- Identify Possible Application Weaknesses
It is important that your child start reflecting any weaknesses in their application to see if they could find a way of compensating them. In rare cases, some admission committees will be more than willing to share the weaknesses in your child’s application, but this is only when directly contacted. However, it would be best if your child relies on his or her introspection and find out what weaknesses were in his or her application.
One of the most common reasons why your child’s application could be waitlisted is that they didn’t have a clear personal story to tell. It could be that other applicants were able to nail this down. A compelling story will give some confidence to the university that your child is unique and they can have an impact in the school. So if your child’s application lacked a compelling story, it is crucial that he or she finds a way of addressing it.
Your child can also opt for an alumni interview. This is crucial because someone who has passed through the school is more likely to know the ins and outs of the school and could be a big stepping stone as far as your child’s application is concerned. It is important to take note that your child should not write a totally different PS. Instead, they should present a new anecdote.
Sometimes, the reason for your child’s application being thrown to the waitlist pool could be that he or she did not give an elaborate, multi-year commit to a specific pursuit. If that is the case, your child needs to brainstorm some of the accomplishments he or she has then update them on the waitlist letter.
If your child’s application landed on the waitlist because of his academics, make sure that your child works hard and consider retaking the SAT or ACT. But it is also important to ensure that your child’s college accepts reviewing new test scores.
- Adopt the Positive Mindset
You don’t have to think that you are in dire straits if you don’t secure a chance in your preferred college. You need to have a positive mindset and never act like you have lost everything if you don’t get admitted into your best college. After all, your dreams won’t be shattered just because you got into the waitlist of a specific college.
It doesn’t matter what you wanted to study – whether you wanted to pursue computer science, engineering, law, political science, architecture, psychology, biology or any other major, you will still meet the best professors in other colleges. So there is no need to fret about you not securing a place in one of your best colleges. The point is that your path to success will still be as clear as it was before.
Even as you wait for the admission committee of your preferred college, it is still essential that you submit a deposit in the college your child’s application was accepted. This will let your child have an alternative even if he or she doesn’t get off the waitlist.
If your child doesn’t receive an offer from his preferred college, don’t go on grieving. Instead, let him move on and prepare to join his second choice college. Failing to get a chance in his most preferred college doesn’t mean the end of life. Your child can still achieve his dreams in whatever college he attends as long as he puts in the required amount of efforts.
Writing Your Waitlist Letter
If your child applied through the early decision or early action policies, and his or her application is deferred to the regular decision category, your child can still follow these steps to send an update letter to the college.
Goals of the waitlist letter
There are two specific goals a waitlist letter must achieve, which is:
- Your child should be able to show that he is still interested in joining the college.
- Iron the weaknesses that were in the application.
It is also important that your child creates her story around a theme to ensure that it is relatable and interesting. Of course, this can be challenging to your child, but encourage her, but you can encourage her to try her best.
For example, your child could point out that she took part in the community service project after a disaster that occurred in your town.
It is all about being creative with your achievements and how you managed to attain them. Every story can be memorable and interesting as long as it is built around a theme.
How to Structure Your Waitlist Letter
- Introduction
First, begin by thanking the admissions committee for reviewing your application while emphasizing on your commitment to the school.
- Mention new accomplishments not included in the original application
You need to convince the school that they did the right thing by reconsidering your application. As such, explain how you’ve improved on your weaknesses since the initial application. Perhaps you might also say how you intend to contribute to the school both in academics and extracurricular activities.
Meanwhile, mention the specific subjects that troubled you before and include the test scores in the letter. Also, if you’re fairly active in extracurricular activities and your skills have incredibly improved, mention that in your letter as well.
And like I mentioned before, you need to have a unique personality. Imagine yourself in ten years to come or two years before and put it in writing. This will not only make your application a standout, but also a memorable one. But how do you make your application memorable? Briefly tell your personal story or learning experience and how you intend to accomplish them in the future.
For instance, say how you spend a memorable holiday at your uncle’s place, how you interacted with his family for the first time, and some of the things you learnt from them, which eventually you developed passion for. If say you developed passion for table tennis, tell the school how you intend to implement your skills to other students and the community at large.
It is worth noting, however, that your accomplishments should include a maximum of two themes so that you can extensively discuss each of them. Also, ensure not to repeat yourself by emphasizing on something you had previously updated in your initial application because the admission committee are already aware of all that.
- Your child’s interest in the college
It is important that your child gives the aspects that make the college appeal to them. Your child can point out the general mission and vision of the school, or maybe explain that they have gotten a feel of how good the university is through an alumni, and give references to specific extracurricular activities that the college offers.
If your child had a conversation with a current student a month before receiving the waitlist notice, let them feel free to mention it in their waitlist letter. Maybe through the conversation, your child got attracted to how good the housing system is at the college, which makes them feel that that college is the best.
Finally, it is important that your child elaborates why they are happy with some of the special mentions. In summary, you want to be very honest with yourself about joining the college. Let your child make it seem like this is their dream college and that they cannot afford to lose it. But let it don’t seem as if your child is desperate to join the institution.
Additional tips for the waitlist letter
- It is important to be as concise as possible. You don’t want to be too wordy and you shouldn’t. So summarize your story by only including the most important parts.
- In your waitlist letter, make sure you maintain a respectful and professional tone and don’t try to pour out your anger for not getting accepted on the first round.
- If your child’s test scores were affected by some unavoidable circumstances, it is important that he mentions that. It can help the college admission reconsider your application if it is genuine. It could be that your child was ill or he had to assume the responsibility of a family member.
Wrap Up
Once your child has submitted a waitlist letter, it is important that he/she focuses on how he’ll make his college experience a better one, regardless of where he lands.
Also, your child should find out what colleges accepted his application and make sure to submit his deposit before the deadline, which is 1rst of May. The waitlist decisions always come after the May deadline, so that means that your child will lose his deposit if he is accepted by the college that waitlisted him.
If by bad luck your child doesn’t get off the waitlist, but still wants to attend his dream college, let him join the college he was accepted in then transfer to his dream college after one or two years. Honestly, that is way better than having false hopes that your child’s best university could still admit him the following year.
It is advisable that your child gets right into college after high school instead of wasting time at home waiting for his preferred college to accept him. Lastly, it is important to note that missing out on your child’s dream college isn’t the end of the road. He or she still has a bright future whether or not he joins another college.