Parents of the High School Class of 2017/College 2021

[cats mom]

What happens when they are waitlisted?? When do you find out if you get off the waitlist???

Chiming in since I spent some time researching this when DS was waitlisted at one of his top 3 schools last year.

On average 30% of waitlisted students end up getting an admission offer (per NACAC). Of course that percentage is not set in stone, and varies not only from school to school but from year to year, but at least it gives some frame of reference.

You don't find out if you cleared the waitlist until after the SIR deadline. Makes sense since waitlisted students are filling in spots when accepted students don't enroll.

Some schools will give you an idea of where you stand on the waitlist, others won't.

DS accepted a spot on a waitlist, but went ahead and proceeded with plans to attend a backup school, which every expert source on waitlists I checked highly recommended. He did clear the waitlist and received an admission offer, but by that time he was financially and emotionally committed to the other school, so he turned down the admission off the waitlist. Honestly I think the backup school was always a better choice for him, but I'm just the parent, what do I know?

But for kids who know they want that waitlist school, there is hope.


I also have a 2017 student. She's still waiting on a couple of decisions, but she's been accepted at the same school DS is attending, and is leaning toward going there. That would make mom happy.

 

[SmallWorld71]

I know there are many 'firsts' to come, but so many 'lasts' recently. Last night was the last family band concert and Saturday he took his final bow for drama. Such an emotional roller coaster!

 

[Tinijocaro]

I know there are many 'firsts' to come, but so many 'lasts' recently. Last night was the last family band concert and Saturday he took his final bow for drama. Such an emotional roller coaster!

That is be sad to be at the last band concert. My dd had her last orch concert last year, but I'm a string teacher so I will see plenty more, without dd. I have one who will finish up with band this year, and I have a freshman band member so I have a few more years of band. Actually, dh is the director so for me, it will never end!

Anyone know the movie Caravan? DH's jazz band is doing it featuring ds on the drum solo. It's going to be amazing!

 

[aprilgail]

Well not a good night- first of the rejections came in- She did not get into her top choice school- Barnard. Her friend was waitlisted and another girl in her high school got in. I am so glad she got into Northeastern because it is easing the blow a bit- she has been in a group me with hundreds of kids that got accepted into Northeastern and they all talk a LOT in there.

 

[robinb]

Well not a good night- first of the rejections came in- She did not get into her top choice school- Barnard. Her friend was waitlisted and another girl in her high school got in. I am so glad she got into Northeastern because it is easing the blow a bit- she has been in a group me with hundreds of kids that got accepted into Northeastern and they all talk a LOT in there.

Man, I'm so sorry . I know how hard that is on our kids.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

Well not a good night- first of the rejections came in- She did not get into her top choice school- Barnard. Her friend was waitlisted and another girl in her high school got in. I am so glad she got into Northeastern because it is easing the blow a bit- she has been in a group me with hundreds of kids that got accepted into Northeastern and they all talk a LOT in there.

So sorry to hear this about her 1st choice.

 

[punkin]

Well not a good night- first of the rejections came in- She did not get into her top choice school- Barnard. Her friend was waitlisted and another girl in her high school got in. I am so glad she got into Northeastern because it is easing the blow a bit- she has been in a group me with hundreds of kids that got accepted into Northeastern and they all talk a LOT in there.

I'm sorry. That's really tough.

 

[bethbuchall]

Well not a good night- first of the rejections came in- She did not get into her top choice school- Barnard. Her friend was waitlisted and another girl in her high school got in. I am so glad she got into Northeastern because it is easing the blow a bit- she has been in a group me with hundreds of kids that got accepted into Northeastern and they all talk a LOT in there.

I'm so sorry. I know that they take it so hard. Rejection is never easy, and emotions are running so high.

 

[laughinplace199]

Well not a good night- first of the rejections came in- She did not get into her top choice school- Barnard. Her friend was waitlisted and another girl in her high school got in. I am so glad she got into Northeastern because it is easing the blow a bit- she has been in a group me with hundreds of kids that got accepted into Northeastern and they all talk a LOT in there.

I'm so sorry. It's tough when they work so hard and don't get into their top choice. Is Northeastern her next favorite? Everyone I know who goes/went to Northeastern loves it!

 

[aprilgail]

Man, I'm so sorry . I know how hard that is on our kids.

It really sucks for them when they have been working so hard towards a goal and then to be told "sorry you are not good enough"- but such is life- they have to face it and go on, they will be facing it again when its time for job searching.

