UCLA Waitlist

[Dodge This]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I heard back from UCLA today, 2 weeks after interviewing there. They put me on their waitlist non-ranked waitlist. The letter says something about it being second priority. WTF does this mean?

It said something else about not even hearing from them until July. Orientation for the only school I've been accepted to starts in mid-July. Predicament, much? I'd hate to think that I could have stayed in SoCal if only the other school didn't start so damn early.

Talk about frustrating.

 

[jcw1]

do you go to UCSD? I interviewed there in Jan and I still have not heard a word. I think their whole process is a little sketchy.

 

[bigdirt]

wow! That's the quickest I've heard anyone hear back from UCLA. Do you think they might have just ran out of spots for now?

 

[zb]

Hi -- I'm a 4th year med student who had a terrible time the summer before med school waiting on a waitlist that never panned out. I must caution you against making the same mistake as me. What I did was to translate (in my head) a waitlist into a probable (late) acceptance because I wanted the school so badly.

The way I read their letter is that they have 2 waitlists -- one is their top priority list and it is ranked from those they want the most to the least, and those people will get accepted in that order as spots open up. The second list (the one you are in) is a bunch of alternates -- these are people that they liked enough that they didn't want to reject them, but didn't like enough to accept them or put them on the ranked list. If they run out of people on their ranked list (which from their letter sounds like it doesn't usually happen until July), then they'll go through the whole other "alternate list" and pick new ones to add to the ranked list.

To assess your chances of getting in eventually, you'd need to know how many people are on the ranked list and how many other people are in the alternate pool. But for your own sanity, I would take this as having a SLIM chance of working out -- in other words assume your going to the other school and that it won't work out at UCLA.

In the meantime, keep letting them know you're interested -- e.g., write them a thank you letter for their interest in you and in it, reiterate all the reasons you are super interested in UCLA. In June, you may write again to let them know how interested you still are and update them on your last set of grades (if they're good).

Then July 1, give them a call and ask them your chances, explaining about the other school starting soon. The point of all of these communications is NOT to be a pest (be super polite and DON'T go overboard) but to make sure you keep letting them know you're interested and enthusiastic about UCLA so that if they have to dip into the alternate pool, maybe they'll think of you more quickly.

Wait lists SUCK -- there's no way around it. But try to concentrate on the positive -- at least you have an acceptance and you know that next year at this time, you'll be working your MD.

Hope this helped,

zb



[This message has been edited by zb (edited 03-10-2001).]

 

[Dodge This]

jcw1-UCSD rejected me without interview.

zb-Thanks, what you said was very helpful. I know my chances at UCLA are basically zero. I'm just surprised why I heard back so fast. The admissions office said it was typically 10 weeks.

 

[jcw1]

Dodge this - I got rejected from UCSD w/out interview too. I was kind of surprised since I am a student there, but I guess there is no telling, huh?

 

[Dodge This]

It's pretty common knowledge that UCSD doesn't like its own...in that the rate of acceptence of UCSD undergrads is about the same here as it is anywhere. Compare that to some of the private schools which take a lot of their own undergrads and it's a little depressing.

 

[bigdirt]

Just a note for anyone waiting to hear from UCLA: they said the adcom will be making final decisions on all the remaining files (accept, reject, and waitlists alike) by this thursday or friday. So if you haven't heard anything yet you will next week. Good luck!

 

[jcw1]

hey big dirt, thanks for the 411. I can't wait to hear. Do you have any other info like the size of the waitlist or the acceptance pool?

 

[chinchilla]

hi bigdirt,

i was wondering if you wouldn't mind sharing how you know that they will be making their decisions this week? if you'd rather not, no sweat, i don't want to be intrusive at all.

i interviewed in early january and hate checking my empty mailbox every day

i'm totally hoping that your awesome insider knowledge is for real (at this point, being rejected might feel better than just not knowing). thanks!

 

[bigdirt]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="2">Originally posted by chinchilla:
hi bigdirt,

i was wondering if you wouldn't mind sharing how you know that they will be making their decisions this week? if you'd rather not, no sweat, i don't want to be intrusive at all.

•

Very simple...I just called their admissions office. The thing is they are usually very difficult to talk to (the first time I called a month or so ago the lady totally cut me off and wouldn't answer any of my questions.) But I got lucky the second time and ended up talking to a nice lady. The information I posted here is exactly what she told me. So I'm assuming it's accurate.

 

[nerak74]

Do you know if does anyone ever get accepted from the holdlist? If so, approx. how many of those lucky ones do they take each year?

 

[jcw1]

I am not sure how many come off the hold list but I called (I got put on the waitlist) and they said that 50-75% of the waitlist will get accepted, but that seems strange becasue they must eventually get to the hold list too or else they would not have it. By the way, I heard that both lists are unranked, can anybody confirm that. Good luck.
Jeff

 

[girl8]

I am on the waitlist for UCLA. My letter
said I would be placed on an "unranked"
list too. I called UCLA though and they
said that they only have 1 waitlist which
is unranked. Every time there is a space
that opens, they review everyone's file.
Sounds time-consuming (so we probably
won't find out until July or August if
we get in off the waitlist), but at least
there's only ONE waitlist!

 

[Ryu]

UCLA does only have one waitlist. The other list is called holdlist. Both are unranked. The people who got on the waitlist will receive letter stating that "it's unranked, and candidates from the waiting list may be selected for vacancies in the class if they become available."

For people who are put on the holdlist, the letter they receive will state that the list they are on is the "second priority" when it comes to choosing candidates.

 

[BlueBoy]

Now, could the "second priorty list" be considered as a waitlist to get on the waitlist? If that's that case, then it would seem impossible to get accepted from that list.

UC Irvine has not rejected me, but has put me in a group where they will consider for the waitlist in June. They stressed that I've have not been rejected yet, but it seems like I have a very slim chance to be accepted.

bb