Getting past the dreaded college 'wait list'

While you're worrying about finding that perfect Christmas gift for someone, highly motivated prospective college students are sweating bullets over their future.

Good news could be in the mail in the form of an acceptance letter from their first-choice school that picked them in the highly competitive "early admissions" round.

Or it could be a "waiting list" or "deferred" letter with some carefully worded prose telling them they didn't make the cut.

"This is a tough time of the year for those early application kids," Whitefish High School counselor Barbara Mansfield said. "They're on pins and needles."

After all, Flathead High Career Center Director DeAnn Thomas said, these are the students who have "jumped through all the hoops to apply for early decision to the college of their dreams," and want a reward for their efforts.

A "no" can be tough to take. But it can be turned for the good with a bit more leg work.

Many, but not all, colleges have three tiers in their admissions process, Mansfield said:

-Early action/early decision for high achievers who know what they want and go after it first thing in the fall; their answers often come in December and January.

-Early admission for students who turn in their application materials early; they are considered with a pool of other applicants.

-Regular admission, for the general round of college hopefuls who apply sometime in January, February or March. Some schools also have rolling admission throughout the year.

The first students generally are those with 3.8, 3.9 or 4.0 grade-point averages, with high SAT and ACT scores and impressive resumes of school and community activities - "what I and many others call the cream of the crop," Mansfield said.

"They always have been very successful, and this may be the first time they have been told, 'You did not make it,'" she added.

It might be the first time they have been on a level playing field with a big group of other high achievers.

So she recommended that each student point out his or her uniqueness in the initial application.

"That's what these selection committees look at. Every applicant has been involved in a variety of activities or community service," Mansfield said.

"But maybe you've overcome some disease, or maintained a rigid and rigorous curriculum and still are pulling down A's and B's. They may say that's the kind of student we want."

Mansfield and Thomas offered their comments on a list of five tips to turn the wait-list "maybe" into a "yes."

These come from Brian C. Greenberg, a New Jersey-based college planning specialist:

1. Read the deferral or wait-list letter very carefully, Greenberg recommends. There may be some hints as to what you can do to strengthen your application - additional recommendations, writing samples, or a letter to the admissions committee. If so, you need to do this as soon as possible.

Mansfield is surprised at this one. Your best reference letters should be part of your original packet, she said, not a backup plan. Get suggestions from friends who were admitted to that school. Have somebody review your application packet with a critical eye.

"If they say two letters, they mean two letters," she said. "Don't send excess. That turns them off."

2. Make a phone call (student, not parent). Explain that you received a deferral letter, that you really had your heart set on attending their college, then pitch your attributes and ask what you can do to increase your chances.

Thomas says to be sure to ask for the admissions officer assigned to Montana. The more specific their knowledge, the better your chance of getting a sympathetic ear or direct advice.

3. Involve high school personnel. A phone call from the guidance office may be able to discern whether the student is near the top of the deferred pile (a crucial clue).

Maybe you're a brilliant student, Mansfield speculated, but a lousy test-taker who gets rewarded with less-than-perfect scores. A counselor or other teacher who knows you well can vouch for you.

4. If you have a special talent, use it. Contact the college professor or coach of that particular talent and send them a quality CD, DVD, videotape, portfolio or whatever it takes to give them a first-hand view of your talent. This could result in a phone call from them to the admissions office on your behalf.

5. Finally, recognize that you have very little control and very little say about what is happening in the admissions decision process. Colleges will choose the students they want to assemble the class they want.

Thomas recommends students and parents keep an eye on the big picture.

"Be assured that there are numerous schools where your child can receive an outstanding education and don't spend much time or energy crying over spilled milk," Thomas said. "Move on."

But just because you couldn't jump the first hurdle, don't think all is lost. Many students have been accepted in the general admissions round after being wait-listed in the early round.

In the end, Mansfield said, none of these suggestions probably will hurt the student.

"As I tell kids, it doesn't hurt to ask," she said. "All the school can say is, 'No, you cannot,' or "No, you did not make it in.'"

Reporter Nancy Kimball can be reached at 758-4483 or by e-mail at nkimball@dailyinterlake.com