Why would a school waitlist someone below both medians? Forum

[RTFM]

Non-URM, waitlisted at four schools but below both medians at all of them (pretty close to GPA medians, though).

I assume that most people who don't deposit at T-14s are people who are above medians and get into a better school/get $$$ somewhere else. Then it seems like most people who would get pulled off the waitlist are people with high numbers who could help maintain medians. Do us sub-median waitlisted folk have any chance?

[BeachandRun23]

If they waitlisted you, Im sure you have a shot. Probably less than those with higher stats though.

[RTFM]

If they waitlisted you, Im sure you have a shot.

Thanks for the optimism

[david787]

The schools probably see something in your application they like, but can't accept you now since they need to protect their medians.

[glitched]

i think it's like this - imagine the cookie aisle at a supermarket. the school is hosting a huge party and there are chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter, and oatmeal raisons. everyone wants the chocolate chips - and all schools go for the chocolate chips. unfortunately, there are never enough, but the school still needs more cookies or this party would suck! So they say okay... some people like peanut butter, but a few people like oatmeal raisons so they get a extra of both just in case. when the party starts, they come home and they leave a few oatmeal raisons and peanut butter in the closet. and then they wait. if peanut butter suddenly goes short, they reach for a peanut butter. if oatmeal raisons suddenly go short, they reach for a oatmeal raison.

and bottom line if you're an oatmeal raison, they're only waiting to see if they will have enough oatmeal raisons left for the party.





lol that was terrible. but i hope it makes some sense.

[071816]

i think it's like this - imagine the cookie aisle at a supermarket. the school is hosting a huge party and there are chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter, and oatmeal raisons. everyone wants the chocolate chips - and all schools go for the chocolate chips. unfortunately, there are never enough, but the school still needs more cookies or this party would suck! So they say okay... some people like peanut butter, but a few people like oatmeal raisons so they get a extra of both just in case. when the party starts, they come home and they leave a few oatmeal raisons and peanut butter in the closet. and then they wait. if peanut butter suddenly goes short, they reach for a peanut butter. if oatmeal raisons suddenly go short, they reach for a oatmeal raison.

and bottom line if you're an oatmeal raison, they're only waiting to see if they will have enough oatmeal raisons left for the party.





lol that was terrible. but i hope it makes some sense.

LOL that was one of the strangest analogies I have heard in a while.

[krasivaya]

i think it's like this - imagine the cookie aisle at a supermarket. the school is hosting a huge party and there are chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter, and oatmeal raisons. everyone wants the chocolate chips - and all schools go for the chocolate chips. unfortunately, there are never enough, but the school still needs more cookies or this party would suck! So they say okay... some people like peanut butter, but a few people like oatmeal raisons so they get a extra of both just in case. when the party starts, they come home and they leave a few oatmeal raisons and peanut butter in the closet. and then they wait. if peanut butter suddenly goes short, they reach for a peanut butter. if oatmeal raisons suddenly go short, they reach for a oatmeal raison.

and bottom line if you're an oatmeal raison, they're only waiting to see if they will have enough oatmeal raisons left for the party.





lol that was terrible. but i hope it makes some sense.

Wouldn't they only reach for an oatmeal raisin if both chocolate chip and peanut butter went short?

I'm pretty sure oatmeal raisin is always the last resort. You just put it out if all other cookie options are exhausted.

And goddamnit now I want a cookie

[dpk711]

Why would a school waitlist someone below both medians?

Because they weren't above both medians.

[Bud2003]

i think it's like this - imagine the cookie aisle at a supermarket. the school is hosting a huge party and there are chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter, and oatmeal raisons. everyone wants the chocolate chips - and all schools go for the chocolate chips. unfortunately, there are never enough, but the school still needs more cookies or this party would suck! So they say okay... some people like peanut butter, but a few people like oatmeal raisons so they get a extra of both just in case. when the party starts, they come home and they leave a few oatmeal raisons and peanut butter in the closet. and then they wait. if peanut butter suddenly goes short, they reach for a peanut butter. if oatmeal raisons suddenly go short, they reach for a oatmeal raison.

and bottom line if you're an oatmeal raison, they're only waiting to see if they will have enough oatmeal raisons left for the party.





lol that was terrible. but i hope it makes some sense.

