Q. Stay on College Waitlist - How Do I Decide Whether to Stay on a College Waitlist

A. When you're deciding between two colleges to which you've been accepted, the decision--while sometimes difficult to make--is at least easy to frame. You want to go to the school that will be best for you.

When a waitlist is involved, sometimes the decision is a little trickier. It's tough to leave everyone hanging during the summer while you wait for a waitlist decision. Sometimes, especially if you're OK with the schools to which you've already been accepted, it's easier to just to forget about the waitlist and move on with your life. That's what a lot of applicants decide to do.

Sometimes, though, you should stay on the waitlist despite the mental anguish that doing so may cause. Sure, it would be nice to have this whole college thing settled in May. But if deep down you'd really prefer the school where you've been put on the waitlist, you should not only keep that option open but aggressively pursue getting in off the waitlist. College are sometimes forced to admit literally hundreds of students from the waitlist, and you're not being fair to yourself if you don't pursue a spot throughout the summer.

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