I’m starting a new segment here at Hopeless to Harvard where I directly answer user questions – PROVIDED you’re willing to have your entire question be published here, along with my response. So if you’re interested, please email me (john@).
Our first question today is about how to get off the waitlist at Ivy League schools.
Hello John,
I am not sure if you answer questions through your website email address, but I figured that I would give it a shot. I am currently on waitlists for Harvard, MIT, and CalTech. I am trying to do everything to get off of them, and I wanted to know if I should do anything else. I am not so hopeful with CalTech (they take few people off the list), but MIT and Harvard seem to be more within my reach. A little background: I was deferred EA from MIT then waitlisted…two people from my school got in RD, but only one is going to attend. At Harvard, I was offered a second interview and was the only person waitlisted from my school…one person from my school got in but is not accepting the offer.
So here is my plan: I am writing an update letter to the schools to tell them of awards that I have received and activities that I have participated in since I submitted the application. I am also informing each school that I am willing to loose my deposit to the school that I will be attending if I do not get off the list (JHU) and that I will accept their offer if I get off. Furthermore, I am providing a supplemental recommendation from the superintendent of my school district. I plan on updating the schools two to three times total with different additional information.
Am I on the right track? Should I do anything else?
Thank you,
Chris
Here’s my response:
Chris, thanks for your email. You are definitely on the right track with your strategy to get off the waitlist at your target schools. It’s a DEFINITE plus that the one person from your school who was accepted at Harvard has decided not to accept (hopefully this is accurate!). While I am not saying that colleges have a quota for each particular high school, they do bias towards a diverse student body and try to keep a historical representation from a cross-selection of different high schools – so this can only work in your favor.
More tips on how to get into Harvard University!
In terms of your specific plan to communicate with counselors at those universities, I think you are being a bit too aggressive. Any more than 2 updates is WAY TOO MANY. In fact, I would suggest sending just ONE substantial update, and only send a second, much shorter update if there is VERY big news (and no, getting an additional 5 on one AP test does not count as big news). In your ONE substantial update, I would include:
-Updated test scores if applicable (eg, SAT, ACT, Advanced Placement, SAT II subject tests, etc)
-Updated grades/GPA if applicable
-New awards, honors, and achievements – only if they are along your SPIKE or they are regionally/nationally recognized (what is a spike? Learn more here)
Supplemental teacher recommendations are ok, but only if they are PERSONAL and MEANINGFUL. My sense is that you’re going for the superintendent’s rec because it sounds superficially impressive. That is the wrong way to go, unless that person knows you very well and can write an endearing/highly personalized rec (but if they could, why didn’t you ask them in the first place??).
Just my two cents here. Good luck and keep us all posted.
John
Want to attend Ivy League schools? Check out my insider’s course and guide to getting into Harvard, even with a 1360 SAT from a public high school.
Related posts:
- Why a good midyear report can help you get into Harvard So you’ve submitted your applications to Harvard, Stanford, or any...
- How to get a Stanford-caliber letter of recommendation for college admissions Letters of recommendation are probably the most underlooked (and consequently...
Comments on this entry are closed.