Q: I've been waitlisted at my first choice school. What do I do now?

A: The first thing you need to do is to focus on the schools where you were accepted. You need to make a decision by May 1, long before you are likely to hear about a waitlist offer. And choose carefully -- the harsh reality is that it is far more likely that you will be attending that college than getting off the waitlist at another.

There are many, many colleges that place a huge number of students on the waitlist -- sometimes over half of the students that applied. And they often only accept a small fraction of those on the waitlist, if any. Your odds are not good. 

Q: How do I know what my number on the waitlist is?

A: A common misconception is that college waiting lists operate like the queue at the deli. That is not the case. Colleges use their waitlist to fill specific slots. After May 1, they take a look at the composition of the enrolled class. Some years the college enrolls more students than they have room for. If that is the case, then no one gets off the waitlist. Other years, they don't quite get the numbers right. Then, the waitlist becomes one last attempt to shape their perfect class. More males than females? Low on Humanities majors? Bassoonists? Legacies? Poets? The admissions team determines what they are looking for and offers spots to students fitting that criteria. 

Q: I still want to try. Any advice to increase my chances?

A: If there is one piece of advice that we hear from college admission reps over and over again, it's that the student (not the parent) needs to let the college know that they are still very interested and will enroll if taken off the waitlist. The college doesn't want to waste time contacting students who may not take them up on the offer. It is far easier to go with a student that is a "sure thing."