With record-high yield, University takes just 34 students off larger waitlist than normal
Regular admission notifications end the months-long waiting game for the vast majority of University applicants, giving them a firm response at the conclusion of their college application process. However, the notification from the university is an invitation to keep waiting for a relatively small group—a few thousand out of the 46,568 applicants to the university this year. Dean of Admission Logan Powell told The Herald in April that the university extends offers to those on its waitlist with the hope that 900 to 1,000 students will accept a spot. This year, due to an unprecedented influx of applications and increased uncertainty among high school seniors, the University extended enough offers for 1,000 to 1,200 students to accept a spot on the list. According to Powell, the size of the list ensured that a full first-year class would have matriculated in the fall even with a yield rate — a yearly measurement indicating the percentage of admitted students who choose to accept an offer of enrollment — in the “low bound” of expectations. He continued, “The University would still aim to admit students off the list, albeit at a lower rate, if yield hits its projected “upper bound”.” According to Powell, the majority of these students were unable to visit any campuses. This year, more than any other, the yield was unpredictable. “Two students who accepted waitlist spots this year consented to multiple interviews with The Herald: once after confirming their waitlist spots in early April, once after the commitment deadline in May, and once after the release of the final decisions in June. They faced great odds, even though they couldn’t have known it at the time. By May 3, this year’s high school senior decision day, 69 percent of those who received offers from the University had accepted them, setting a record yield rate and increasing by 3 percent from the previous year. The University has recently accepted anywhere between two and 300 students off the waitlist, according to a previous The Herald report. 194 members of the class of 2024 and 127 members of the class of 2023 were removed from the waitlist, according to the university’s Common Data Set. 34 waitlisted students were accepted by the university this year. Since his junior year of high school, Caleb Birnbaum had considered Brown as his top choice. April: “Brown sees something in me.” He first put his hands over his head when he opened his decision on April 6 in response to the letter’s contrite tone. A sudden surge of joy then followed: He had been given a spot on the waitlist. Parker Szachta, another Oakland County, Michigan waitlisted student, was encouraged by the offer. Szachta stated in April, “I’m quite happy that Brown sees something in me, to know they want me even though there might not be space.” “I have options that make me happy; it’s the cherry on top.” Birnbaum continued with a smile, “So technically it’s more prestigious to be put on the waitlist than it is to be accepted. Fewer students were put on the waitlist than were accepted to the University. Both applicants submitted letters of continued interest to the university, which is a customary action to update the Office of Admission on accomplishments and developments after applications are submitted. Birnbaum explicitly stated in his letter to the university that he would accept a position if offered one. However, Birnbaum, a concentrator in architecture who applied from New Jersey, said the offer prolonged the “waiting game.” He had received acceptances from a number of colleges, but at the time, he was leaning toward the University of Virginia. At the time, he said, “I’m trying not to let this waitlist impede on my ability to find a roommate.” “I’m worried that it will stay in the back of my mind and that I won’t be inspired to pursue (the University of Virginia)” Szachta, a computer science enthusiast, was considering attending the University of Michigan even though he had hoped to attend college elsewhere. The waitlist was a daunting prospect because after sending the letter of continued interest, all that was left to do was wait for the result. According to Powell, waitlisted students were unaware of their chances because the university wouldn’t know them until the class was full. The University takes into account a variety of factors when choosing which applicants to admit from the waitlist, including gender balance, academic performance, diversity of viewpoint, geographic diversity, and a host of other considerations, according to Powell. The university doesn’t rank its waitlist, but Birnbaum’s conundrum was made worse by not knowing where he stood. He questioned, “How am I supposed to know how much work to put into this?” “I have no idea what qualities they are seeking in the children they wish to accept.” “May: ‘I’ll be happy about either place’ For Powell, the University met its objectives in a number of ways on May 3, the deadline for students to accept an offer of admission. He said, listing the objectives his office sets at the beginning of a cycle to create a dynamic and diverse class, “We start with the end in mind. Those goals had largely come to fruition, he said. The incoming class of 2025 will be diverse in terms of geography, accurately represent first-generation students, maintain a 50-50 gender balance, and be the most ethnically diverse class in the history of the university. Additionally, the incoming first-year class has the “largest group of