"I often wondered why schools can't just waitlist the remaining interviewed applicants. We're only talkin about a few hundred applicants, depending on the school, right?!? Maybe there needs to be further distinction, post-interview"
I think many schools interview more than a few hundred. Also, at every school, some people (though not too many) will just interview badly, come across as arrogant or ignorant etc. Thus these peeps should be rejected (at least in the eyes of the ad com)--why put them on a waiting list? In general I think if you had a decent interview you have a good shot of making a waitlist at any school. Unless you had really really low numbers to begin with and the school was hoping you'd have a more stellar interview or something. again if the ad com thinks that you can't cut it at the school, why out the person on a waitlist and just not reject (yeah I know--why interview them in the first place then?)