A Glimpse into the Wait List

One of the things I learned about the blog from applicants this year is that the admissions process can appear to be an impenetrable black box, and that shedding only the slightest bit of light on it can be hugely helpful. So I’ll shed a bit of light on the state of the Wait List.

At this point, we’ve probably received responses from just about everyone who would like to continue to wait. There are some responses outstanding, but we generally assume that the non-responders are not interested. (If you are one of those people, and you haven’t replied because you were travelling, or otherwise unable to respond, please let us know right away.) We also have added to the application files any additional information that has come in, and all those files are neatly together, ready for further review. (But not ranked, so we won’t be able to tell you where you stand on the list.)

The other side of the story is the enrollment process. Fletcher’s admitted applicants were asked to respond by April 21 if they have received a scholarship, and May 1 if they have not. Our goal is to enroll the correct number of students and to do so as quickly as possible. As of April 21, the number of responses looked pretty good but, of course, was inconclusive. The last of the May 1 responses are now trickling in.

Once the enrollment story is fully told, we’ll know whether to turn to the Wait List. We would aim to have most of the offers out this month or early in June. In some years we have drawn from the Wait List later in the summer, but we prefer not to do so.

So what can wait listed blog readers take away from this? First, that we are ready to go to the list if the enrollment situation calls for it. Second, that there’s not too much information we can give you right now if you call or write to us. Third, that we’ll try to have it all wrapped up as soon as possible. Finally, if you had been thinking of sending additional info, now’s the time to do so.