self-identified Black and African-American students” in the university’s history, both in terms of total enrollment and percentage. “We were in very good shape when we got to the waitlist,” he said. Birnbaum maintained that he would certainly accept a spot off the waitlist, but as time went on, his attention shifted to AP exams and the conclusion of his senior year. Although the possibility of being removed from the waitlist lingered “somewhere out in space,” Birnbaum started to accept and embrace the likelihood that he would enroll at UVA in the fall. Birnbaum had started looking into the University late at night before going to bed. He pointed out areas where the architecture program fell short of UVA’s. The University might provide him with better financial aid if he was given a spot off the waitlist, but the idea of changing his plans or even closing the bank account he had set up based on the Charlottesville branches still seemed difficult to imagine. “I’m not checking my inbox obsessively,” Birnbaum said in May. I do consider Brown frequently. It’s in the back of my mind when I consider colleges. It’s more of a ‘if it happens, it happens. Szachta’s worries about staying in-state and the possibility of being taken off the waitlist vanished as he learned more about the University of Michigan. He believed that even if the university had given him a spot, he “still might pick” the University of Michigan because of the potential benefits it could have for his career and because it is more affordable for in-state students. He claimed that he had only occasionally checked his inbox, primarily to make sure that nothing had been sent to spam. At that point, Szachta didn’t anticipate being removed from the list and was happy with his decision. He claimed that the more he learned about the University of Michigan, the more enthusiastic he became. June: “It’s out of your control, and that’s okay.” By June 15, Birnbaum’s thoughts about the waitlist had almost “completely vanished.” “In the early stages,” he recalled, “every time I thought of UVA, I would think of Brown alongside it.” That thought seemed to fade. ” That day, he received an email from the University. He wouldn’t be admitted off the waitlist. The email stated that “we find ourselves in the challenging position of being unable to admit a great many of the students we would like to see on our campus every year.” ” Szachta received the same email. Powell stated that 29 students accepted the 34 offers the university extended, but neither Birnbaum nor Szachta were among them. The gravity of the email hit Birnbaum immediately. His lengthy college application process had been completed in a matter of paragraphs. “I felt a sinking feeling in my gut,” he said. “There was so much time, effort, and thought I put into all of that, and for it to end in a few words and paragraphs… ” Szachta waited for his parents before reading the email. With one more waitlist notification to come, this would be the second-to-last decision he had made with them before making every other decision. “There’s always that last bit of hope,” he admitted. He read the message, went for a walk, and recovered “quicker” than he had anticipated. He stated, “I know I’m attending a really good school with lots of friends.” The disappointment soon cleared for Birnbaum, too. When his mother sent him a text to check on him, he replied with the UVA fight song, “Go Hoos.” He added that the news gave him some relief in knowing that his choice had already been made. “When considering Brown’s response, I was most concerned about making a decision where I could make a mistake. “I wish I had that choice to have it under my control,” Szachta said, but the resolution was still a relief. Both students admitted that they would probably still accept a spot on the waitlist if they had to do it again. However, Birnbaum added a qualification: He would attempt to “care a little less.” “My brother will soon experience this process. All I’m going to say to him is that once you capture your best self on paper, it will be impossible for you to control it, and that’s okay. ”.
The Brown Daily Herald’s 133rd editor-in-chief and president is Will Kubzansky. He was previously a University News editor in charge of the admission. He enjoys playing soccer and the guitar in his free time. More.
College Admissions: Inside the Decision Room
FAQ
How many people get waitlisted at Brown?
Updated December 2022 InstitutionGrinnell College27591286Brown UniversityFurman University623Georgetown University32772453Applicants accepting spot on waitlist
What percentage of waitlisted students get accepted?
Princeton had a 4. 38% acceptance rate and 78. 32% yield. They waitlisted 3. 36% of applicants, and ultimately accepted 15% of waitlisted students who accepted a spot on the list Waitlist Statistics. SchoolWaitlist Admission RateOverall Admission RateStanford11. 6%3. 95%University of Michigan0. 5 . 15%.
Is the Brown waitlist ranked?
The waitlist is not ranked and is infamously difficult to predict. Throughout this process, we will be monitoring all applicants (accepted and waitlisted), and we won’t forget about you as we continue to evaluate where we stand with the MD Class of 2027.
Is waitlist basically a rejection?
Being placed on a waitlist does not mean you have been rejected; you still have a chance of being admitted to the school. College waitlist statistics from the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) show that 43% of postsecondary institutions used a waitlist during the 2018-19 school year