Being placed on the waitlist isn’t the best news you receive from the admission office but it is not the worst either. Here are five proven strategies that can get you off the college waitlist:
- Confirm your spot promptly: The first and foremost thing is to decide whether you wish to give up a guaranteed spot at another school for the possibility of being accepted from the waitlist. Act quickly, if you choose to wait. For the same, you need to actively confirm your interest by responding to the waitlist through a formal reply form or via email by the specified deadline as simply receiving a waitlist notice does not automatically mean you have accepted your spot. This approach will showcase your determination and eagerness to attend to the admission committee.
- Send a Letter of Continued Interest: Once you have confirmed your spot, craft a strong, concise, and well-written Letter of Continued Interest that includes your new academic, extracurricular, and intellectual accomplishments since your application was first reviewed, showcasing your enthusiasm to attend the school, conveying your ongoing growth, expressing your understanding of why the institution a good fit for you, and reaffirming to the admission committee why you are a strong candidate for their program.
- Update Your Application: Mention any webinars you have attended, courses you have completed, internships you have pursued, awards you have earned, any significant projects you have accomplished, NGOs you have volunteered at, or research papers you have authored. Moreover, discuss how you addressed your shortcomings. For instance- you might have taken a Math class to improve your quantitative analysis score. Relate these accomplishments to the ethos of your targeted school by highlighting key takeaways from your endeavors and showcasing how they convinced you that your target school is uniquely positioned to help you achieve your goals.
- Get an Additional Recommendation Letter: An additional Letter of Recommendation can offer new insights into your recent academic and extracurricular achievements and improvements in skills like leadership and teamwork, not highlighted in your original application. This document can address perceived gaps in your application, distinguishing you from the pool of waitlisted candidates and demonstrating your continuous commitment to growth and learning.
- Demonstrate Engagement and Interest: To demonstrate your engagement and interest, participate in the webinars or virtual events the school hosts for waitlisted applicants. These events will allow you to ask questions and interact with admissions officers, providing invaluable insights into the waitlist process and how the school evaluates waitlisted candidates. This approach will enable you to work on factors that can improve your candidacy and show your proactive nature and continued interest in the program.
In a nutshell, it is important to act with patience and implement the right tools and proactive strategies in these uncertain times, to navigate this challenge with confidence and tact.