Were You Waitlisted? Here’s What You Should Do

Most students would almost rather see a rejection letter than a waitlist letter. While the rejection letter may hurt more, at least you have closure. With a waitlist letter you have, well. Not closure and a whole lot of waiting. So, what do you do if you get a waitlist letter from a law school? First, let’s begin by understanding what being waitlisted means.

The Meaning of Being Waitlisted

The vast majority of waitlisted applicants have good enough credentials to get you in. However, since that spot has a reservation by someone else with marginally better credentials, you are their plan B. If a space opens up, you’re welcome to join. Don’t take this personally! Everyone has a backup plan or two, including you (hopefully)!

Most schools are good at predicting what percentage of admitted applicants will choose to go elsewhere. They make up for it by admitting a larger number of students than they expect to have. If the number of students who choose to matriculate is lower than expected, the school will reach into its waitlist. This ensures their 1L class is “well-rounded and diverse.” How deep a school might reach depends on too many variables and is impossible to predict in advance.

The “Preferred” List

Some law schools create a special, “preferred” category for waitlisted applicants that they really want to admit, but regrettably cannot (for now). If a school uses such a system, the “preferred” waitlist tends to be shorter than the regular one. This makes your chances of getting off it pretty good. You may find yourself on a preferred waitlist if your numbers are way above the school’s median. This may seem counterintuitive at first, until you realize that it’s a clever way for them to protect their yield. If they suspect that you won’t attend if admitted, why bother letting you in? Nobody wants to be someone else’s backup plan, especially when yield is an important metric that helps determine the school’s ranking relative to its peers.

If you do get off the waitlist, don’t expect it to be in March, April, or even May. While that does happen, waitlist applicants typically don’t get off the waitlist until very late in the admissions cycle. It may not be until a few days before the start of classes! If you’re absolutely sure you’d go to your waitlist school above all others, make sure you communicate that desire in no uncertain terms.

What to Do if You’re on a Waitlist

1. Do What the School Tells You

Along with a notification of your waitlist status, you may also receive a letter from the school telling you what they expect you (or would like you) to do while a final decision is made regarding your file. If they say to complete the enclosed questionnaire and send it in, do it. If they ask you to write an essay telling them why you feel they are your first choice, do it. If they request that you send them an email once a month to advise of your continuing interest, do it. But, most importantly, if they tell you to not do anything, then do that. That can be the hardest thing of all, but you must respect their wishes.

Put yourself in their shoes for a moment. You told a waitlist applicant to just sit tight, not do anything, and wait for a decision. That applicant proceeds to send weekly emails, updated applications, and additional letters of recommendation. Would you get annoyed? Yes. Would you sigh and roll your eyes at the mere mention of the applicant’s name? Yes. As an applicant, do you ever want a school to sigh and roll its eyes at the mention of your name? NO. Follow their instructions to the letter.

Now, assuming that they don’t give you specific instructions, there are a few things you can do to ensure you remain on the school’s radar.

2. Send a Letter of Continued Interest

In this letter, express your enthusiasm and desire to attend the school, and emphasize why you feel you would be a valuable asset to the law school’s program. Actually do some research on the school before you send this letter in, and speak knowledgeably about it. Don’t simply regurgitate rankings or classes. Really think about why you want to go to the school, and tell them in clear, forward prose.

3. Update Your File as Necessary

Notice of new grades, prizes, scholarships, jobs, or fellowships are always good to communicate and are a legitimate reason to touch base with the school.

4. Keep in Contact

Every year, a number of admitted applicants that say they will go to a certain school withdraw their intent to enroll at some point during the summer, which creates vacant seats in a class—seats the school thought it had filled already. This is why it is important to keep in touch with the school throughout the summer months—you may be able to take advantage of these vacated spots if you’ve keep in regular contact with the school, and they know your interest is still strong.

5. Do Not Turn into “That Applicant”

If a school doesn’t give you directions on how to communicate your interest while you’re on the waitlist, then occasional brief communiqués with useful information and expressions of enthusiasm are good. However, daily emails and weekly phone calls are not. Control yourself, and always put yourself in the school’s shoes. If in doubt, ask someone impartial to the process to weigh in on what they think. If they tell you to cool your jets, then do it, no questions asked.