Universities Weblog

You spend countless hours preparing an application to your first-choice college. Finally, judgment day comes. A yes? A no? How about a maybe?

Nationwide, colleges and universities are placing larger numbers of students on wait lists. The tactic, of course, is self-serving. A college wants the right number—and right kinds—of students to fill its entering class, and it can manipulate the wait list as deposits come in. If you're high enough on the list and fit a preferred profile, you might get an offer. On average, only one in five does.

As the referenced article suggests, students can't do much to influence a decision. It might be better to consider it a "no" and focus on where you've been accepted. If you send your deposit and subsequently receive an offer from your top choice, you still can go. But don't hold your breath in the meantime.

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