面对waitlist, 我该怎么办?
申请季已经接近尾声,很多申请者发现自己和周围的同学/朋友都或多或少被部分学校放进了候选名单,也就是我们常说的「waitlist」。
那为什么会存在「waitlist」这个录取状态呢?
纽约大学陈述: "Every year seems to exceed the previous on as the most competitive admission process in NYU’s history. Unfortunately, even though students may be clearly competitive for admission based on their academic records and their test scores, we are only able to admit a fraction of qualified students given the space we have available in our classes at NYU.
每年似乎都超过前一年,成为纽约大学历史上最具竞争力的录取过程。不幸的是,尽管根据学生的学习成绩和考试成绩,学生可能在入学方面具有明显的竞争力,但鉴于我们在纽约大学的课程中提供的空间,我们只能录取一小部分合格的学生。
"布朗大学的招生官Logan Powell在2021年采访中表明: "A record-breaking increase in applicants and an intensified feeling of unpredictability among high school seniors led to numerous students being placed on the waiting list, ensuring that even with a given yield rate. 申请人数创纪录的增加和毕业生的不可预测性加剧导致许多学生被列入候补名单。"
同样的,圣母大学表示: "The size and strength of our applicant pool precludes us from admitting all of the great applicants whom we envision thriving on our campus. Creating a waiting list allows us to select additional students who will compose our first-year class. 我们申请人的规模和实力使我们无法录取所有我们设想能在我们的校园中茁壮成长的优秀申请人。创建等候名单可以让我们选择更多的学生来组成我们的新生班级。"
总而言之,「Waitlist」表示申请者具有获得录取的实力,但在招生委员会投票或与其他申请者比较下,由于各种原因,他们暂时没有获得录取,成为了「需要再咬一口的苹果」。
放入候选名单的学生有助于学校完成每年的入学学生数量指标,而越来越多的申请者和不确定性,让大学选择扩大了候选名单,而让更多申请者进入了候选名单。我们也针对相关问题整理了一些Q&A,供大家参考:
Q: 从waitlisted到admitted的概率有多少?
@Feifei:
北卡教堂山/UNC指出:"We are not able to predict any student’s chance of being admitted. We do not rank the waiting list, and, should spaces become available, our review of candidates will focus primarily on their original applications and on their updated grades or final transcripts. 我们无法预测任何学生被录取的机会。我们不会对等候名单进行排名,如果有空位,我们对候选人的审查将主要关注他们的原始申请以及他们更新的成绩或最终成绩单。"
卡内基梅隆大学/CMU 告知申请者:“We won't know how many students will be offered admission from the Waiting Lists until we have an understanding of the space available. 我们任一候补名单上(优先和普通)的任何录取通知都与当年5月1日前确定报道的学生数量有关。在我们预估可能有的空位前,我们不知道有多少学生会从等候名单中被录取。”
麻省理工/MIT 同时陈述:"We won’t know if we will be able to select students from the wait list until admitted students return their enrollment decisions in early May.最早要到 5 月的第二周才能从候补名单中抽走。"
所以正如大学如实陈述,只有在每年的5月1日前后,大学才会陆续知道当年选择报道的学生数量,从而评估从后补名单上录取的可能性。所以润格建议,优先整理自己热爱的学校的候补名单,然后着手准备后续的材料,因为每年候补名单名额具有波动性,收集到的前几年候补名单的录取数据可以了解,但并非对当年的候补名单有决定性参考意义。
Q: 被waitlisted后,我能做些什么?
@Ziwei:
通常补充Love Letter or Letter of Continued Interest (LOCI) 继续表达对学校感兴趣的文书文件为首选策略。
通过罗彻斯特大学/University of Rochester的信息我们可以了解:“You could talk about any significant new honors, positions, or accomplishments, changes in your academic interests or career plans, or any new information about your plans at Rochester. 你可以谈论递交申请后任何重大的新荣誉、职位或成就,你的学术兴趣或职业计划的变化,或者任何有关于你在罗切斯特大学的计划。"
从范德堡大学/Vanderbilt 这里我们可以了解到: "As long as this information is new, we will accept it. This includes updated second-semester grades, leadership positions, academic honors, and letters of recommendation.只要递交信息是新的,我们就会接受。可能包括更新的第二学期成绩、领导职位、学术荣誉和推荐信。"
与此同时,维克森林大学/Wake Forest University告知申请者:"Your email should describe how the final months of your senior year are progressing; please be aware that the Admissions Committee is particularly interested in updates about your academic work. 你的电子邮件应该描述你高年级最后几个月的进展情况;请注意,招生委员会对您学术工作的更新特别感兴趣。"
由此可见,通过各大学的建议,我们总结申请者在LOCI内可以陈述这些信息:
1)递交材料后取得的新的成就和荣誉。例如是否持续获得校内奖学金,或者在新的学科类竞赛中获得佳绩,亦或许在自己热爱的活动中是否有对周围社群有新的影响力。
2)学术兴趣方向探索的新信息,是否有阅读新的学科类书籍,新的学科类竞赛,大学网课课程,校内学术学科情况。
3)对于目标大学的生活的期待和计划,想参加的课程,研究机会,校内社团,喜爱的老师,大学独有的课程,这些资源如何利用
4)根据往年润格从候补名单录取的情况来看,我们依然会建议增加属于个人特质类的内容,尤其是与其他候补名单的同学相比,申请者的个人特色,家庭文化,个人价值观等。在大学录取和欢迎新一届学生时,你入选的理由和色彩,非常重要。
Q: 被waitlisted后,我能额外提交其它材料吗?
