Hopkins Waitlist

[SJason723]

I just found out that I was put on the Alternate List at Hopkins. During my interview date, several students said that the Committee pulls a ton of students off of the list, but they mentioned a high waitlist and low waitlist. Does anyone know if Hopkins is doing that again this year? My letter did say that the Alternate List has a lot of movement, so I assume I am on the good list! Anyone else in the same situation? Are you going to send a Letter of Intent? Thanks a lot!

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[Centinel]

Yes, the alternate list is the good list. I don't know how things will work out this year, but last year I believe around 40 people were pulled from that list. I can personally vouch for the fact that Hopkins pulls people off of the waitlist even into early July.

 

[Towelie]

I heard that they take over 1/3 of their class from the waitlist.

 

[kouhiiko]

Hi there,

I have heard from other applicants that the alternate list is another name for the waitlist...because our applications will not be reevaluated until April, and at that time, the strongest applicants will remain on the list...a real WAITlist (sigh), and the less competitive (of the waitlisted students) will be rejected at that time. I could be wrong, and perhaps the use of "alternate" rather than "wait" has some significance....maybe it means different things at different schools. But at least, in any case, it does not mean rejected

I have also heard the same stats that Towelie mentioned: 1/3 of the first-year class last year (40 students) were accepted off the waitlist. That is encouraging...but then again, last year BU didn't accept a single person off the waitlist, when in most years they have been able to accept a good percentage of students on that list....so who knows what could happen this year at Hopkins.
At least there is reason to be hopeful. Good luck to those waiting...

 

[sen]

Kouhiiko...what you've heard is wrong. Hopkins Alternate list = wait list.

That said, I think even more than 40 people were pulled off of the waitlist last year, and that's quite typical. The yield @ Hopkins is comparatively low, largely b/c people don't want to spend their early twenties in Baltimore...

 

[kouhiiko]

sorry for the confusion. When I said that I heard that the alternate list is another way of saying waitlist, I meant alternate list=waitlist.

 

[Stolenspatulas]

sorry for the confusion. When I said that I heard that the alternate list is another way of saying waitlist, I meant alternate list=waitlist.

i also recieved an alternate list notification.

is there such thing as a "low waitlist" notification? (do they mail out two separate letters- alternate lists, and low waitlist (which pretty much means rejection)?)

does anyone know how big the alternate list is?

 

[kouhiiko]

Hi Stolenspatulas,

I don't know for sure, but I can't imagine that they would be able to determine who will be high or low waitlisted (if they even do such a thing...schools tend to deny a tiered waitlist system...I don't know what they do at Hopkins) until they finish interviewing and look at the list as a whole...because it depends on how the waitlisters compare with one another...

If they do have a tiered waitlist, it is probably figured out in April, after interviews are finished, and when our applications are reviewed again (as indicated in the alternate list letter).

Does anyone have more information about this? Based on last year's SDN waitlist thread for Hopkins, waitlisted applicants started hearing in May, after the 15th.

 

[Stolenspatulas]

Hi Stolenspatulas,

I don't know for sure, but I can't imagine that they would be able to determine who will be high or low waitlisted (if they even do such a thing...schools tend to deny a tiered waitlist system...I don't know what they do at Hopkins) until they finish interviewing and look at the list as a whole...because it depends on how the waitlisters compare with one another...

If they do have a tiered waitlist, it is probably figured out in April, after interviews are finished, and when our applications are reviewed again (as indicated in the alternate list letter).

Does anyone have more information about this? Based on last year's SDN waitlist thread for Hopkins, waitlisted applicants started hearing in May, after the 15th.

i dont know.

maybe im more optomistic than most by recieving the "alternate list" notification.

im guessing that if you dont get in, but were very close by committee standards, then they'll give you the alternate list letter.

if you're not close, then you get the waitlist letter.

NOTE: this is entirely speculation, im not sure if a waitlist letter even exists!? anyone know for sure? Maybe they do give only alternate list letters.

ps- hopkins is a rolling school, with that in mind, why would they run a system based on a philosophy of interviewing everyone first then deciding on placement on a list that determines if you get in or not? if they function by letting people in on a rolling basis i have to figure that they can also function by placing waitlisters on a two-tiered system of alternate list vs waitlist on a rolling basis as well.

 

[Ambiptosis]

'Alternate list' is the term that Hopkins uses for the waitlist. That is correct.