What does it take to get out of universities’ waitlists?

Giovanni Garcia/Staff Writer

The jump from high school to college is one of the greatest and hardest steps every student will eventually have to face.

But throughout time, there is only one thing that stops an incoming student from being part of their alma mater of choice: the waitlist.

Admission into a college or university has gotten stricter. Qualified students may take years to be admitted and some are lucky to only wait a few months.

This waitlist is a placeholder so that they do not reject the new student, but also not accept them for certain reasons: very low grade point average, failing grades, low SAT score, etc.

A few high-level universities are able refuse acceptance to these students, but most find it troublesome to reject these students with just those requirements.

So how many cookies does it take to get out of the waitlist?

With patience and hard work, a student can increase their chances to be accepted.

Sadly, not many students have the patience to wait and no matter what they do, it is not enough to catch the administration’s attention.

Students have worked on getting letters of recommendation, donning the college’s colors, and even making YouTube videos of their whole school and friends asking for acceptance.

[pullquote]Some students might put in so much effort to grab a university’s attention only to immediately reject the offer and repeat the same routine with another.[/pullquote]

An article in The New York Times listed several examples to what students have done to escape the list and what I am actually pleased to see is the students’ parents also try their best to help push their student out of the waitlist.

It may sound a bit stalkerish, but some parents would send treats, letters, and even have dinner with an administrator’s family.

This shows how much a parent would want their child to succeed, which I actually see as a good thing.

On the other hand, some students might put in so much effort to grab a university’s attention only to immediately reject the offer and repeat the same routine with another.

This is where I would draw the line, as it is simply a waste of time for all involved. If such students continue to tease universities like that, then expect an even stricter admission list in the future.

Angel Pardo Nunez, a junior majoring in political science did not have to be in the waitlist.

“I applied late and I was able to get accepted a week after I applied,” said Nunez.

When asked about the ways to get out of the waitlist, Nunez said “People work with different tactics to try to get in. I would prefer having dinner with the administrator’s family than to bribe the administrator, even though it doesn’t seem right.”

So to answer the previous question of “How many cookies does it take to get out of a waitlist?”

If you are in any other college or university, probably around 2-5 dozen a month. At FIU, probably none if you are an average, hard working student.

giovanni.garcia@fiusm.com 

Source:

1. “On a College Waiting List? Sending Cookies Isn’t Going to Help,” via The New York Times