Tips for Waitlist Essays - 工管

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!

You might take action such as getting a higher GMAT/TOEFL score, taking a

Calculus course or leading a new community service project. But whatever action

you decide to take -- 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 [email protected]


--
David Johnston
[email protected]



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