College and Universities Waiting List

Many students wonder what exactly been put on the wait list for a college really means. The school does not really accept or reject you, but just kind of put you on hold. Will they eventually accept you? Are they going to call you tomorrow in reject you? Do you still apply to other colleges? Do you call the college admissions officer and ask them what you can do to change their mind? These and many more questions should be on your mind, as well as you working on answers for them.The wait list basically tells you that you are not the best applicant, yet you are not the worst. They have better choices than you at this moment. That can change from day to day. This all depends on how many of the acceptance letters sent out to other students get accepted. Many top league schools will not have a problem getting people to attend their college. If they are not a top college or Ivy League university, the chances of students who have been accepted attending college elsewhere, goes up. You really just have to wait and see what happens.Colleges usually create a wait list for three general reasons.The first reason is to create a supplemental acceptance list. Many colleges will intentionally except fewer students than they need to fill the freshman class. This is done in anticipation of other students who might apply. If a college has a 30% acceptance ratio to all of its applicants, they will usually send out fewer applications then needed. This way, if more than 30% of students accept their invitation to attend college, they are not stuck having to turn some students away that they do not have room for.Colleges use the wait list as a hedge against having a bad year at the college. If the college has less than the average 30% of students attending, then they will need a backup plan to fill the remaining spots. The wait list is a backup plan for them. They put extra people on the list because they know other students will go ahead and commit to other colleges and universities. So for example, a university might put 100 students on the list that is basically on hold. If the university need 50 of those students, then it is likely at least half of the students on the wait list have already chosen another college. By putting more students on the wait list then they need, they create a hedge.Last, but not least, colleges and universities put students on a wait list to make them feel better when they do get accepted. Generally, most colleges and universities will not need to admit anyone off of their wait list. However, in the rare situation they do, that particular student will feel extra special when they get the phone call.