Ivy Waitlist

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DC is on a couple Ivy waitlists and it's ridiculous. I know that the likelihood is slim to none, but I still hold out some hope. It's a real schizo state to be in. It makes me question why Ivy's need such a buffer to protect their yield??? And yet, here we are, trying to get in. Ugh. I wish there were some college admissions reform that provides feedback as to why your DC did not get in. I mean they spend so much time on their applications, ECs, grades, etc...I think it's the least colleges can do! Venting.

The reason your child didn’t get it was there were just too many qualified applicants. In many cases, there was nothing you could have done to present a stronger application, it was just a number’s problem. Students and parents need to understand this going in and not let students believe it is an indication of true academic excellence. You can be excellent and not get into an Ivy.
Also, they don’t have time to provide feedback to each student that applies (some schools have over 50k applications.)

[Anonymous]

I’ve known several kids waitlisted at Brown (2018 and 2020) who got in off the waitlist. And in my circle, there aren’t many kids going to an Ivy or even making a waitlist. So the waitlist there is real and does move.

[Anonymous]

Waitlists aren’t numbered, they can pick anyone for any reason so no point in waiting. Mine voluntarily pulled his names and committed to best option on the table and never looked back. Has no regrets.

[Anonymous]

If you are on waitlist, you know you are as eligible as others but just not as lucky.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are on waitlist, you know you are as eligible as others but just not as lucky.

Yes. This.

It is a lottery.

It's hard for people on DCUM, who are extremely competitive, to realize how much college admissions have changed since they went to college.

I went to two Ivies, and my kid was rejected by both. My kid has much better stats, ECs, etc., and quite frankly is far better prepared for college than I was.

But times have changed. My kid is going to a great college, just not as prestigious as the one I attended.

[Anonymous]

Here's a weird Q. If a university admits fewer initially and draws on waitlist more, would that help their yield go up (like ED) because all the WL admits would say Yes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here's a weird Q. If a university admits fewer initially and draws on waitlist more, would that help their yield go up (like ED) because all the WL admits would say Yes?

It definitely helps their acceptance rate (lower acceptance rate and therefore more "exclusive") because they would have accepted fewer students and placed the rest in the waitlist pool. I guess it would also help their yield if the waitlisted student does not have other offers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's a weird Q. If a university admits fewer initially and draws on waitlist more, would that help their yield go up (like ED) because all the WL admits would say Yes?

It definitely helps their acceptance rate (lower acceptance rate and therefore more "exclusive") because they would have accepted fewer students and placed the rest in the waitlist pool. I guess it would also help their yield if the waitlisted student does not have other offers.

I was thinking that they feel this out w/ WL kids through LOCI etc before saying yes to them. They want to make sure the answer will be yes when they offer.

[Anonymous]

Do they ever accept if a child didn’t submit a LOCI? DC is on the waitlist for Princeton and hasn’t submitted one.

[Anonymous]

Do WL applicants offered spots count toward yield stats?

[Anonymous]

Any movement on any of the Ivy waitlists?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DC is on a couple Ivy waitlists and it's ridiculous. I know that the likelihood is slim to none, but I still hold out some hope. It's a real schizo state to be in. It makes me question why Ivy's need such a buffer to protect their yield??? And yet, here we are, trying to get in. Ugh. I wish there were some college admissions reform that provides feedback as to why your DC did not get in. I mean they spend so much time on their applications, ECs, grades, etc...I think it's the least colleges can do! Venting.

Pehaps a parental problem?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The wait list is a certificate of merit. You were close, but you didn't win.

''

Not necessarily. It really depends on the school and how well they predicted yield. As PPs have said, I would go to the CC threads for individual colleges and also reference the CDS for the past few years. Last year's CDS will probably be bad because many schools underestimated who would accept admission (of admitted students) and overenrolled. Things could change if they corrected their calculations. Who knows.

But, I don't get why people continually like to weigh in saying WL is just a "you came close." It is what it says it is, a wait list. Some places have likely little movement. Some years calculations have been off. It is fair to say that they clearly WL far more people than they will ever possibly admit.

How is this any different than "you were close, but you didn't win"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do they ever accept if a child didn’t submit a LOCI? DC is on the waitlist for Princeton and hasn’t submitted one.

Why didn't they submit? This seems like step one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC was waitlisted at an Ivy -- how long does it take for them to start reaching out and making waitlist decisions after the May 1 decision day? Do they start reaching out this week or does he have to wait another week or two before hearing?

It could take all summer OP. It really depends on the school and as others have written -- some schools will take zero kids of the WL