Yea...I'm waitlisted at a school that would be a HUGE reach for me. To play on the analogy...I'd be a gingersnap. Still praying though.

[CanadianWolf]

"Why would a law schoolwaitlist someone below both medians ?" Probably because they actually read the rest of your application & liked what they saw.

[KMaine]

Oatmeal raisin is the thinking man's chocolate chip.

[kapital98]

.

[unc0mm0n1]

Oatmeal raisin is the thinking man's chocolate chip.

+1

[kwais]

I love this thread. I'd like to think of myself as a White Chocolate Macadamia Cookie. NBD

[nOO law]

I'd like to think of myself as eat a White Chocolate Macadamia Cookie.

[txadv11]

i think it's like this - imagine the cookie aisle at a supermarket. the school is hosting a huge party and there are chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter, and oatmeal raisons. everyone wants the chocolate chips - and all schools go for the chocolate chips. unfortunately, there are never enough, but the school still needs more cookies or this party would suck! So they say okay... some people like peanut butter, but a few people like oatmeal raisons so they get a extra of both just in case. when the party starts, they come home and they leave a few oatmeal raisons and peanut butter in the closet. and then they wait. if peanut butter suddenly goes short, they reach for a peanut butter. if oatmeal raisons suddenly go short, they reach for a oatmeal raison.

and bottom line if you're an oatmeal raison, they're only waiting to see if they will have enough oatmeal raisons left for the party.





lol that was terrible. but i hope it makes some sense.

What the

[law chihuahua]

Love the cookie analogy, but yeah. I'm in a similar position to the OP.
I applied to some reaches as a Hail Mary pass, got surprisingly WLed, and now I don't know what to think.
A rejection would be clear cut. A waitlist for people like us however is hard to read, and you want to not get your hopes up. If and when we are dinged later on, it just hurts all the more because it feels like it was so close yet so far.

[Patriot1208]

The one thing people ITT haven't touched on: Some schools (UVA comes to mind) waitlist practically everyone. Instead of just waitlisting some people so that they can fill their class when people attend schools elsewhere, UVA waitlists hundreds of people, and it's basically used the same as a rejection in most cases.

[txadv11]

The one thing people ITT haven't touched on: Some schools (UVA comes to mind) waitlist practically everyone. Instead of just waitlisting some people so that they can fill their class when people attend schools elsewhere, UVA waitlists hundreds of people, and it's basically used the same as a rejection in most cases.

+1

Washington and Lee seems to do this also.

[aas911]

.

[ahduth]

i think it's like this - imagine the cookie aisle at a supermarket. the school is hosting a huge party and there are chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter, and oatmeal raisons. everyone wants the chocolate chips - and all schools go for the chocolate chips. unfortunately, there are never enough, but the school still needs more cookies or this party would suck! So they say okay... some people like peanut butter, but a few people like oatmeal raisons so they get a extra of both just in case. when the party starts, they come home and they leave a few oatmeal raisons and peanut butter in the closet. and then they wait. if peanut butter suddenly goes short, they reach for a peanut butter. if oatmeal raisons suddenly go short, they reach for a oatmeal raison.

and bottom line if you're an oatmeal raison, they're only waiting to see if they will have enough oatmeal raisons left for the party.





lol that was terrible. but i hope it makes some sense.

Nice. NYU in the house.

[DocHawkeye]

So they can drag you admission cycle out for seven months and then crush your soul by rejecting you. Or maybe that was just me.

[RTFM]

i think it's like this - imagine the cookie aisle at a supermarket. the school is hosting a huge party and there are chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter, and oatmeal raisons. everyone wants the chocolate chips - and all schools go for the chocolate chips. unfortunately, there are never enough, but the school still needs more cookies or this party would suck! So they say okay... some people like peanut butter, but a few people like oatmeal raisons so they get a extra of both just in case. when the party starts, they come home and they leave a few oatmeal raisons and peanut butter in the closet. and then they wait. if peanut butter suddenly goes short, they reach for a peanut butter. if oatmeal raisons suddenly go short, they reach for a oatmeal raison.

and bottom line if you're an oatmeal raison, they're only waiting to see if they will have enough oatmeal raisons left for the party.

This was awesome. I hope that I'm peanut butter. Raisins are gross!