I've been Waitlisted, now what??

While it can be discouraging to get a waitlist notification, keep in mind that you are STILL in the running. That’s the good news! The school liked your application enough to keep you on the docket, but there are a multitude of reasons why you could have been waitlisted and unless the school offers you feedback (most don’t), you won’t know exactly why. 

In some cases, applicants are waitlisted because the application may have had some weak spots that were concerning the school. Or perhaps individual admissions committee members disagreed about how the essays hit them. Some may have been on board with what the applicant was saying, and some may have been put off by the application. It is not as unusual for admissions committees to disagree on applicants as most think it is.

At the end of the day, programs will waitlist applicants who they generally like but just don’t have enough room for…or don’t know that they will have room for unless already accepted applicants bow out. This is how the waiting game starts. Once the news gets back to the school from students who have chosen to go elsewhere, then usually they start pulling applicants off of the waitlist. 

So what should you do if you’re put on the waitlist? 

First and foremost, read the waitlist notification you received and follow the instructions! If the school says they do not accept any additional materials, do not send any additional materials. Do not call or email the school daily and ask for updates. If you are selected, trust us - they will let you know! 

If your school asks for certain additional items, follow those instructions and only send the items they are asking for. Often these include a LOCI (Letter of Continued Interest), additional recommendations, an updated resume, or other additional essays. 

Before you start sending any additional materials, we suggest having an expert or trusted resource (someone who knows about admissions) look at the materials you have already sent in to the school and help you find the gaps in your work. Then, if you are allowed to submit more materials, make sure those materials help fill in any question marks, concerns, or gaps that the school might be seeing in your work. We recommend having a trusted outside source help you with this because it’s very difficult to be objective about your own materials. 

Once you have determined what updates to send in, start crafting! Make sure your materials fill in the gaps, but are also well-crafted and timely! Some programs may even ask that you send in your waitlist materials within a certain amount of time so be sure you are adhering to those instructions. 

It is a balance, however. You want to take enough time to craft thoughtful materials, but also keep your eye on the clock so the schools know that you’re still interested. If your schools have not suggested a timeframe, we would suggest sending in your waitlist materials within about 2 weeks from the date in which you received the waitlist notification. 

Lastly, if you have been accepted or waitlisted and have no intention of attending that program, please also notify those programs in a timely manner. You’ll free up that space for another candidate who is eagerly waiting and we know that you’d want someone else to do the same for you!