your favour. For instance, you can start studying really hard to improve your final results so that you can improve your chances of getting off the waitlist. Thus, you will demonstrate your desire to improve yourself and the readiness to face challenges on your way to success. 

Take Extra Courses

This strategy of getting off the waitlist is great, especially if you want to show that the chosen program is significant for your future. This way, you will get an opportunity to gain extra experience or improve skills vital for getting into the chosen institution. Furthermore, your continued interest will be an effective point to mention in your cover letter for university to boost your chances of getting off the waitlist.

Find Out More Information

Prospective students who want to gather more information about college waitlists can contact the admissions office and ask for details such as the number of applicants on the waitlist. However, it is common for colleges only to provide limited information, leaving applicants with limited resources to make decisions.

Write A Letter of Continued Interest

This type of admission letter boosts your chances of getting off the waitlist. If you know how to write it effectively, you will get an opportunity to persuade the committee that you are the right candidate they need and improve your chances of getting off the waitlist. 

The main aim of this letter is to demonstrate that you are still interested in the chosen program and to add some updated information. So, it’s the opportunity to persuade the admission committee once more that you are the best-fitting candidate to be accepted.

Still, you need to know several things before sending your letter to your dream university. These simple tips will raise your chances of getting off the waitlist:

• Your letter of continued interest should not contain the same data your mention in the personal statement or other admission papers. Instead, you need to mention your new achievements or experiences;
• Pay attention to the structure; remember that it differs from the application essay;
• Proofread the letter to ensure that you have caught every minor mistake.

If you need more clarity about the quality after re-reading your letter multiple times, expert editing can help solve this problem. EssayEdge is a legal admission editing service with editors from the Ivy League. With their professional proofreading, you will make your letter polished, neat, and professional. And by using promo code AMBER10 at checkout, you will get a 10% off all editing packages.

Prepare a Backup Plan

If your chances of getting off the waitlist are not too high, it’s better to be ready to change your strategy. For instance, you can list the institutions you would like to enter. Think carefully about which universities correspond to your demands, and be ready to make a deposit to another institution.

Inform The School Once You Have Made A Deposit

If you are admitted from the college waitlist, you are not obligated to accept the offer. However, if you choose to accept, it is recommended that you inform the school where you previously submitted a deposit and let them know that you will not be attending. It is important to keep in mind that the majority of deposits are non-refundable.

Do Waitlisted Students Get Accepted?

Applicants are often worried about this decision of the committee and eager to know the answer to this question “Do waitlisted students get accepted?” Everything depends on your grades, the demands of the institution, and its acceptance rate. But what we know for sure is that you still have a chance to change everything. 

There are a few common mistakes that most applicants on the waitlist make. Improve your chances of getting off the waitlist by ensuring you avoid these mistakes: 

• Putting Off the Decision for Later: It’s better to act ASAP to persuade the committee that you are still interested in the chosen program.
• Writing a Letter to Express Disappointment: This way, you risk spoiling the impression of the committee members.
• Not Sending a Letter of Continued Interest: If you skip this opportunity, the committee can perceive it as you are not interested in their program anymore. But when it is mentioned in the instructions that you should not write the letter, there is a need to follow them.

Now that you know what a waitlist is and understand that it’s not as terrible as it seems like most college admission myths state them to be, you can act effectively and have a working strategy to boost your chances of getting off the waitlist. Of course, whether waitlisted students get accepted depends on many factors. But it’s up to you to change the committee's decision and finally get into your dream university!