Waitlist Purgatory

The dreaded waitlist. You weren’t rejected, but you weren’t accepted either. The waitlist means the college likes you well enough, they just don’t love you enough to accept you at this time. They want to keep you hanging on until they find out if they’re loved back by the students they did choose to accept. Now the ball is in your court—let’s consider your options:

1. Hopefully you received an acceptance from another college that you like even better. Easy decision – inform the college that waitlisted you that you’re no longer interested and have made other plans.

2. You were waitlisted by your first choice school, and you’d sell your youngest sibling to go there. Easy decision – you make a deposit at one of the colleges where you were accepted and let your dream school know that you’d very much love to remain on their waitlist. Follow this up in any way they will allow—some colleges permit you to submit updates, others don’t. Check the rules and follow them.

3. You can’t decide. Tough decision – you want to be done with this “college stuff” and know where you’re going next fall. But you’d really love to go to one or more of the colleges where you were waitlisted. You still need to make a deposit at one college where you were already accepted before May 1. You can choose to remain on one or more colleges’ waitlists.

Choosing to remove yourself or stay on a waitlist seems to be more of a psychological decision than a statistical decision. The waitlist conversion to acceptance numbers, particularly at the most selective colleges and universities, aren’t very encouraging. Last year Northwestern University only accepted 2.2% of students from the waitlist, while Boston University enrolled only 7 students of over 4,000 on their waitlist. Conversely, UC Berkeley accepted 27%. Unfortunately, the past year’s statistics do not predict those of the current year.

Being accepted from a waitlist is tied entirely to the yield – the number of students who choose to attend. As an example, if a college had a yield rate of 50 percent last year and it increased to 65 percent this year, they won’t be taking anyone off the waitlist; instead, they’ll be hunting for beds for freshmen. On the other hand, when the yield shrinks, the waitlist opens up; it’s just too variable to be predictable. Waitlists are not generally ranked. Colleges use them to fill needed spots in their class— to make sure they have enough classics majors or journalists or oboe players, as well as full-pay students.

Students and families need to evaluate the impact of waitlist stress on the student at this point in the process. Some carefree students just want to find out and approach the decision in a matter-of-fact easy-going manner: “If I get in, great, if I don’t, that’s fine, too.”

But too many other students have already had their hearts broken once, or even twice, if they were first deferred and then waitlisted. Unfortunately, many students take college rejections and waitlists too personally and beat themselves up over it, sadly thinking they have disappointed their parents, or that this rejection defines who they are. It doesn’t. For many of these students, closure is a good thing. Decide between the colleges that offered you a place and get excited about the new adventures that lie ahead.

Dare to be Different

If I could give every family only one piece of advice about college admission and the college application process it would be this: Dare to be different.

Be different from the beginning – don’t wait like so many other people until the summer after junior year or, even worse, the fall of senior year to begin this process. Starting early will alleviate much of the stress that you might be witnessing in senior friends who are crunching to create lists, visit schools, write essays and complete applications.

Be different in how you prepare your college list – don’t assume a college is a great fit until you’ve done your due diligence. Stretch yourself to consider colleges beyond the “usual suspects.” Colleges read all the applications from each high school together. That means they are comparing students from the same high school with the same measuring stick. The understanding is that you’ve all had the same opportunity to take the same classes over your high school career. If hundreds of students are applying to a college from your high school and the rigor of your coursework and your test scores don’t measure up to the competition, it’s obviously going to be more challenging to be accepted. However, if you are one of a handful of students applying to a certain college, your credentials will still be compared, but your leadership or special talents may carry more weight.

Be different in the activities you choose – don’t join the Spanish Club if the only reason you want to be there is to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Follow your interests, not your friends. Find something, almost anything, that matters to you - something you care about. It could be tutoring, the environment, Boy Scouts, dance, writing a blog, starting your own business, etc., but participate for the right reasons. Your activities should tell a story about who you are and what you care about. Make them meaningful.

Be different in what you choose to write about – your essay is your best opportunity to set yourself apart in the application. It is the one area where you maintain total control. It can be a powerful tool, so use it wisely. Don’t write what you think college admission officers want to read; write what you want them to know about you. Brainstorming your essay topic is a soul-searching process. Stay away from cliché topics that anyone could write and identify something that is uniquely you

Financial Matters: Understanding Net Price

Families often experience sticker shock when contemplating the cost of college, but it’s the net price, rather than the sticker price, that prospective students need to consider. Each college publishes the Cost of Attendance (COA) for their institution. The COA includes room, board, tuition and fees, along with an estimate for books, personal expenses, and travel to and from campus. The COA is the sticker price.

