Anonymous wrote:I have a related question…why do some colleges directly put ED applicants on the waiting list instead of deferring them to the regular round?

Early years of travel/club sports were good training for this. We had more than one coach tell us “we won’t send rejections, we will email callbacks.” You learned early on a callback was a rejection and the roster was already full. They were keeping you hanging only if someone on their roster dropped out unexpectedly and they could hit you up for $$$$. It’s the exact same thing.

It’s basically a rejection either way. You are waiting to see if someone drops out.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a related question…why do some colleges directly put ED applicants on the waiting list instead of deferring them to the regular round?

who else does this besides Chapel Hill?

Chapel Hill doesn’t have ED.

Anonymous wrote:I have a related question…why do some colleges directly put ED applicants on the waiting list instead of deferring them to the regular round?

who else does this besides Chapel Hill?

Most schools go to the waiting list in some way every year.

There will always be someone who is overly dramatic, claiming that this year is worse or better than the past.

There is no point in trying to guess in January about what will happen in May.

I have a related question…why do some colleges directly put ED applicants on the waiting list instead of deferring them to the regular round?

Thoughts? This is an impossible question to answer. There are hundreds of schools, each with their own approach to admissions.

You’re deluding yourself if you think there are trends or predictions to be had.

Last year there were some last minute internationals jumping ship but actually not that many. Several colleges (Dartmouth, etc) did not go the waitlist at all. There was supposed to be some big Harvard waitlist all summer because of internationals and it never came. They admitted like 3 kids in August and that was that.

What happened is that some some top20 schools did really weird enrollment management. Brown was one--they under admitted like 300 kids vs the previous year and then had to go to the waitlist for almost 500 to full these spots. So this in and of itself caused 300 kids to leave other top schools which meant a snow-ball effect of more movement.

Anonymous wrote:Many more flat out rejections and deferrals on the early rounds this year. App numbers early were also greater than last year.

People have been saying this every year since Covid. Each year since 2022 actually seems a bit better than the last.

Many more flat out rejections and deferrals on the early rounds this year. App numbers early were also greater than last year.

Anonymous wrote:Unless something dramatic happens, it will not be like last year. Trump’s actions after acceptances went out changed entirely the international student calculus. That’s already baked in for this year.

It’s quite possible Trump will again cause chaos that in one way or another impacts college admissions.

No way to predict the future. But stay flexible and keep an open mind. If your kid wants to get in off a waitlist, have them advocate for themself (LOCI plus everything else you can think of) and plan to hang in until the very end!

How are any of us supposed to predict the future or know this?

Que sera sera

Totally depends on the school and it’s too early to tell. But I wouldn’t count on it.

No one can predict the future.

If your DC is interested in certain reach schools, submit an applicaiton no matter what. Conversion will never happen if you don't have an application there.

Unless something dramatic happens, it will not be like last year. Trump’s actions after acceptances went out changed entirely the international student calculus. That’s already baked in for this year.

Wondering if we are looking at a similar situation to last year where kids came off waitlists, often at the last minute? Any thoughts?