Private School Waitlisted (private schools, vs., statistics)

[skln]

We are new to the private school application process and have been waitlisted at Lovett and Westminster. Can anyone advise me as to whether it is acceptable to call and politely ask why our child was waitlisted vs accepted while letting them know of our continued interest in the school? Also, do these schools have a typical number of children who are waitlisted? Thank you!

[akagal]

I believe it's okay to call, just not visit. I've wondered how long the WL is too? Maybe someone who knows will share. What grade are you applying to? This also determines how many openings there are.

[skln]

Applying to 5th grade

[lastminutemom]

I wouldn't take it personally. I don't believe 5th grade is an expansion grade at either of those schools. If I am right, the only spaces that would be available would be from attrition and those are schools that have lots of old money families that will be less impacted by the economic downturn. In addition, Westminster is so wealthy that expanding its financial aide to keep current students shouldn't be a problem.

The good thing is that your children weren't rejected, this gives you an edge for next year when there is expansion. The schools will see how interested you are in them when you reapply.

I don't think I would ask about why we weren't accepted, but I certainly think I would express my interest should a space become available.

There is much speculation that this year the private schools will be taking a larger wait list than normal because there is so much uncertainty about who will really show up in August.

[skln]

Thanks lastminutemom! In their literature, the schools post that for 5th grade, Lovett had expansion for 20 and Westminster 10. We aren't taking it personally, but we would love to know what "weaknesss" (for lack of better terms) there was.

[Iconographer]

My cousin's daughter got waitlisted at UGA(she has been accepted at a couple of other schools but really wants GA)...Cuz just took her up to Athens to introduce herself to some of the Admissions Committee personnel...she thought it couldn't hurt, and they were en route to TN anyway.
Point being, it doesn't hurt to be proactive sometimes.

[CMMom]

I agree that a phone call (but e-mail is probably preferable as it doesn't take up a lot of their time) to express your continued interest is appropriate. Don't, though, tell both of them that they are your first choice and you would accept a spot if you would really hold out for one vs. the other. That might put you on the "bad" list for next year.

I think that admissions directors are willing to meet with wait-listed/rejected families after the "quiet period" is over. When all the craziness is over (maybe first of May), I'd consider setting up an appointment to meet with them if you don't get off a wait list by then.

[lastminutemom]

Interesting. Did your child have good statistics?

I have had friends call whose children have been rejected and who have received very solid information about why. Waitlist is a bit more blurry as the school is saying they will take you if there is space. Admissions are very subjective but very often there is little difference between candidates. Some schools like to balance boys and girls, so if there are more of one gender in an applicant pool even something like that can be a disadvantage.

Again, I think your best bet is to simply let the school know that you are interested enough to take a space should one become available.

Are you in public school now?

CMMom gives you good advice. I would certainly send an email now expressing interest and remaining on the wait list and then contact them later this month.

[pinetreelover]

Remember that the waitlist isn't just one long list where someone in admissions could tell you that "you are number 11 out of 20". They move people off the wait list in coordination with who has turned them down as they are trying to keep things like gender and diversity in some sort of balance. For instance, if a 5th grade girl turns down one of your schools and you have a 5th grade girl, you might get an offer before a boy would. I am sure that diversity plays some role in this process as well, but I would imagine that that is a tightly held concept.

[Hexagonal]

Hi -- lastminutemom's wise advice makes a lot of sense to me. Best of luck, and I hope you get in.

We applied this year too, for 7th grade. Read my ramblings about waitlists on another thread in this forum: nervous for private school admission letters? . Our problem is that we've been accepted at one place, so we have to decide whether to go with it or to hope a waitlist spot opens up at Westminster or Lovett. I'd love it if the schools could call us before 4/16/09 with an offer, but I'm not holding my breath. I bet they don't start drawing from the waitlist until the reply period is over. I wouldn't if I ran a school, unless almost every offer I made was turned down immeadiately. Heck, they don't even know yet how many folks really still want to be on their waitlists.

Let's encourage everybody who actually got in somewhere to go ahead and commit, and then that same day to tell any other schools they appplied to that they won't be coming, so the schools can know where they stand, and can start pulling from the wait list!

Our family wants to commit as soon as we can, but there's some hard thinking to do today and tomorrow. I'll post somewhere in the forum what we decide.

-Hex.