Relatively few families actually pay the full COA for their child. Instead, various grants, loans, and work study earnings all affect the actual net price of college. Let’s look at the factors that affect the net price.

Net price depends upon a family’s financial situation as computed on the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), the form required by all colleges if applying for financial aid. The FAFSA will calculate an Expected Family Contribution (EFC). The actual net price, however, will be affected by the college’s financial aid policies that determine the percentage of need they will meet, and further affected by how much the college actually wants a particular student to enroll.

Need is the difference between the Cost of Attendance and Expected Family Contribution. Some colleges will meet 100% of need, while others with smaller endowments meet a lower percentage of need. When a college strongly wants to enroll a particular student (usually because of grades and test scores, or possibly because of institutional desires that might include geographic or ethnic diversity, interest in specific majors, or special skills, talents or aptitudes of the applicant), they will offer grants to make up a larger percentage of the difference between need and COA.

Your net price can be met in several ways. One component, the Expected Family Contribution (EFC), might be met through the family’s assets, college savings plans, and/or loans. A second way to meet your net price is through self-help money earned through the student’s employment, and money that a student might borrow through a federal or state loan. The third component, or GAP, is the amount of need that is unmet. GAP may be paid from family assets, income, or parental loans.

To reduce your net price, include colleges that meet a high percentage of established need and those that are generous with merit aid. Merit aid is free money provided in the form of scholarships and grants because the college is eager to enroll a particular student. Applicants are most likely to qualify for merit aid if their GPA and test scores place them in the top quarter of accepted students. Therefore, by carefully including colleges on your list that offer generous merit aid and where you will be a top applicant, you can greatly reduce the net price you will pay for education.

Student Support Services on Campus

Colleges and universities are a student’s new ‘home away from home’, and as such, must provide comprehensive support to their student body. That support comes in many different forms and knowing what is available should be part of the research a family completes before selecting a college. Support may be of several types – academic support, health and wellness support, professional support, and social support. Applicants need to have an awareness of both who they are and what they need in order to be successful as independent college students. Don’t be blinded by the beautiful buildings, the exciting faculty, and the excellent facilities; look beyond the obvious and ask lots of questions about your options, should you need some help while enrolled. Here are the main areas of support you should learn about:

Academic support: At some point during your college career, it is likely that you will find yourself in need of assistance in a particularly challenging course. Most colleges have a learning center, a writing center, and/or an academic support center that may offer a wide range of services. Ask about tutoring in specific subjects – is it free or do you have to pay? Who does the tutoring? Are there mechanisms in place to help students write both research papers and academic essays? In this same vein, ask about faculty support – do professors encourage students to meet with them and work through challenges? Are there small study groups created for students in very large lecture classes that encourage feedback, questions, and offer homework help? Some colleges also offer exam prep classes and one-on-one tutoring for student athletes. Also look at the library facilities on campus – what are their hours? Are there plenty of computers, either in the library or at a computer center, that you can use? Is there solid IT support should your own computer break down?

If you enter college with a diagnosed learning disability and know that you will require support services, it is imperative that you become familiar with the official process for requesting LD support on campus. This will require some paperwork on your part and is sometimes completed before you enroll. Does your college offer the specific assistance you require? Are there workshops available, learning specialists who understand your needs, and the appropriate facilities? Do they charge a fee?

Health and Wellness support: Just like at home, you may fall ill at some point during your college career. The most obvious support is a Student Health Center. Where is it? What are their hours? How do you get there if you are sick? Who runs the clinic and whom will you see there? Then, find out about the nearest hospital. If your illness or injury requires a hospital visit, know where it is located.

Some students enter college with a diagnosed psychological challenge – anxiety, depression or eating disorders are some common examples. Know about mental health support that you might need, including on-campus counseling, medication management, support groups and a crisis center. How easy is it to get an appointment? Do you have to be referred out to a local practitioner? Talk to your therapist at home to be sure you are asking the right questions; your mental health is an important part of your ability to transition well.