@Harold:
北卡教堂山大学/UNC说明: "We will not be able to interview our waiting list candidates nor do we encourage you to submit additional letters of recommendation. 我们将无法面试候补名单上的候选人,也不鼓励您提交额外的推荐信。"
同时圣母大学/UND和纽约大学/NYU也指出:"We do NOT recommend additional recommendation letters. 我们不建议递交推荐信。"
但是不同的是弗吉尼亚大学/UVA 陈述到 : "Although you are welcome to send additional letters of recommendation, you should only send them if they add new information. 虽然我们欢迎您发送额外的推荐信,但您应该只在有新信息需要更新时发送它们。"
因此,润格建议在选择是否发送推荐信之前,应先了解该大学是否愿意接受推荐信。虽然直接发送推荐信到大学邮箱大不了直接被忽视,但是否也会造成没有慎重了解学校的候选名单政策的印象,需要申请者斟酌。
另外,克莱蒙特·麦肯纳学院/CMC在候选名单里可以让申请者再次选择递交2分钟短视频自我介绍,如果此类接受短视频的院系在你的名单里。递交2分钟自我介绍视频可以更全面地帮助学校了解申请者,是润格非常鼓励的方式。但需要评估做视频的时间和可能的额外费用成本,同时并非所有的院校都接受短视频。
总而言之,Waitlist 既不是录取,也不是拒绝,它似乎是一个更不可捉摸的结果。各大学都表示,申请者竞争激烈,但由于空间限制,无法录取所有合格学生。
因此,候选名单有助于学校完成入学指标。同时,候选名单录取概率难以预测,只有在每年5月1日前后,学校才能了解录取可能性。
申请者在候选名单后可以通过提交LOCI(继续表达对学校兴趣的信)和其他材料(如短视频、额外推荐信等)来增加录取机会。
然而,在提交这些材料前,了解目标学校的政策和要求至关重要,同时润格建议,理清自己可能被录取的关键点,在LOCI里清楚罗列,可能有助于增加录取概率。
但更重要的是,我们需要整理好心情,大步向前。大一或者大二的转学,未来研究生的申请,博士之路的选择,都是大学教育路上的诸多机会。虽然本科新生申请的候选名单让人沮丧,但换个角度,作为一个值得被多咬一口的苹果,通过转学到心怡学校的概率也的确会更高一些。
Reference:
A ‘waiting game’: life on Brown’s waitlist during an uncertain admissions season - The Brown Daily Herald. (n.d.). Retrieved March 28, 2023, from https://www.browndailyherald.com/article/2021/07/a-waiting-game-life-on-brown-s-waitlist-during-an-uncertain-admissions-season
Important Information on Our Waitlist Process | Undergraduate Admissions. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://admissions.wfu.edu/2022/02/important-information-on-our-waitlist-process/
On the Waiting List? Here’s Some Advice from a Notre Dame Admissions Counselor | Stories & News | Apply | Undergraduate Admissions | University of Notre Dame. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://admissions.nd.edu/visit-engage/stories-news/on-the-waiting-list-heres-some-advice-from-a-notre-dame-admissions-counselor/
On the Waiting List, Some College Applicants Try a Little Dazzle - The New York Times. (n.d.). Retrieved March 28, 2023, from https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/12/education/on-the-waiting-list-some-college-applicants-try-a-little-dazzle.html
The Vanderbilt Waitlist: True and False | The Vandy Admissions Blog | Vanderbilt University. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://admissions.vanderbilt.edu/vandybloggers/2019/04/the-vanderbilt-waitlist-true-and-false/
Wait list FAQ | MIT Admissions. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://mitadmissions.org/pages/wait-list-faq/
Waiting List | The Office of Undergraduate Admission. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://admission.virginia.edu/waitlist
Waiting List FAQ - The Waiting List - Carnegie Mellon University. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://www.cmu.edu/admission/waiting-list/waiting-list-faq
Waiting. Waiting? Waiting! | Admissions Blog. (N.D.). Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://admissions.rochester.edu/blog/waiting-waiting-waiting/
Waitlist FAQ. (n.d.-a). Retrieved March 28, 2023, from https://www.nyu.edu/admissions/undergraduate-admissions/how-to-apply/wait-list-faq.html
Waitlist FAQ. (n.d.-b). Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://www.nyu.edu/admissions/undergraduate-admissions/how-to-apply/wait-list-faq.html
What are my chances of being admitted from the waiting list? - Undergraduate Admissions. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://admissions.unc.edu/faqs/what-are-my-chances-of-being-admitted-from-the-waiting-list/
What else should I do? Will an interview or additional letters of recommendation affect my chances of being admitted from the waiting list? - Undergraduate Admissions. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://admissions.unc.edu/faqs/what-else-should-i-do-will-an-interview-or-additional-letters-of-recommendation-affect-my-chances-of-being-admitted-from-the-waiting-list/