Tips for Waitlist Essays

When an applicant is put on the waitlist they are being told by the admissions committee that they are qualified for the program but that they have not quite distinguished themselves from other admitted or waitlisted candidates.

Therefore, now is the time to quickly take some action to distinguish yourself!  Here are some tips on what steps to take next.  Whatever action you take, such as getting a higher GMAT/TOEFL score, taking a Calculus course or leading a new community service project -- the key will be to craft a persuasive essay that clearly explains your actions and improvement.

We read many waitlist essays that are a little bit off the mark and would like to provide some tips on how to write a very effective waitlist essay.  The key to a waitlist essay is to highlight the improvement the applicant has made.  Therefore, simply mentioning the new project you have worked on is not enough; the essay should explain how working on such project has helped you improve.  The essay should clearly highlight the critical knowledge gained and the skills the candidate has enhanced.  Then the final and most difficult step (that people typically omit) is to explain why this new knowledge, or the enhanced skill allows them to make a stronger contribution to the program.  The most persuasive waitlist essay will make clear connections to the specific aspects of the program where they they might make an impact.  Thus, the logic flow of a waitlist essay should include: recent actions taken -> explanation of improvement -> potential impact to the program.  

Another major goal of the waitlist essay is to convince the admissions committee that the candidate is 100% committed to attending their program.  To do this, the candidate should list the actions they have taken to connect with the school's community, and highlight something new they have learned about the program that really excites them.  Doing so can display a candidate's commitment and passion to attend the school.

After reading the waitlist essay the candidate will want the admissions committee to come to the following conclusions:

- The candidate is making a diligent effort to improve;
- They are now a stronger candidate than they were when they submitted the application and better able to contribute to the program; and
- The candidate is very knowledgeable about the school, and will likely enroll if given an admission.

We hope this information is helpful for all of you waitlisted applicants out there!  Keep pushing and improving, and if you do, you just might be one of those people sharing a success story in the near future.

If you have any questions about the waitlist or would like help crafting the most persuasive waitlist essay possible, please reach out to us at transcendadmissions@gmail.com

Waitlisted? - The Glass is Half-Full!

This is the time of year when we congratulate many successful MBA and graduate school applicants on receiving their acceptances.  This is also the time of year that many people receive an often somewhat unpleasant surprise - that they have been placed on the waitlist.

For many people who have been involved in the application process for many months being placed on the waitlist seems like a terrible thing as they will need to continue the agony of waiting indefinitely. While being placed on the waitlist is not the wonderful news many people are anxiously waiting to hear, there is still hope, and applicants are often admitted from the waitlist eventually.

Besides this past article we wrote about planning a waitlist strategy, the best advice we can give to those on the waitlist is to be optimistic and most importantly, be patient.  You should not be bothering the school's admissions committee once a week asking for updates.  While being patient is easier said than done, the best way is to distract yourself by working on a new project or focusing on making quick improvement to a test score.  The most important thing is to focus on continual improvement and becoming a stronger candidate.  This action might help you take the small step you need to gain admission in the short-term, or if you decide to apply again in the future.            

Good luck to all applicants on the waitlist!  And if you would like to discuss a specific waitlist strategy, feel free to reach out to us at transcendadmissions@gmail.com.

Have You Been Waitlisted?

This time of year many graduate school applicants are placed on the waitlist at one or more of the schools they applied to.  This presents a stressful situation for many people, as they may have been waitlisted at their first-choice program, and accepted at backup schools.  With enrollment confirmation and deposit deadlines looming, it is difficult to decide whether to continue waiting for your first-choice school, or accept another offer that you have received. 

First it is good to understand the waitlist game.  The waitlist is used because not all accepted applicants will enroll in the program; therefore the waitlist provides a pool of additional applicants that can be drawn upon if spaces become available.  Therefore, waitlisted applicants will only be admitted if other accepted applicants reject the school’s offer.  The frustrating part is that schools normally do not release information regarding how many people are on the waitlist, or when the applicant will be notified whether they will be accepted or finally rejected.  Waitlists are normally not ranked; instead the waitlist will be drawn upon to fill specific needs and balance the class, such as an international finance expert, or a future entrepreneur.  

So what can you do to improve your chances of receiving one of the coveted waitlist offers?  To improve their yield (which directly impacts the school’s ranking), schools want to be absolutely sure that when they go to the waitlist the person will accept their offer.  Therefore, a waitlisted applicant should send additional materials reiterating their strong desire to attend the program and list their recent growth areas and important activities.  Be careful though – some schools do not want to receive additional materials so be sure to read their waitlist policy closely. 

Here is a summary of appropriate supplemental materials that can be sent to the school:

-     A carefully crafted essay.  The essay must show great enthusiasm and convince the school that they are truly your first choice.  To do so talk about the action you have taken to learn more about the program, and how you will fit into this learning environment and make a valuable contribution.  Also be sure to give updates regarding significant career developments such as accomplishments, promotions, increased responsibilities, new skills developed, etc.  It is crucial to then show how these new experiences will help facilitate your career goals. In addition, discuss recent community service and other extra-curricular involvement and why these experiences were meaningful to you.  The tone of the essay must be upbeat and optimistic and should be limited to approximately two pages.  

-     An additional letter of recommendation (LOR).  The LOR should touch on some new information not discussed in your application package, particularly recent accomplishments, if possible.

-     New TOEFL and GMAT/GRE scores.

-     Updated academic accomplishments. For example, courses you have taken to supplement deficiencies in your application like weak quantitative ability.
-    An updated resume.  Highlighting recent accomplishments, leadership activities and community involvement.

Taking this action will make a positive impression and clearly show the admissions committee that you are very serious about their school.  Getting off the waitlist is difficult, but it can be done. Submitting additional materials highlighting your strengths and enthusiasm and giving the admissions committee a clearer picture of your personality and uniqueness is the best way to improve your chances of receiving the acceptance letter that you have been waiting for.