Waitlist Questions

Waitlist Questions The waitlist seems to be a hot topic so Ill try to answer the most common questions here (with help from Dean Marilee) 1) How many people will MIT take from the waitlist? Is it true that you havent taken any from the waitlist in the past few years? Should I even bother staying on? We wont know how many folks well be taking from the waitlist until the middle of May, after weve received and processed the responses from admitted students. While it is true that we havent taken anyone from the waitlist in the past few years, we admitted very few this year (due to the overenrollment of previous years) and thus it is more likely that this year will have some waitlist admits. Whether you stay on the list or not is a personal decision the answer to question #2 may help you to decide. 2) How does it work? Dont I have to let other colleges know by May 1? Is it ethical? You do need to let other colleges know by May 1, and you should make sure that you have a place to enroll next year other than MIT in case you dont get in off the waitlist. Those colleges will likely require a deposit to secure your spot. If you get into MIT later in May, and choose to come, you will likely forfeit your deposit at the other school. Schools understand that this scenario is a part of the process, and it is perfectly ethical. (Losing the desposit is a bummer, but worth it if you really want to be here.) 3) Is the list ranked? No, not in any way. 4) What can I do to help my chances? The best thing you can do is simply to stay in touch, so that we know youre still interested. Write, call, email, whatever just let us know what youve been up to and why you really want to be here.