Part of the Wait is Over

Admit It!  The top question on most applicants’ minds post May 1 is whether or not schools will go to their waitlists.  We are definitely fielding a lot of questions about our waitlist, that’s for sure.  The purpose of this blog is to give those of you still active on the waitlist a general update about W&M’s waitlist and what happens from here.

So why is part of the wait over?  Because we can answer the question on all of your minds, will W&M activate its waitlist.  The answer is yes.  We are able to admit a small number of additional students to the entering class.  The follow-up question of course is how many?  That question doesn’t have a definitive answer.  There are so many factors that contribute to building and completing a class and the number of students enrolled in the Class of 2016 changes every day.  Some days the number goes up (new deposits from admitted students who were given an extension on the May 1 deadline for example).  Other days the number goes down (students may have been admitted off a different school’s waitlist and choose to withdraw their W&M enrollment).  So there’s no fixed number.  We can tell you that it’s not so small as to be insignificant (like last year when we admitted literally 10-15 students from the waitlist) but not so large as to be sending a thick envelope to most of the students on the waitlist.

Okay, so the big question answered.  The next question most people have is how does this work?  Completing the class cannot be completed in a day, not even in a week.  It’s definitely an ongoing process.  Late last week and early this week, the regional deans culled together the most competitive students from their individual regions (remember, our waitlist is not ranked).  We then presented those candidates and the most competitive among them will be the first to be contacted.  Contact is first attempted by phone (we will call both the student’s cell and the home phone if both numbers are provided).  Voicemails are left if the calls are not answered.  An email is also sent from the regional dean to the student’s application email address if no one was reached by phone so PLEASE CHECK YOUR VOICEMAIL AND EMAIL.  We know that you prefer to communicate by text or social media but there’s something that just doesn’t seem right about texting you something like “You got off the waitlist. LOL.  Emoticon,” you know what I’m saying?  The purpose of this call/email is to see whether the student is still interested in W&M (as much as we like to think W&M is da bomb – and it is – and therefore irresistible – which it totally is, there are absolutely students who respond affirmatively to the waitlist in March who by May are no longer interested).  Those who remain interested will be offered admission.  They then have two weeks to accept or reject our offer.  As we get positive and negative responses we keep a close eye on the size of the class.  Should the class remain at a shortfall after these initial offers are made, we will start the process over again and continue until the class is filled.  That is why some of the waiting is still ahead of you and ahead of us.

All students remaining on the waitlist will receive an email update from us by mid-June.  Additionally, just as a PSA on our office’s behalf, if you responded affirmatively to the waitlist but you no longer remain interested, please email admission@wm.edu and ask to be withdrawn (I realize that the likelihood of disinterested students still reading this blog is unlikely but a girl can try).  So yes, the wait is and isn’t over.  Helpful and not helpful all at the same time right?  We are taking steps to complete our class as efficiently as we can and with your help, we will do just that.

Wendy Livingston ’03, M.Ed. ‘09
Senior Assistant Dean of Admission

Categories: Admission, Faculty & Staff Blogs
33 Comments
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  2. Admit It!
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  6. Admit It!
  7. Anonymous
  8. Anonymous
  9. Admit It!
  10. KHollister
  11. Bitter
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  13. gradmom2012
  14. Admit It!
  15. Hopeful
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  17. Lauren
  18. Admit It!
  19. Michael
  20. Admit It!
  21. Barbara
  22. Admit It!
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  29. KHollister
  30. Admit It!
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Comments are closed on posts older than one year, but we still want to hear from you. If you have a comment or question for us, please email admission@wm.edu.