How to Get Off the Waitlist
Resolve to write a letter of continued interest (LOCI).
Alert your guidance counselor that you've been waitlisted and inform them of your intention to write a letter of continued interest.
Ask your guidance counselor to contact either the regional admissions officer (who has the final say for applicants in the geographic region your home address is listed in) or the admission office if you can't find out who your regional admission officer is, to advocate on your behalf after you have submitted your letter of continued interest.
Write the letter of continued interest.
Notify your guidance counselor that you have submitted the letter, giving them the green light to call the university to advocate for your acceptance on your behalf.
Continue to inform your guidance counselor of your achievements, such as winning competitions, publishing papers, or acing challenging college classes while still in high school, so they (not you) can report them to the college admissions office. They can email them these updates.
Relax knowing you are doing everything humanly possible to be among the first students admitted from their waitlist.
You want more information? Well here is more information!
Ideally, the 7 steps I outlined here should be completed within one week of being informed that you were waitlisted. However, completing them late is better than not completing them at all.
The purpose of a letter of continued interest is to encourage admissions officers to root for your acceptance to their university by showcasing how you will change the world in a meaningful way and how the resources at their university are indispensable for you to achieve this mission. To accomplish this, follow this step-by-step formula while writing your letter of continued interest.
To accomplish this, follow this step-by-step formula while writing your letter of continued interest:
1. Identify a Meaningful Problem
Begin your letter by clearly articulating a specific problem in the world that you're passionate about solving
Be concise but compelling—choose an issue that genuinely motivates you
Make sure the problem aligns with your academic interests and career goals
2. Illustrate the Problem's Scope and Impact
Use specific examples, statistics, or brief stories to demonstrate why this problem matters
Help the reader feel the urgency and importance of addressing this issue
Create an emotional connection without being melodramatic
3. Present Your Solution Approach
Outline your unique perspective or approach to solving this problem
Highlight any preliminary work you've already done in this area
Demonstrate innovative thinking rather than simply restating obvious solutions
4. Connect to the University's Resources
Paint a vivid first-person vision of yourself on campus, actively engaging with specific programs, professors, and peers to address your identified real-world problem, demonstrating how the university's unique resources are essential to your mission and how your presence will enhance both the academic community and your progress toward meaningful change. Ensure they can visualize you as a student there after reading this part.
Research specific programs, professors, labs, courses, or initiatives at the university that directly relate to your goals
Explain precisely how these resources would help you develop your solution
5. Paint a Vision of Real-World Impact
Describe the tangible outcomes that could result from your work
Help the reader visualize the specific benefits to society, communities, or individuals
Create a compelling "before and after" picture
6. Express Your Unwavering Commitment
Clearly state that this university is your first choice
Affirm that you will accept their offer immediately if admitted, regardless of other financial packages or admission decisions you receive
Convey genuine enthusiasm without seeming desperate
7. Include Your Formal Signature at the Bottom of It (Optional)
If you have the option, I would recommend using a PDF signing tool to add your formal signature at the bottom of the letter.
The length of a letter of continued interest (LOCI) should be approximately 650 words. If the college you were waitlisted at has a special submission portal with its own word count limit, comply with those specific instructions. If a school offers the option to either submit a LOCI through their portal or by directly emailing the admissions office or your regional admissions officer, choose to email them directly. This approach demonstrates your willingness to take extra steps to personalize your letter beyond what might be possible through a standard portal submission.
Some schools may state they don't accept letters of continued interest, but then provide a link to a portal with instructions for submitting "updates" or similar communications. Therefore, thoroughly check all available options for contacting the college after receiving your waitlist notification.
It is vital that your letter of continued interest does not contain meaningless updates, such as activities that would have been expected of you given the extracurriculars you included on your activity list, or new initiatives that haven't generated impact yet, like starting a club late in your senior year. It should also not contain any brags, even significant ones like winning first place in an international science olympiad—all accomplishments should come from your guidance counselor.
If you were waitlisted, you've already surpassed the curricular and extracurricular qualifications for acceptance. What typically gets a top-tier applicant waitlisted is failing to demonstrate a meaningful vision for how they will impact the world, or coming across as brilliant but not particularly likable. Finally and most importantly: NO NEGATIVITY! Don't express an ounce of disappointment or resentment in your letter of continued interest. That would immediately destroy your chances. Focus instead on selling them your vision of how you will change the world.
When it comes to the advocacy call, your guidance counselor needs to sell the university on how your presence on their campus will elevate both the social and academic experience of students, and highlight all of your accomplishments since applying. If they can do so in a way that would be beneficial to you, they should compare you to other students they have worked with, and discuss how, given the circumstances you were dealt or the obstacles you have faced, you have outshined many with similar opportunities. A guidance counselor should advocate for you with the same passion your Ivy League-aspiring parents would if they had the opportunity to pitch you to their dream college.
Finally, they should give the admissions office confidence that you are indeed the person you portrayed yourself to be in your LOCI, and that you are determined to make the positive impact on the world you promised you would in your LOCI. If they can provide anecdotes that have informed them of your capacity to achieve your goals, they absolutely should share these during the call. The ultimate purpose of the advocacy call is to demonstrate that you are someone exceptional enough to compel your guidance counselor to go above and beyond their the call of duty to advocate on behalf of to ensure you receive the opportunity you've earned.
If you want to be yanked right off that waitlist, schedule a consultation with an admissions expert today to learn how we can help you.