I'm so sorry. It's tough when they work so hard and don't get into their top choice. Is Northeastern her next favorite? Everyone I know who goes/went to Northeastern loves it!

Nope- Brown is but the acceptance rate there is lower than Barnard I think! But Northeastern is her third choice so since she applied to 15 or 16 schools 3rd is pretty high up LOL. Honestly I think Northeastern is a better fit for her but I would not tell her that! I know she LOVES NYC and wanted to live there for school but Boston was the next place on her list she loves- Northeastern has 3 T-stops right on their campus so its easy to hop on the T and go anywhere in Boston that she wants. Since we can't make accepted students day we are going to go during april break for some accepted students talk and also schedule meetings with her counselor, financial aid and also global studies- they said she should do all that before making up her schedule the first year to make sure she has everything in line for studying abroad the following year- so that will make her happy I think.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

Well we've plunged into complete craziness this week! My DS auditioned for 10 very competitive musical theater programs. Getting into one or two would have sent him over the moon. As of this past Wednesday he had received three acceptances and one waitlist (his top choice). Yesterday he was informed that his waitlist status is now "primary alternate" status and he will receive an offer as soon as someone else turns theirs down. His audition coach told us that schools rarely get commitments from all of their first offers so being a first alternate is a very good thing. Fingers and toes crossed that a spot opens up.

In the meantime, we need to tour the other three schools. We've only actually toured his top choice since he had to audition there. The other auditions were done at unifieds in New York and LA where lots of schools come to see auditioners in one place. While waiting to see if his top choice comes through, we will be taking a whirlwind spring break trip to Pennsylvania, Florida and Colorado (we live in California). I booked a bunch of airline tickets last night and I could hear the MasterCard crying! Our trip starts April 1. Should be a wild ride!

 

[robinb]

Well we've plunged into complete craziness this week! My DS auditioned for 10 very competitive musical theater programs. Getting into one or two would have sent him over the moon. As of this past Wednesday he had received three acceptances and one waitlist (his top choice). Yesterday he was informed that his waitlist status is now "primary alternate" status and he will receive an offer as soon as someone else turns theirs down. His audition coach told us that schools rarely get commitments from all of their first offers so being a first alternate is a very good thing. Fingers and toes crossed that a spot opens up.

In the meantime, we need to tour the other three schools. We've only actually toured his top choice since he had to audition there. The other auditions were done at unifieds in New York and LA where lots of schools come to see auditioners in one place. While waiting to see if his top choice comes through, we will be taking a whirlwind spring break trip to Pennsylvania, Florida and Colorado (we live in California). I booked a bunch of airline tickets last night and I could hear the MasterCard crying! Our trip starts April 1. Should be a wild ride!

Wow, wow, wow! That sounds GREAT, even the waitlist! Good luck to him and enjoy the ride .

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

Well we've plunged into complete craziness this week! My DS auditioned for 10 very competitive musical theater programs. Getting into one or two would have sent him over the moon. As of this past Wednesday he had received three acceptances and one waitlist (his top choice). Yesterday he was informed that his waitlist status is now "primary alternate" status and he will receive an offer as soon as someone else turns theirs down. His audition coach told us that schools rarely get commitments from all of their first offers so being a first alternate is a very good thing. Fingers and toes crossed that a spot opens up.

In the meantime, we need to tour the other three schools. We've only actually toured his top choice since he had to audition there. The other auditions were done at unifieds in New York and LA where lots of schools come to see auditioners in one place. While waiting to see if his top choice comes through, we will be taking a whirlwind spring break trip to Pennsylvania, Florida and Colorado (we live in California). I booked a bunch of airline tickets last night and I could hear the MasterCard crying! Our trip starts April 1. Should be a wild ride!

Woot! Woot! Awesome news for your DS!

 

[laughinplace199]

Well we've plunged into complete craziness this week! My DS auditioned for 10 very competitive musical theater programs. Getting into one or two would have sent him over the moon. As of this past Wednesday he had received three acceptances and one waitlist (his top choice). Yesterday he was informed that his waitlist status is now "primary alternate" status and he will receive an offer as soon as someone else turns theirs down. His audition coach told us that schools rarely get commitments from all of their first offers so being a first alternate is a very good thing. Fingers and toes crossed that a spot opens up.

In the meantime, we need to tour the other three schools. We've only actually toured his top choice since he had to audition there. The other auditions were done at unifieds in New York and LA where lots of schools come to see auditioners in one place. While waiting to see if his top choice comes through, we will be taking a whirlwind spring break trip to Pennsylvania, Florida and Colorado (we live in California). I booked a bunch of airline tickets last night and I could hear the MasterCard crying! Our trip starts April 1. Should be a wild ride!

