Unpopular Opinion: Don’t keep your hopes up on a waitlist.

-->

Author’s Note: Today’s going to be a bit depressing, just starting out. But remember that this series is unpopular opinion; it’s how I feel about something after going through the process myself and helping others. Don’t take this as law, if it doesn’t work for you don’t do it. That being said, lets move on.

Your decisions have finally come in, and, alas, you have received a spot on the waitlist from your very top choice school.

You don’t know what to do. You’re not in… but it’s not a full-blown rejection either… So you know you’re not happy but you’re also not terribly sad. It’s a weird limbo space. One that, unfortunately, is going to require you to wait and wait and wait some more. More uncertainty. More checking your phone and email constantly. Just… more waiting.

So what should you do if you’re waitlisted?

First of all, ask yourself the question: If I got in here, would I 100% go?

If the answer is yes, send back that post-card or email accepting your place on the waitlist.

If the answer is no, it might be best to put it aside in your head and deny your spot.

Why?

Because the anxiety of waiting for something that probably won’t happen might hurt more than closing that door altogether. You may very well be better off denying that spot on the waitlist and focusing on the for sure things than waiting around to hear back. If a school is not absolutely your first choice, you might be better off saving yourself the heartache of sitting on a waitlist.

What do you mean, probably won’t happen?

Waitlists are created with the hope that they wont be used. Schools have a complex calculation of approximately how many people accept their offers of acceptance, and use that to send out enough acceptances to fill their class. The waitlist is a backup in case not enough admitted students enroll.

Very few people are actually admitted off of waitlists. Some smaller schools accept as few as 3 or 4 students off of their waitlists, while the higher end of the spectrum have about 70 or 80 accepted.

That’s out of hundreds or thousands of students on the waitlist.

So what should I do?

Take a waitlist as a nice rejection. There was nothing wrong with you, you were certainly qualified, but nothing gave you that tip factor into the admit pile. You’re gently rejected. The “oh I would if I could”

But they probably can’t. So don’t get your hopes up too too high.

I would say that if you were only accepted to your safety schools and waitlisted by all of your “matches” (insert skepticism, a raised eyebrow, and the thought that “high matches are not matches” here), accept spots on your matches’ waitlists. If you really feel that your offers are subpar, you should try your luck with a waitlist. But remember, your chances are slim on a waitlist.

But this isn’t the only case where you can accept a waitlist spot:

You should accept a spot on a waitlist if you desperately want to attend a school. If you cant shut the door in your heart, take that spot.
BUT
Find and commit to other things as well.

Still go to admitted student’s days for the schools you did get into. Put down a deposit on the one that is best for you. Buy the apparel, stalk the incoming student’s group, and declare your undying love to your future home on facebook.
Don’t count on the waitlist coming through.

It might, but don’t count on it happening.

My biggest piece of advice for waitlists is, even if you end up taking a place on a waitlist, treat it as a closed door in your mind. Eliminate the possibility of attending that school. Because sitting around waiting for the waitlist is going to get you nowhere fast.

Be excited for the opportunities you’ve been given, don’t sit around hoping for the one in a million chances.