Dos and Don’ts After Receiving A Waitlist Result From A University

University results do not always come in the binary of acceptances and rejections. Universities often hand out several waitlist results to applicants. The rationale for this is quite simple. Each university hands out more offer letters than it can accommodate students. This is based on the fact that all offer letters will convert to admissions. A student who has gotten three offer letters can only choose one university to attend. Hence the offer letters released by the other two universities are not utilised by this particular student.

Consequently, the number of offer letters rejected per university decreases as we go down a ranking list for universities. This implies that universities that are more prestigious or higher up in a ranking list typically receive low rejections by students. Even though this is the reality, a university cannot hand out more offer letters than it can handle students (this would create serious problems for the university facilities on the off chance all students accept their offer letters).

Hence the university faces a predicament– it has to fill its seats to optimum capacity without running the risk of accepting more students than it can accommodate. Waitlist offers or deferral offers seek to resolve this particular issue. If a student is offered a waitlist offer or a deferral offer from a university it implies that whilst the student has not been accepted into the university yet, the student is eligible for selection if the seats are unoccupied at a later stage in the admissions season. Hence a university can have a waitlist of students who are keen to be a part of its student body that it can invite for admissions as need be.

From the student’s perspective, this leads to a couple of important questions and decisions. Students must seek to optimise their options which implies that students should seek the best possible university they can attend whilst also having secure safety options where admission has already been confirmed by paying deposits. Waitlist offer letters should not be approached with absolute optimism (which would lead to students not accepting full offers from lower-ranked or less preferred universities), nor should they be discarded and not followed through (due to the low chances of eventual entry).

Do’s and Don'ts After Receiving a Waitlist Result

Do Reserve Your Seat At Another University

Whilst a student may have received a waitlist offer from the university of their dreams, it continues to be important to secure admissions at a university which has already confirmed your acceptance. Not taking up primary offers due to the possibility of cracking waitlists is not a prudent decision, especially if the university that has waitlisted a student is a prestigious one (where the waitlist confirmation rate is very low due to the low availability of seats). Hence an existing offer must be taken up by paying the required deposit, even as you wait to convert the waitlist offer into an acceptance letter. Students may end up losing out on the non-refundable deposit (about $500 - $1000) at the initial university where they have confirmed their acceptance, but this is a small price to pay for the flexibility and security that this route offers to students.

Also Read | Solve The Conundrum Of Pursuing Undergraduate Or Postgraduate Degree Abroad

Do Submit Additional Documents As Required Or Recommended

To keep a sense check on the number of waitlisted students who are still keen to seek admission into a university, the university invites different documents from students through which students demonstrate their continued interest in studying at a particular university. The most common approach to this is demanding a ‘Letter of Continued Interest’ or ‘LoCIs’ through which universities not only access a student’s continued willingness but also their personality and character. These written pieces may have a serious consequence on the final admission decision hence it is important for students to approach these pieces with the highest level of prudence. Submitting high-quality essays or additional documents is highly recommended to convert a prestigious waitlist to a sought-after offer.

Choosing the right university is a very personal decision that is dependent on several internal and external factors.

Don’t Lose Hope

Waitlist offers are often interpreted as rejections by students. Whilst the conversion rate of waitlist offers is low for the most highly ranked universities, there is still a long way to go and a lot to achieve. Students should not lose hope of acceptance and continue trying by submitting required or recommended documents and attending virtual university events to register their presence and interest. Moreover, the acceptance that one has received may turn out to lead to a more fruitful and holistic undergraduate experience even if the university objectively has a lower rank as per some parameters (all of which might not be relevant or important to each unique student).

Do Attend University Events And Workshops

It is very common for universities to host webinars and workshops for incoming and waitlisted students after the decisions have been released. Superficially, it provides an opportunity for students to understand a university more intricately and personally whilst helping them decide on their ultimate decision or plan for the next three or four years in a particular university campus. However, it is known that universities leverage these events to understand who amongst the waitlisted students is most keen and deserving of converting their offer into an acceptance. To create a positive impression, it is advised to not only attend these meetings regularly but also be an active participant in them in such a way that demonstrates your interests and personality and also shows enthusiasm towards the campus and culture of a particular university.

Also Read | Studying Abroad After Class 10: Things To Keep In Mind

Do Not Spam A University With Communication

It is common for any student to reach out to a university to identify the status of one’s application (or waitlist) and identify the next steps to improve chances of acceptance. Then, students also seek guidance on submitting additional documentation and attending university events online. Whilst an ongoing email chain with the relevant admissions team of a university definitely helps, bombarding the university with questions and documents (especially if they have not been sought) is not a good idea. This leaves a poor impression in the admissions committees’ minds and reduces the possibility of eventual acceptance. It is important to contain excitement and nervousness and take these things one step at a time.

Also Read | Difference Between Colleges and Universities in the Context of Overseas Education

Choosing the right university is a very personal decision that is dependent on several internal and external factors. Pursuing and converting waitlists is definitely a contributor to accessing higher-ranked and more prestigious universities. Hence it becomes important to fine-tune actions and take the correct and required steps in the short period of time that follow waitlist offers prior to final university decisions.