Is waitlist worse than rejection?

Getting on a waitlist is not a rejection — waitlisted students still have a shot at earning admission to the school. College waitlist statistics from the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) show that 43% of postsecondary institutions used a waitlist during the 2018-19 school year.

How bad is being waitlisted?

Being waitlisted isn't terrible if you can be patient and have a backup plan. Alternatively, you can choose to back out and move on. If you were waitlisted by one of your reach schools, you might have already been planning for the alternatives. So usually, being waitlisted isn't bad.

How likely is it to get accepted after being waitlisted?

According to recent data from the National Association of College Admissions Counseling, colleges on average admit 20% of students off the waitlist. At the most selective institutions, that figure was 7%.

Does waitlisted mean declined?

No. Being waitlisted means you have met the requirements, but you will be admitted only if a spot in the incoming class becomes available for you. If a college has rejected your application for not meeting its requirements, you will not be added to their waitlist.

Which is worse deferred or waitlisted?

In general, you can assume that your odds are better if you've been deferred rather than waitlisted. Deferred students are reconsidered during the regular decision round and should have about the same chance as other regular decision applicants.

What to Do If You're Waitlisted | The Princeton Review

Is a waitlist a soft rejection?

As decisions keep rolling out, I know you might have some questions. First, a note: I know getting that waitlist decision can be painful. It is, in lots of ways, a soft rejection and that's by far the healthiest way to look at it, but that's also what makes it sting even more.

Is it better to be waitlisted or rejected?

Remember that if you have been waitlisted or deferred, it does not mean you have been rejected admission. It's as if you have been asked to stay in the waiting room a little longer, pending an ultimate decision. As with any waiting period, use the time wisely.

Is there a downside to accepting waitlist?

Being waitlisted is a gray area; you're not rejected, but it will be much later in the spring before you learn if you have been accepted. It's necessary to take into account that the chances of being admitted off the waitlist at a highly selective college are pretty slim.

Is getting waitlisted impressive?

Getting waitlisted at a college certainly isn't a bad thing—your application was good enough to not get rejected! —but it's definitely an uncomfortable place to be. After all, when you're on the college waitlist, you don't know whether you'll be admitted or not, and that alone is anxiety-inducing.

Why did I get waitlisted instead of accepted?

Colleges have a limited number of seats each year given physical space requirements or to maintain faculty-to-student ratios, so some students are put on a waitlist in case enrollment spots open up. Universities offer some applicants spots on the waitlist during the regular decision round of admission.

Is it worth it to be waitlisted?

While the percentage rates do vary from year to year, it is safe to say that wait-listed students should have a backup plan in place. If the letter that you receive tells you that you are high in the ranking pool, you have a higher chance of getting accepted.

How can I increase my chances of getting off the waitlist?

How many colleges should you apply too?

There is no magic number, but five to eight applications are usually enough to ensure that a student is accepted into a suitable institution (depending, of course, on the individual student's record and circumstances).

Do colleges waitlist overqualified applicants?

While there is some anecdotal evidence that overqualified students get rejected, these students aren't usually turned down because of their better-than-average grades or test scores. Most likely, the overqualified student isn't the right fit for a school or they haven't shown enough interest to admission officers.

How long should a waitlist letter be?

A Waitlist Appeal Letter should be between 500-650 words (the length of a Personal Statement) and include the following: Specific after specific of how a student is going to contribute their singular hook to an institution through the school's programs, institutes, activities, culture, traditions, etc.

How long does it take for a college to accept or reject you?

The average turnaround time for an admissions decision for schools with rolling admissions is four to six weeks, though in some cases students might have to wait longer. For regular decision candidates, the wait is more like eight to 12 weeks. Students handle that waiting period differently, experts say.

What percent of people get off waitlist?

While many colleges will waitlist hundreds or even thousands of students, not all of those students will accept a spot on the waitlist, making the pool and the chances of getting in slightly better in some cases. According to NACAC, 20% of all students who chose to remain on waitlists were ultimately admitted.

What should I do if I got waitlisted?

Contact the admissions office or check the college's website to find out if the college ranks waitlisted students or if it has a priority list. If you rank higher, you'll have a greater chance of getting off the waitlist. But some colleges may neither rank waitlisted students nor accept them by priority.

Do colleges tell you why they rejected you?

While colleges are not likely to share their specific reasons for rejecting an application, colleges do tell you if they rejected you. For students wondering what to do if you get rejected from all colleges, you may want to consider taking a gap year and reapplying next year.

Can a college accept you after being denied?

It's possible to reapply to a college after getting rejected, but that doesn't mean you should do it. Why not? To start, the odds of getting accepted your second time around are pretty low.

Do rejections or acceptances come first?

Universities typically send out acceptance letters before sending out rejection letters. This allows them to prioritize their accepted students while also providing them with enough time to make a decision. Rejection letters are usually sent out after the majority of acceptance letters have been distributed.

Do rejections take longer than acceptance?

Rejection emails often take longer than offer emails because they require more careful consideration and communication. When a company sends an offer, they typically have already made the decision to hire the candidate and are eager to communicate the good news.

Is 18 colleges too many to apply to?

While there's no cap on the number of schools you can apply to, some students, especially those from affluent backgrounds who want to go to a selective college, can go overboard, applying to more than 20 or 30 colleges. Personally, I would strongly discourage any student from applying to more than 15 colleges.

Is applying to 20 colleges bad?

Having a lengthy list of colleges is not necessarily a bad thing, but applying to too many schools can be both time-consuming and expensive. When it comes to application fees, cost can quickly add up. I would suggest aiming for a balanced college list, typically around 8-12 schools.

Can applying to too many colleges hurt your chances?

The College Board recommends that high school seniors narrow down their application list to five to eight schools. It's okay to stray a little outside this range, but as a general rule of thumb you should aim to reach those numbers because sending more than ten applications can have drastic consequences.