Professional support: Your goal, upon graduation, will be to enter the workforce right away or to enter post-graduate schooling. Does your college prepare you for the direction you have chosen? Is there a strong career center with connections to commerce, across the disciplines? Are there workshops offered for students that prepare them for writing resumes, conducting successful interviews, and meeting with prospective employers? Is there guidance for students seeking entry into a graduate program? Is there specific support for students bound for a professional graduate program – medical, law, dental, veterinary, physical therapy, or pharmacy school? And does the school help you find that important first job?

Social support: A lot students arrive on campus somewhat fearful and anxious about their unfamiliar new life and surroundings; it may even be your first time away from home. In order to connect quickly to your new community, does your college offer special orientation programs or academic courses just for first-year students? Does your residence hall conduct workshops for new students? Are the student clubs and organizations widely publicized and are new students encouraged to attend meetings? Finally, does the college offer a mentoring program – this is a wonderful way for a new student to be mentored by a senior student who can ‘show them the ropes’.

The Meaning of Fit

Most of us have a few pairs of shoes in our closet – shoes for sports, the beach or formal settings – and most of us have one or two pairs that we love and wear over and over. Why? Because they fit beautifully, look good, take us places, and bring us happiness. Fit is frequently referred to when speaking with students about choosing the ‘right’ college, and many of those same students are puzzled about what is the ‘right’ fit. So, as you gaze upon that favorite pair of shoes, let’s think through the puzzle.

First, get rid of the notion that you have to find that one ‘perfect’ college – there is no such thing! There are so many options for you to explore, and many of those options would give you what you seek: a great education in an area of interest that will move you forward into your first job or advanced training/education in your chosen field of study. So start with some serious self-reflection. Really think about what you want from your college experience. What matters to you and why? Where do your strengths, passions, interests, and abilities lie? Are you independent and self-sufficient or would you thrive living closer to home? What are your goals in life – money, happiness, knowledge? Consider it all and talk about it with your best friends and family - they probably have some interesting insights. You need to embark upon this journey before you start working on your college essay too.

There are some core components to a good fit that you should explore, compare and contrast in each of your colleges of interest:

Location – Consider urban, suburban, rural; close to home or far away.

Size of student body – Note both undergraduate and graduate population.

Academic options – Does the college have the major in which you have a primary interest? Are there other majors of interest should the first one not be what you want?

Diversity of students – Consider in-state, out of state, commuter campus, geographic, ethnic and religious diversity.

Extracurricular options – Investigate clubs of interest, variety of on-campus activities.

Housing – Are there options for single rooms, suites for students with shared majors/interests?

Campus ethos – Do you ‘feel’ comfortable when you walk around, eat in the dining halls, attend a class? Do Greek organizations rule the day? Is the college centered around their sports teams?

Cost of attendance – Go beyond the sticker price and ask hard questions about financial aid, merit aid, scholarships and work opportunities.

Career placement – Is there a strong career office that helps with internships and job placements?

Study abroad – Does the college encourage students to expand their horizons by studying abroad? Does it offer many study abroad programs?

So many families start and finish their exploration and research with rankings and this is a very narrow and imperfect way of finding the perfect college. In fact, a recent study conducted by Stanford University’s Graduate School of Education, clearly shows that the best way to find the right fit is to completely ignore those rankings. Denise Pope, a Stanford senior lecturer, stated, “…the most successful students, both in college and beyond, are the ones who engage in the undergraduate experience regardless of how selective a school may be.” Finding a great mentor while you are in college can deeply impact a student’s ability to thrive and reach forward successfully into the future. Find out if the college under consideration encourages close mentoring relationships with faculty and look for a student body that is involved in many activities that supplement their learning and build strong connections.

All of this tells us that students need to seek out affordable institutions within which they will thrive. Colleges should have a supportive and engaged faculty and student body, offer opportunities to dive deeply into your chosen field of study in and out of the classroom, and provide the ability to become part of an academic community that will nurture your interests over the years and beyond. Keep an open mind as you research the many choices, and spend time exploring those that rise to the top. Talk to your counselor, your college advisor, and teachers; visit the campus and speak to students you meet; seek out people engaged in work you are interested in and ask them about their college experiences; and do a lot of research online. Colleges provide so much information on their websites – use it as a helpful tool. You’ll see that you can be successful at many colleges; there are great options for everyone, but don’t let those ranking magazines be your guide.