For those of you sitting on the SLS waitlist, just a bit of an update…

We’re not quite at the point of reviewing files.  We’ve utilized the waitlist each year for awhile now so if history is any kind of guide, we should do so again this year.  However, we have a small group of admits with a May 10 deadline so we’ll need to let the dust settle over the next few days before we know exactly where we stand.

What can you do now?  Here are some tips:

  1.  Update your file – spring grades, promotion at work, new job, honors at graduation, etc.
  2. Think about submitting an additional letter of recommendation. When we start reviewing waitlisted candidates, we start fresh.  An additional thoughtful and detailed letter can be very helpful.
  3. If you need financial aid, make sure you list SLS as destination points for both the FAFSA and the Need Access surveys.  You want to get an aid offer from me as soon as possible after I offer you a seat in the entering class.  If you’ve not even done the Need Access piece, that alone will take days and you may not have days.  Get started now.
  4. Some applicants create their own timeline.  They can stay on the waitlist until late July when they need to sign a housing lease for a school back east or the moving van is due to pack up their belongings on August 1.  I appreciate knowing about these deadlines.  Really.
  5. Be flexible and be able to put up with some amount of uncertainty.  If I call you in late July, you will have to accept an offer without knowing whether you will be able to obtain on-campus housing.  The first housing lottery is in May and the second is in early July.  Walk-in assignments take place in mid-to-late August.  Are you willing to accept an offer without knowing for certain if you’ll be able to live on campus?  Think about it now in anticipation of it becoming an issue.
  6. Send in a letter of continued interest.  Think carefully about this one.  Sometimes applicants remain on the waitlist just for the heck of it.  Why?  They want to see if they’ll eventually get in – I guess it’s some sort of badge of honor.  But, what if SLS is your first choice and you really want the opportunity?  Let me hear from you and – this is important – remember that sincerity matters.  Stay in touch with me.  Don’t email me daily.  Don’t call me daily.  Don’t clutter up my in-box or my voicemail box.  But, do let me know you remain interested as the summer progresses.
  7. Do your research on SLS ahead of time.  If I call you in June, you’ll probably have about a week to make a decision, but as the summer progresses my generosity will lessen.  You may find yourself with 2-3 days to contemplate the offer if I call you in July and if I make a call in mid-August you may find yourself with 24 hours to reach a decision.  So, you shouldn’t tell me that you need extra time because you need to schedule a trip out to Palo Alto and that you can’t book a flight for another week.  You’ll find me just a tad unsympathetic and antsy to get on to the next person on the list.  Do your research now.
  8. Be positive, be patient and be realistic.  Have another option in place and ready to go if this doesn’t work out as anticipated.

Questions?  Comments?  You know where to reach me.

2 Responses to Waitlist Update
  1. Thank you for the advice!

  2. Hello! This post couldn’t be written any better! Reading through this post reminds me of my previous room mate! He always kept talking about this. I will forward this write-up to him. Pretty sure he will have a good read. Thank you for sharing!

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