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I’m on the Wait List! Now What?

Posted by on Wednesday, April 4, 2012 in Demonstrated Interest, VU Admissions Statistics, Waitlist.

Photo by Neil Brake/Vanderbilt

For those of you offered a spot on Vanderbilt’s wait list, we want to make it clear that this offer is a testament to our belief that you would, in fact, be a valuable and successful addition to the Class of 2016. Because we enroll only 1,600 freshman students, we routinely under-admit with the full intention of taking students from our wait list after the May 1 matriculation fee deadline.  A wait list offer is our way of letting you know that we may be able to admit you, and that we would most definitely be thrilled if you ultimately become a Commodore.

If you have been offered a spot on the wait list and are still interested in attending Vanderbilt, it is extremely important that you submit the online Wait List Response Form accepting your spot. Also, be sure to respond to each of the periodic emails you receive from our office asking if you would like to continue to be active on the wait list, so that we are aware of your continued interest.

Now that you’re on the wait list, you may be asking yourself about your chances of being admitted from this point forward.  While we can’t tell you how many students are on the wait list right now – if nothing else, the number would change by the time this is published – we can tell you that over the past 4 years, on average, 9.5% of the incoming class has been composed of students admitted from the wait list.

The next question everyone wants to know: Where am I on the list?  As places in the class open up and we begin admitting students to the four schools, we will be pulling our wait-listed applicants using the same holistic review process we used in the initial evaluation, taking into account high school achievement, standardized test scores, extracurricular involvement, and those wonderful intangibles that come through in your essays and recommendations. And, as stated above, your demonstrated interest may also be used in our review process.

While we do not require you to submit new information during this process, we certainly allow it.  Feel free to send new test scores, new grades, new activities, new leadership positions, or new letters, but make sure to focus on that key word: new.  Sending additional materials for the sake of sending additional materials will not give you a leg up at this or any point.

We will likely begin making offers to our wait-listed students in the first week of May.  Because this is after the national candidate reply date, we strongly encourage you to deposit at another school to ensure that you have a college home for next year.  We will continue to make offers until the freshman class is completely filled, which may occur within the month or into the summer, depending on a variety of factors.

If you are offered admission from the wait list, you will receive a phone call from one of our officers, who, besides congratulating you, will inform you of how much time you have to make your final decision about whether or not you will attend Vanderbilt. Moreover, a financial aid package will begin making its way toward your house within one business day. Remember that students who are admitted and who have applied for need-based financial aid will receive a financial aid package that meets 100% of their families’ demonstrated need, completely loan free.

To be sure, not everyone who is offered a spot on the wait list will choose to remain active on the list.  Many wait-listed students have received offers from other universities that they will be accepting.  If that describes you, we wish you the best of luck in your educational endeavors! (We’d appreciate it if you would respond to our wait list offer with a “no” and let us know where you will be attending college next year.)

We understand that after waiting patiently for three months to receive your decision, it may be frustrating to hear the words “please wait some more.”  I hope, however, that you receive this offer in the spirit of achievement with which it was sent and that you continue to work with us as we make a few final adjustments to this truly ground-breaking Class of 2016.

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Responses

  • Love Vanderbilt

    April 4th, 2012

    Chengxiang bless me: I love Vanderbilt University! I really hope to get off the waitlist.

  • Love Vanderbilt

    April 4th, 2012

    Thanks Mr. Pippen,  for taking time writing this detailed blog and comforting words. Best wishes to you. Best wishes to all waitlisters. ^_^

  • agwin27

    April 5th, 2012

    Is there any specific format and/or address that waitlisted applicants should use when sending in additional information? 

  • Ryan Burleson

    April 5th, 2012

    There’s no specified format and our regular address (2305 West End Avenue / Nashville, TN / 37203) will suffice. That being said, in the interest of time, you might consider submitting additional materials via email or fax.

  • Agreen34

    April 6th, 2012

    In regards to submitting additional information via email, what is the email address to which the information should be sent?

  • Carolyn Pippen

    April 6th, 2012

    You can send any additional information directly to your Admissions Counselor.  Contact info for all counselors can be found here: 
    http://admissions.vanderbilt.edu/your-counselor/

  • lli2

    April 12th, 2012

    Do you encourage waitlisted applicants to keep in contact with their admissions counselors?

