That's the frustrating part of this process. The earlier you apply, the better. So how can you apply early if you have to wait to hear from admissions people on what to do to improve, and once you hear, how do you do those things in time to put them on an application. Seems like a two year process...
UW has two waitlists. A ranked one, in which they tell you your standing, and an unranked one. Typically the first 12 almost always get in. Last year, they exhausted the ranked one (20-25) and pulled a few people out of the unranked pool. If you get on the unranked waitlist, I would say you can "almost" count on not getting in, in which case, you could probably call and schedule an interview before you are officially rejected. They would tell you your weaknesses, and maybe even look at you more seriously if it comes down to an unranked waitlist pick, assuming they don't wait until you're officially rejected to meet with you.
Last year, there were about 15-20 or so people in this same kind of thread. Come final decisions, a few got in, a few more got denied, 3-4 got ranked, and 3-4 got unranked. It was a weird, fairly even spread. After I got denied, I simply stopped checking the thread though...
I'm just hoping a third time isn't necessary for me...I've got a couple of other interviews coming up to buffer it a little, but UW is miles ahead of the others for places I want to go.
I don't like sifting through a zillion pages either 
