Thursday, March 29, 2012

What's Next for the Waiting List

The basic details about the waiting list are covered on the waiting list FAQ page on our website.  Your decision letter had a link to that page.  I also covered some of the same information in my first waiting list post

I think it's important to talk about the time line for the waiting list process.  First of all, the list will take share between now and May 1st, as students accept or decline the wait.  If you hit the accept button today, but things change later, you can always go back and hit the decline button.  This is why the buttons remain on SIS after you hit the accept button.

In the first week of May, we'll assess where there is room in the class.  There are 10 different components in the class.  There are in-state and out-of-state students in each of the five schools/colleges/programs that take first year students.  It's hard to predict where there will be room in the class. 

When we are ready to move to the waiting list, we generally work in teams to review the applications for the groups that we need to fill. Once we select some students for offers, we call them to let them know that their status is going to change in SIS (it's often a pretty exciting phone call for both parties!).  Some, who have forgotten to remove themselves from the list, tell us that they aren't interested and that allows us to offer to another student.  Because of this, filling the class can be slow. 

I'll post updates in May as we move through the process.  Sometimes, I'm able to report that a segment of the class is full and that a portion of the waiting list is gong to be released.

So now starts the hard part.  There won't be much to tell you about the waiting list between now and early May.