Wow! It sounds like he'll have some great choices! Good luck!

 

[laughinplace199]

DD got another "yes" tonight, so now she has 3 acceptances and 3 waitlists. Still waiting for 3 more schools, but DD is feeling a lot better knowing that she now has some choices.

 

[CT Yankee]

Just put in our deposit for Seton Hall! This was not originally DD's first choice - or even on her radar screen at first, but they gave her a nice merit award and she really liked the campus when we visited. Also the facilities and program are very well matched to what she wants to study. She got a number of acceptances but was wait listed for her first choice and finally decided to stop pursuing it. Even if they did eventually admit her, there would be little, if any, financial aid available and she said she just could not wrap her head around spending so much money (almost $70k per year all in) for a school that was not as good a match for her as Seton Hall. She also said that there is likely another "me" out there who really wants to go to the school that was her first choice and she does not want to take that person's spot. I have to admit I was very proud of her for coming up with that resolution.

I also think it is pretty cute that Seton Hall's mascot is the pirate - can't help but pick up on the POTC connection!

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

DD got another "yes" tonight, so now she has 3 acceptances and 3 waitlists. Still waiting for 3 more schools, but DD is feeling a lot better knowing that she now has some choices.

Yay! Choices are always good! Hope she gets even more good news soon.

 

[punkin]

I'm so tired....No decisions yet in this house. Niece makes one and then changes her mind 5 minutes later. I wish she'd just choose the lovely, little, affordable, nearby state school and put me out of my misery.

 

[gregokdisney]

I'm late to the party! I didn't realize this thread was here! My DD is a vocal performance major and has been accepted to three midwestern schools, including a fairly selective conservatory. However, she applied to NYU Steinhardt through their video screening in a whim, and then was invited for an in person audition which she completed on Feb. 12. We just got word that NYU will notify on March 30, so the tension level has ratcheted up here. From it being "just got fun" now it is of course her top choice. I have no experience with highly competitive schools and frankly I'm a little surprised she made it this far!

I hope everyone still waiting gets the right answer from the right school!

 

[robinb]

Chiming in since I spent some time researching this when DS was waitlisted at one of his top 3 schools last year.

On average 30% of waitlisted students end up getting an admission offer (per NACAC). Of course that percentage is not set in stone, and varies not only from school to school but from year to year, but at least it gives some frame of reference.

You don't find out if you cleared the waitlist until after the SIR deadline. Makes sense since waitlisted students are filling in spots when accepted students don't enroll.

Some schools will give you an idea of where you stand on the waitlist, others won't.

DS accepted a spot on a waitlist, but went ahead and proceeded with plans to attend a backup school, which every expert source on waitlists I checked highly recommended. He did clear the waitlist and received an admission offer, but by that time he was financially and emotionally committed to the other school, so he turned down the admission off the waitlist. Honestly I think the backup school was always a better choice for him, but I'm just the parent, what do I know?

But for kids who know they want that waitlist school, there is hope.


I also have a 2017 student. She's still waiting on a couple of decisions, but she's been accepted at the same school DS is attending, and is leaning toward going there. That would make mom happy.

Thanks for the information about waitlists! Good luck to your DD in making her decision .

Just put in our deposit for Seton Hall! This was not originally DD's first choice - or even on her radar screen at first, but they gave her a nice merit award and she really liked the campus when we visited. Also the facilities and program are very well matched to what she wants to study. She got a number of acceptances but was wait listed for her first choice and finally decided to stop pursuing it. Even if they did eventually admit her, there would be little, if any, financial aid available and she said she just could not wrap her head around spending so much money (almost $70k per year all in) for a school that was not as good a match for her as Seton Hall. She also said that there is likely another "me" out there who really wants to go to the school that was her first choice and she does not want to take that person's spot. I have to admit I was very proud of her for coming up with that resolution.

I also think it is pretty cute that Seton Hall's mascot is the pirate - can't help but pick up on the POTC connection!

Congratulations on your DD making a great choice! $70K is a ridiculous amount of money for an education and Seton Hall is a great school.

I'm so tired....No decisions yet in this house. Niece makes one and then changes her mind 5 minutes later. I wish she'd just choose the lovely, little, affordable, nearby state school and put me out of my misery.

The big reason my DD is stressed out about being waitlisted is that she wants to make an active decision between ISU/UW/UMN. I think is she were not waitlisted we would be in the exact same situation. Only 37 more days to go, LOL.