Brown is the Ivy League school preferred by creative, humanities-minded students — or STEM students with a humanities approach — who want to be among the best of the best in a flexible setting. Rooted in Providence, Rhode Island, Brown is known for having the most open curriculum (i.e., the fewest required classes) in the Ivy League, allowing for students to focus in on their passions. Brown is also known for offering an intimate education. They have a student-to-faculty ratio of just 6:1, and 69% of undergraduate classes have fewer than 20 students.

Getting into Brown isn’t easy, and that’s an understatement — as you’ve probably experienced if you are reading this post. In the 2022 application cycle, they received more than 50,500 applications and admitted just 2,500 students for an overall acceptance rate of just 5% (a record low, continuing more than a decade-long decline in acceptance rate). In 2022, 895 students were admitted Early Decision, leaving just 828 spots in the first-year class for Regular Decision applicants, resulting in an acceptance rate of just 3.6%.

Historically, the waitlist has been a key part of Brown’s admissions strategy. They’ve offered a spot on the waitlist to over 1,000 students annually for a while, and over 65% of those students accept the offer. So, if you’ve been waitlisted, you’re likely among at least 650 students eagerly waiting to know if they’ll get in. Very few will. In 2021, Brown accepted just 34 people off of a waitlist of about 1000, and in recent earlier years, 194 and 127 students were accepted.

If Brown is your first choice and this sounds daunting, scary, overwhelming, or all three, you need to send us an email. We are experts in helping students stand out from the waitlist scrum, and have a proven track record of acceptances at every top university in America. Basically, we’re the best at this. And you need help.

First Next Steps

Once you’ve been offered a spot on the waitlist, there are a few things you absolutely need to do. The first is to accept the spot on the waitlist if Brown is your first choice and you will go there if you are accepted. Do this quickly, but don’t freak yourself out about going super speedy fast. The waitlist is not first-come first-served.

After you’ve accepted your spot, you need to accept an offer of admission from your second-choice university and submit the deposit. This may sound defeatist, but it’s not — it’s practical and it’s necessary. A tiny percentage of students are accepted off of the Brown waitlist. We believe you could be one of those students, but that’s not guaranteed so you need a backup.

Make Moves

Once you’ve cemented your place on the waitlist and given yourself a back-up, you need to write a Letter of Continued Interest, or LOCI. The LOCI is your update to Brown that says, “Yes, me! remember how much you like me? I’m really that awesome!” It will be less than 500 words, formatted as a letter, and you need to sound super professional. This is not the place to show that your feelings are hurt or to question their judgment. It’s your last stand — so you need to make it a great one. This is how it should go…

Confirm That Brown is Your #1: Start by confirming for the admissions committee that Brown if your first-choice school and that you would attend if accepted off of the waitlist. They don’t want to offer spots to students that aren’t all-in, so this is an absolute must.
Share Updates: You submitted your application a few months ago, and presumably a lot has happened since then. Share 3-5 major life updates such as winning an award, being elected to a student leadership position, or receiving recognition for a job well done in school, in your community, or at a place of work.
Reinforce What You Bring to the Table: Remind the readers why you’re a great fit for Brown and for your proposed academic department or program specifically. What do you contribute, and how will you make Brown a better place for your peers? Brown wants students who are active members of the community, so share how you’ll do that.

Finally, you need to sign off respectfully. Don’t try to be funny or clever, as it rarely plays well over the internet.

Final Thoughts

Applying to college is tough enough, so getting offered a spot on the waitlist is a big bummer. You’re ready to be done, but now there is more work to do. It’s frustrating, we know, but we’re also really good at this. We do it all the time for students like you who find themselves so close to their dream school, but not quite there yet. If you’ve been slogging through the college admissions process without real holistic support, reach out. We’ve got you.

When it comes to dealing with waitlists, we’re pros. We guide students toward an outstanding future.