  • Ryan Burleson

    April 12th, 2012

    While you are welcome to contact your admissions counselor, what’s most important is that you indicate your interest in remaining an active candidate via the online Wait List Response form, in addition to responding to every email from our office which asks you to respond regarding the wait list. A short statement of continued interest may also be of use as we consider files in May for possible admission from the wait list.

  • lli2

    April 15th, 2012

    Have any emails regarding the wait list been sent out yet?

  • Ryan Burleson

    April 16th, 2012

    Not as of today, no.

  • lli2

    April 25th, 2012

    When will emails asking waitlisted applicants to respond be sent out?

  • Ryan Burleson

    April 25th, 2012

    An email was sent to students on the wait list today just a short while ago.

  • lli2

    April 25th, 2012

    Thank you! Will any more similar emails be sent out before waitlist decisions are made? If so, around how many?

  • Ryan Burleson

    April 26th, 2012

    It is likely that more emails will be sent, but it’s difficult to predict how many at this point. Please continue to be patient and respond in a timely manner when contacted. If we’ve asked for any additional information from you (i.e. spring semester grades for transfer wait-listed students), please go ahead and submit them when available.

  • CarlyR

    April 23rd, 2012

    How does being wait-listed affect our housing situation? I read online that housing applications sent in by May 1 get priority, but for wait-listees like myself we will not be able to submit an application by that time. Does this mean I will not be as likely to live in my building of choice?

  • Ryan Burleson

    April 24th, 2012

    Hi Carly, we in the Admissions office don’t make housing decisions, so I will direct you to the Office of Housing and Residential Education. Following is a page with that office’s contact information: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/ResEd/main/ohare/contact-us/. Please let us know if we can help with anything else.

  • Zdk10

    April 23rd, 2012

    I got a letter in the mail telling me I’m on the wait list, but where do I find the Wait List Response Form? 

  • Ryan Burleson

    April 24th, 2012

    Are you a transfer student? If so, as stated in the letter, you will remain active on the wait list unless you contact the specified email address letting us know that you would like to be removed. You don’t need to submit the Wait List Response Form at this time.

  • crs

    April 24th, 2012

    Have any updates been sent via email regarding the waitlist? So far I have only gotten the email that was sent on April 2nd regarding waitlist information and have also responded to the Waitlist Response Form. Also, is it known if any waitlisters will be offered a spot off of the waitlist prior to May 1st? Or will all notifications be sent sometime during May?

  • Ryan Burleson

    April 25th, 2012

    An email was sent a little earlier today. And it is possible that we will be able to offer admission to wait list candidates in late April, though we usually do not admit from this group until after May 9.

  • NicoleD

    April 25th, 2012

    Vanderbilt is such a great school, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I’ll be accepted from the waitlist!

  • 1713084073

    May 2nd, 2012

    Hello, when do we usually receive final decisions after we are put on the waitlist?

  • Ryan Burleson

    May 2nd, 2012

    We try to make decisions about the wait list as soon after the national candidate reply date as possible, though it could remain open through July.

  • lli2

    May 3rd, 2012

    Do you notify those who were accepted off the wait list first or does everyone find out at around the same time? 

  • Ryan Burleson

    May 3rd, 2012

    Wait list offers go out in waves. We will likely not notify everyone of anything at the same time until the class is full.

  • Elizabeth S.

    May 3rd, 2012

    For all of those waiting anxiously, Vanderbilt did offer some students acceptance off their wait list today and gave them a week to decide. Congratulations to those admitted. Still waiting…

  • GJM

    June 12th, 2012

    oh dear Vandy, ”
    Hope was but a timid friend;
    She sat without the grated den,
    Watching how my fate would tend . . .”
    Emily Bronte.

  • Lawrence Rolnick

    April 3rd, 2013

    I see that this information was posted last year. Is it equally applicable to this year’s wait list?

  • Carolyn Pippen

    April 3rd, 2013

    Yes, the majority of this information is still relevant for the current wait list. If you have specific questions about the wait list process that are not answered in this post, feel free to contact your admissions counselor.