A college waitlist is a special kind of “limbo” since the college is on the fence about accepting you into the program. Although it’s an indication that your grades and extracurricular activities are not stellar, it implies that you still have a chance, provided the prospects at the top of the line decide to fall out. 

Regardless, an offer to join a college waitlist is cause for celebration; you should never decline these offers. The only situation where you should turn it down is when you already have a letter of acceptance.

Also, you avoid putting all hope in a single college waitlist. Instead, it’s recommended that you apply to other institutions and even accept their waitlist. You can always decline and let someone else take your place – which is the exact reason why colleges have these lists. However, make sure you are prepared to lose out on a particular institution when you decline their offers.

Sitting on the sidelines is not ideal, but instead of wallowing in pity, it’s time to turn your college waitlist into an opportunity to work on yourself and level the playing field. For starters, you can start with the fundamentals: improving your grades and supplementing your resume with compatible extracurricular activities. Not only does it add to your overall potential, but it will also mold you into a well-rounded individual: focused on growth and improvement.

As such, you will be able to revamp essential skills such as time management, research ability, planning, and decision-making. Regardless of the outcome of your college waitlist, developing these versatile skills will help you achieve success in your future endeavors. 

Besides working on yourself, you can also send out an occasional letter of interest after you’ve accepted to be on the college waitlist. A short letter: explaining that you’re interested and grateful for the opportunity can do wonders to push you up the ranks. As long as you time it right (often one or two weeks after accepting the offer) and do not appear desperate or anxious by sending repeated letters, you’ll do okay.

Getting off a College Waitlist is no easy feat, especially when it’s all said and done through your application and high school resume. But if you manage to improve your grades in the meantime, apply to various institutions and thank them with a letter of interest, you’ll have a much better outcome. 

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