What to Do If You're Waitlisted by a College

Getting waitlisted is a strange emotional place. It is not a no, which keeps hope alive, but it is not a yes, which makes it hard to move on. The good news is that there is a clear, finite set of actions that actually matter, and once you have done them, the rest is genuinely out of your hands. Here is exactly what to do, in order.

First, secure your future elsewhere

Before you do anything about the waitlist itself, take care of the thing that is actually in your control: by May 1, deposit at a college that has admitted you and that you would be happy to attend. This is the single most important step, and anxious students often skip it because committing elsewhere feels like giving up on the waitlist. It is not. It is insurance. Waitlist movement is unpredictable and often does not happen, and you must have a guaranteed, exciting place to land. Once that deposit is in, you can pursue the waitlist from a position of security rather than fear.

The insider view: do the controllables, then let go

I interview for MIT, and I have watched waitlist season do real damage to students who let it. The healthiest and, not coincidentally, most effective approach is to separate the things you control from the things you do not. You control whether you accept the spot, whether you write a thoughtful letter, and whether you send a meaningful update. You do not control the school's yield, how many students it needs, or what gaps it is trying to fill. Pour your energy into the first list and release the second.

The students who get off waitlists are rarely the ones who emailed the most. They are the ones who did the few right things cleanly and then genuinely invested in their committed school. There is a quiet paradox here: making peace with your other option, getting excited about it, actually makes the waitlist wait survivable, and occasionally the call comes anyway. Either way you win, because you have built a future you are happy with instead of holding your breath until summer.

One concrete note from the reading side: a Letter of Continued Interest is most persuasive when it is specific and when it makes a clear commitment. A letter that says I would be grateful to attend is fine; a letter that says this is my first choice and I will enroll the day I am admitted, here is exactly why, gives the school a reason to use one of its precious waitlist spots on you, because schools care about yield even off the waitlist.

The step-by-step plan

1. Formally accept your spot on the waitlist by the stated deadline. Skip this and you are removed automatically.
2. Deposit at an admitting school by May 1 as your guaranteed plan.
3. Write one strong Letter of Continued Interest: reaffirm the school is a top choice, be specific about why, and, if true, commit to enrolling.
4. Include a meaningful update since you applied: a new grade, award, project, or role.
5. Then wait, without flooding the office. One sincere message is far better than many anxious ones.

A student I interviewed

A student I interviewed was waitlisted at her top choice and admitted to her strong second choice. She did everything right: accepted the waitlist spot, deposited at the second school, and wrote a single, specific Letter of Continued Interest naming the program and a professor whose research matched her interests, and stating plainly that she would enroll immediately if admitted. Then she did the wise thing and let herself fall in love with the school that had said yes. In late May the waitlist school called. She told me afterward that the hardest and most useful thing she did was to stop refreshing her email and start planning her life at the school that wanted her. The acceptance was a bonus on top of a future she was already happy with.

Mistakes to avoid

• Forgetting to accept the waitlist spot, which removes you automatically.
• Not depositing elsewhere because it feels like abandoning the waitlist.
• Sending a generic Letter of Continued Interest, or none at all.
• Emailing the admissions office repeatedly out of anxiety.
• Letting the wait consume a spring you could spend getting excited about a real option.

What to put in your update, and what to leave out

The update inside a Letter of Continued Interest can tip a close call, but only if it is genuinely new and genuinely relevant. Include things that have changed since you applied: a higher final-semester GPA, a new award or honor, a leadership role you have taken on, a finished project, or a significant accomplishment. Each gives the school a concrete reason to revisit your file. Be specific and brief; one or two strong updates land better than a long list of minor ones.

What to leave out matters just as much. Do not restate your existing application, do not list things the school already knows, and do not pad with vague enthusiasm. Avoid anything that sounds like pressure or entitlement, and never send a stream of separate emails as new thoughts occur to you; compile one strong message. If the school is genuinely your first choice and you would enroll if admitted, say so clearly and sincerely, because at the margin schools use the waitlist partly to protect yield, and a credible commitment matters. The whole letter should be short, specific, warm, and sent once.

What this means for your application

1. Secure an admitting school with a deposit before you chase the waitlist.
2. Accept the waitlist spot and send one strong, specific letter.
3. Add a genuine update and, if true, a clear commitment to enroll.
4. Resist the urge to over-contact the office.
5. Invest emotionally in your committed school so you win either way.

Frequently Asked Questions