Wesleyan University is a dynamic and diverse liberal arts college that is predominately undergraduate and is located in Middletown, Connecticut. The campus is stunning, bringing together modern, contemporary, and classical architecture in a way that visually embodies the ideals of the university. They look to the past to inform the present and shape the future, and students at Wesleyan know that they are part of something truly special. Students are encouraged to explore and adventure academically, pulling from diverse disciplines and arenas in a way that is grounded firmly in the liberal arts tradition. The undergraduate college is extremely popular among students looking for an exceptional education in a small school setting, and, in 2022, the acceptance rate was 14.4%.
That same year, 2,754 students were offered a place on the waitlist, and 1,557 took them up on the offer. Ultimately, 81 students were offered a place off of the waitlist, or 5.2%. This isn’t a super encouraging rate of acceptance off the waitlist if you just received a waitlist offer from Wesleyan, but it’s actually much higher than other comparable universities. That said, waitlists aren’t really something that can be counted on to be standard from year to year, so it’s hard to track trends. A school may need to go deep into the waitlist one year, and then not take anyone off of it the next. This is because the way the waitlist functions has very little to do with the university, and even less to do with the students who are placed on it. Instead, it’s in the hands of the accepted students.
Each year, admissions is a statistical game. Colleges accept more students than they can actually handle with the understanding that not every student they accept will ultimately pick them. So, they to ‘guestimate’. Sometimes this guess is spot on, and they don’t need the waitlist. Sometimes the yield is higher than expected, resulting in a larger first-year class than usual and a strained campus system. Sometimes the yield is lower than expected, and that’s when they need to go to the waitlist.
If you’re on the receiving end of a waitlist offer, you can’t control any of this – which can be wildly frustrating. But you can control what you do next. In this post, we’ll give you a step-by-step guide to what to do next if you were waitlisted by Wesleyan.
If you’re dealing with a waitlist situation — or, even harder, multiple waitlist offers — send us a note. We are experts at navigating the world of waitlists.
Get on the Waitlist
The first thing you need to do is to decide if you want to be on the waitlist for Wesleyan and, if so, to get on it. We advise students to let Wesleyan know if you want a spot on the waitlist long before the May 1st deadline. This is because, while May 1 is the deadline, they may have an inkling that they’ll need to go to the waitlist before that. This means it’s better to let them know you’re interested earlier than last minute so they’ve got you in mind in advance.
At the same time, it’s not a race. They don’t rank students, and a fast response time to the waitlist offer doesn’t increase your chances of getting in. So, you need to get on the list such that you’re still in the game, but you also need to line up an alternative.
Line up a Backup
Waitlists are unpredictable and frustrating, so you need to have another option lined up in case you don’t get selected off of the waitlist (which, if we are only looking at statistics, you probably won’t be). By accepting a spot at a school you were accepted by, you are ensuring that you have a home come fall. You will need to place a deposit there, and should note that you will not get that deposit back if you ultimately get into and select Wesleyan.
Please note that being on multiple waitlists is not the same as a backup option. Sometimes we hear kids try to reassure us that they’ve got this under control because they are on three waitlists and at least one is definitely going to work out. This is, to put it simply, bad math. Being on multiple waitlists is not the same as a backup. You absolutely need to accept a spot at a college before you go down the waitlist path with other schools you are more interested in.
Reinforce Your Interest
Once you have a true backup lined up, it’s time to work on Wesleyan. The college invites waitlisted students to send a short email reinforcing your interest in Wesleyan to applicant@wesleyan.edu. While this isn’t mandatory, you need to treat it as required. If you do not send an email reinforcing your interest that restates that Wesleyan is your first choice and why, you’re basically saying “um, whatever,” to the application readers and acting like you don’t really care. So, yes, you do need to do this if you want any chance of getting into Wesleyan off of the waitlist whatsoever.
Below we’ll break down what should be in your email, but we want to be really clear here. It’s absolutely imperative that this email is done well. It can massively help your chances of getting into Wesleyan, but it can also wipe out any chance of them letting you in if you handle it incorrectly. If you have any uncertainty at all, we can help.
This is how your email should be structured:
Formal Opening: Since you are emailing this to a general email inbox (and yes, do that because it’s what they ask you to do and listening is #1), you’ll want to use a formal but general opening like, “Dear Wesleyan Admissions,”
Reinforce Interest: This is the part of the email that Wesleyan cares the most about. If they didn’t think you were qualified to go to Wesleyan, they would have just rejected you — so you don’t need to convince them that you are worthy, but you do need to convince them that they are your top pick. Be specific about what program or programs you want to pursue at Wesleyan and why, and show deep knowledge of the Wesleyan community, values, and traditions. Spend an hour pursuing the university website before writing this part to brush up on terminology and facts, and make sure you stay consistent with your initial application. Whatever major or program you listed there should be the same as the one you include here. This section should be no more than 250 words.
Short Update: The short update is an opportunity to let Wesleyan know if there have been any truly notable additions to your application since you initially applied. These could be awards, recognitions, new leadership positions, or other exciting news. Keep this is 1-3 things, and it should clock in at under 150 words.
Professional Closing: You need to close out the email with one more sentence reiterating that Wesleyan is your number one choice and that you will attend if offered a spot. Then, sign off with a simple “Sincerely,” or “Respectfully,”.
Follow Instructions
Once the email is written, edit it three times over to make sure it is grammatically clean and narratively cohesive. Then, submit it. They do not want updated grades or supplementary recommendations, so don’t send them. Follow instructions. Not following instructions is a big red flag and basically guarantees that you won’t get in.
Be Patient
Wesleyan begins sending out waitlist decisions in May, and sometimes is still looking at the waitlist well into June as they work to build out the ideal first-year class. This means you’re going to have to wait, likely well into summer, to hear back. You need to keep your cool and hope for the best, while also accepting that you may not end up at Wesleyan in the end.
Working your way off of a waitlist is work, but it’s also a lot of waiting. In the end, it’s an uncomfortable mix of the two that benefits from patience, commitment, and an ability to stay positive while also being realistic. If Wesleyan is your dream school, though, the work and waiting are worth it.
If you’re struggling to navigate a waitlist, get in touch. We’re experts at guiding great kids to their perfect fit college.