Amherst is like, one the most Ivy of the not-Ivy schools. It’s in the picturesque Northeast, has stellar academics, and an acceptance rate that might scare off a few on-the-edge applicants. If you’re here, you probably made the waitlist for Amherst, and you’re a little worried about what comes next, no fear – we’re here.
In 2023, Amherst placed 924 applicants on their waitlist, and 599 students accepted their spot on the waitlist. Out of those 599, 47 were admitted. Of course, these numbers are prone to change: some years way more students are accepted off the waitlist, and some years way less. Instead of being all anxious and ruminating on it, we have some concrete steps of what you can do to increase your chances of getting off the waitlist and into Amherst.
Step 1: Accept Your Place on the Waitlist
Amherst will reach out to you after you get your admissions decision to ask if you’d like to accept your spot on the waitlist. You should, obvi, say yes. This will probably be done via Amherst’s admissions portal, and you’ll get instructions on how to do so. Step one? DONE. Shockingly easy!
Step 2: Secure Other Plans
Look, it’s hard to get into Amherst regardless if you’re on the waitlist or not. Getting off the waitlist means you have to go through an even more narrow funnel than you did the first time, and it’s challenging. At TKG, we are all about minimizing our risk and preparing for the worst, but hoping for the best. That means that you need to go ahead and accept a spot at a school you were already accepted to that you would be happy to attend.
Once you get that part down, we can get into the biggest part of your waitlist journey that you can control.
Step 3: Update Amherst
Now, it’s time to update Amherst. They do not have a lot of details on their website about the next steps for waitlist applicants (we believe this could be a growth area for Amherst!), but we have a strategy that will help you make the most of this time.
You’re gonna sit down and write a letter of continued interest. If you already dealt with deferral on top of this waitlist conundrum, then you know what to do. This will be a little bit different than a deferral letter of continued interest, but its objective is the same. This letter may be uploaded directly to the portal, or if there is not a spot for it, you will email it to the admissions counselor.
This is your last opportunity to talk directly to Admissions, so you wanna make it count. The letter should be super professional, very polished, and the vibe should be cool and confident and not beggy or desperate. Let’s get into the letter:
Header: Start your update with a formal intro such as “Dear Admissions Committee,” (unless you have the name of your specific regional admissions counselor) and reintroduce yourself to Amherst. Explain how excited you are to study at Amherst, and reaffirm your interest in the school.
Body: The body is the bulk of your content. This is where you will update Amherst on everything you’ve been up to since applying. Okay, well not everything — just the big stuff. If you completed a large project, brought up your grades significantly, if you completed a large project, brought up your grades significantly, or have any other extracurricular or academic updatesIf you completed a large project, brought up your grades significantly, or have any other extracurricular or academic updates, this is where you’ll put them. If you have personal life updates, we totally get the urge to share, but this may not be the best place for it.
Closing: Finish your letter just as professionally as you started it. You should pretend you are writing this letter to a future boss.
We recommend capping this at 350 words. Amherst may also allow you to submit other supporting documents, like additional letters of recommendation or updates to your résumé, which you should take advantage of if offered.
Step 4: The Waiting
You will submit your update in early spring, probably in April. You will also need to make sure that Amherst receives your most updated grades from your school, so reach out to your school counselor about this part.
Now, the part we cannot control. You’ll have to wait. We know, we’re sorry. You will probably hear back from Amherst starting sometime in May, but perhaps as late as July. Try not to pester the admissions committee — your letter is enough.
In the meantime, focus your attention on the letter and make sure you line up a backup school. Best of luck!
If you’re on a waitlist and feeling anxious, we can help! Please reach out to us today if you need help with your waitlist letter.