What does it mean to be waitlisted?

What Does It Mean To Be Waitlisted?

by Megan Briggs

Applying to colleges is a convoluted process, and it can be even more confusing when you’re not in on the lingo. As a senior in high school that just recently submitted 14 college applications, I’m going to break down a few items you may encounter that I was in the dark about beginning my senior year. In my first post of this series, I dug into what a likely letter was, and gave some background on different types of admissions. Recently I also explained letters of continued interest, or LOCIs (something that may be helpful to know about in case you get waitlisted). Today’s topic is about the ominous waitlist.

It’s that tortuous time of year- admissions decisions season! I’ve been receiving letters all month and still have 9 colleges to hear from, so I know the struggle of the waiting game. Although you may be expecting to receive a straight acceptance or rejection, there is another possibility: each year, a number of applicants find themselves on the waitlist.

First of all, you should feel proud if you’re on the waitlist of your dream college! The admissions committee feels you’re a strong applicant that would be able to handle the rigor of their college. Unfortunately, there’s a limited number of spots available in an incoming class, and for whatever reason, you didn’t make the cut. Don’t dwell on it; when it comes to selective colleges, plenty of qualified, talented students don’t get accepted because there’s simply not enough space.

If you got on the waitlist, you may still get accepted. The likeliness of an applicant getting off of the waitlist is usually fairly low, but it varies for each college so it’s wise to do some research on your particular college and see what they did in recent years. While there is always a chance, you should secure a backup plan regardless. This means deciding what college to go to from your other options and planning your future there. Even if you’ve been waitlisted at your dream college, you have so much to look forward to, so get swept away in the excitement of the college you choose! If you eventually do get accepted off of the waitlist, congratulations! But in the event you don’t, you know you have an excellent safety net anyway that you will be happy with.

Stay tuned for the next post on all the obscure yet essential things to know about applying to college!

TL;DR: Being waitlisted is by no means the end of the road, but you should be prepared in the event of a rejection anyways.