Wait Listed – What to Do?

After a busy admissions season I am back!

We have received lots of good news this weekend from clients letting us know that their child was accepted to their first choice school! Congratulations to all our students. We wish you the best at your new schools this fall. Hard work does pay off!

What do you do if your child has been wait listed at their top choice school? Keep in mind that most private schools have way more applicants than they do seats, and they have to prioritize who they feel will be a good fit for their school. Most times when a school wait lists a students it is because the student did not make the initial cut off.

The best thing to do to increase the chances that your child will move off the wait list and be offered a seat is to remind the school that you are still interested, and reiterate that the school is still your first choice. We suggest that both the parent and the student write a letter to the admission director. The letter should reiterate why the student is a good fit for the school, and point out how the student will contribute to the school.

Our clients have been very successful in the past when they have written letters to the school that had wait listed them.  Not everyone who is wait listed is offered a spot at the school. It is important to stand out and make sure the school knows that you are still interested.

The best way to make sure your child is not wait listed is to make sure that every part of the applicant is as strong as possible, and you and your child are very clear about why the school is a good fit, and how you will contribute to the school.

Sometimes it is possible to re-apply for admission to a school the following year if the student does not make it off the wait list, however, the application the second time around must be much stronger than the first time.

Anne Yount

Boston ISEE Prep
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Boston Tutoring Center
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Boston Private School Search
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