Waitlisted Students Suffering in Limbo

If you happen to be a waitlisted student suffering in limbo, your days of waiting could soon be over. Or not. Your days of waiting could also extend well into August. We’re sorry we’re not telling you exactly what you want to hear but, hey, The Dartmouth, America’s oldest college newspaper, once said of us: “Way to tell it like it is, Ivy Coach.” We wouldn’t want to disappoint them. You see, over the years, we’ve helped students earn admission off highly selective college waitlists — and they’ve learned of their decisions soon after May 1st. And we’ve also helped students earn admission off highly selective college waitlists who already enrolled at another school and who chose to leave after earning admission off that other school’s waitlist in late August. So the timing can vary — significantly.

What You Should Have Done After Initially Being Waitlisted

At this point, as May 1st fast approaches, if you haven’t done anything since being waitlisted, don’t anticipate earning admission out of waitlist limbo. If you submitted a bad letter in which you boast of all the things you’ve achieved since you first applied in early January, don’t anticipate earning admission out of waitlist limbo. But if you approached the waitlist the right way — by submitting a powerful and compelling Letter of Enthusiasm — then you’ve got a real shot of getting off that list.

As Ivy Coach is quoted today in a piece for CNBC by Darla Mercado entitled “If you have been wait-listed at your dream college, it may be time to cut bait,” “By now, seniors who were wait-listed in the spring should have submitted a compelling ‘letter of enthusiasm’ to the college to let them know why they want to attend, said Brian Taylor, managing director of Ivy Coach. ‘Many students make the mistake of presenting themselves as well-rounded,’ he said. Instead, wait-listed applicants should aim for specificity. ‘You have to say how you’ll contribute to that school and what do they stand to gain by having you,’ Taylor said. Students can also share the letter with their high school counselor and ask him or her to make an advocacy call to the college. Avoid being too pushy. ‘Applicants will send family photos, they’ll camp outside of the admissions office — this hurts your chances when you’re wait-listed,’ Taylor said.”

What You Can Do Now If You Wish to Transfer Colleges

We happen to agree with ourselves. If you’re a waitlisted student hoping to improve your chances of admission to elite colleges, there is absolutely nothing we can do for you at this point. Nada. You’ve waited too long. We can’t help you. If you’re a student who finds yourself unhappy with the college(s) to which you’ve earned admission and wish to transfer after your first year, we can help you and now is an opportune time to get started strategizing on your case for transfer admission. We begin with a Postmortem Evaluation. If you’re interested in a Postmortem Evaluation, kindly complete our free consultation form. Indicate Postmortem Evaluation at the bottom. And we’ll then be in touch.