Calling all poli sci, history, and international relations buffs! Georgetown is located in Washington D.C., and their proximity to the halls of power makes it a top choice for students interested in any and everything related to public policy or government. It’s also a super hard to get into school, and if you’re here, you’ve been waitlisted and don’t know what to do next.
Georgetown’s acceptance rate for 2022 was around 12% – a very competitive rate, which translates to their waitlist data. In 2022, Georgetown offered 2,455 students a spot on the waitlist, and 1,804 accepted a spot on the waitlist. 40 of those students were accepted off the waitlist.
Being placed on a waitlist can be scary, but we’re here to help you make the right decisions to be admitted. Reach out to us today.
If you’ve been waitlisted to Georgetown, stop for a moment to take a deep breath, walk around for a little, or maybe even get something to drink (we recommend chai). Being placed on the waitlist can be overwhelming, whether you’re excited, disappointed, or anxious about it - but you need to keep a cool head and clear mind. Looking at the last five years, Georgetown has accepted anywhere from 25 to 200 students off the waitlist, which means there are concrete steps you can take to get yourself off the waitlist. Let’s talk about how to give yourself the best chance at turning your waitlist letter into an acceptance letter.
First Off
Georgetown doesn’t have a ton of info about their waitlist online. We found this one post from 2017, and any student who read this has already graduated from college. Super up-to-date, love it. Based on what we know from experience, though, this info is still relevant. When you receive your waitlist notification from Georgetown, they’ll direct you to the Waitlist Response Form. This is really important to fill out because if you don’t accept a spot on the waitlist, you can’t get accepted off the waitlist.
Have a Backup Plan
Georgetown has historically only accepted 1-3% of their waitlist applicants, so we highly recommend you come up with a plan for a worst-case scenario. While you’re waiting for your waitlist response, go ahead and accept an offer from a school that you’d be happy to attend if things don’t work out – just in case.
Follow Up
The next step for giving yourself the best shot of getting off the waitlist is to let Georgetown know that you’re still very interested in attending their school. Don’t do anything drastic like spam their emails or show up in person to argue your case to an admissions counselor. Instead, you’ll write a Letter of Continued Interest. Some colleges require one on their waitlist response form, but Georgetown doesn’t. A tip though: writing a letter gives you an edge, and if you don’t write one, you probably won’t be accepted. And now, how to write your Georgetown waitlist LOCI:
Opening: This is your last chance to make a good impression, so keep the tone very professional. You also want your tone to project confidence – begging won’t come across well. Open with something like “Dear Admissions Committee” or “Dear Admissions Counselor:” If you have your admissions counselor’s name, use it.
Reinforce Interest: Remind the admissions committee who you are. Make sure to let them know that you’re thankful that they’re taking the time to read your letter as you introduce yourself. You don’t have to go really in-depth for this, but make sure they know who you are, re-confirm your interest in Georgetown, and let them know that you’re definitely attending if you’re accepted. You may also want to talk about a specific academic reason you’re drawn to Georgetown.
Update: In the next part, you’ll debrief the admissions committee on anything that’s changed since you sent in your application. This can take the form of new achievements, awards, consistency (or improvement!) with grades, or even new extracurriculars that you’ve picked up. You are going for quality, not quantity here, so choose max three things you’re extra proud of. Extra points for connecting these things back to activities and academic extracurriculars you want to pursue at Georgetown.
Closing: Like the header, we want to keep things classy and professional. Restate your interest in attending Georgetown, thank them for reading your letter, and assure them that, if accepted, you’re going to be attending their school.
This should be around 300-400 words, and you’ll either upload it to a portal or send it directly to admissions. If writing the perfect LOCI feels intimidating, we can help.
Finally
Plan for the future. Once you’ve accepted your spot on the waitlist, you’ll have to wait. Georgetown doesn’t even start to consider waitlisted students until a couple of weeks into May.
In the meantime, make sure that you have your backup school ready to go, just in case, and have your counselor send updated versions of your grades. Best of luck!
Reach out today if you need help with your waitlist letter.