Brown: the kinda artsy cool kid Ivy – but you know that. If you’re here, you were probably waitlisted by Brown and want to know what kind of concrete next steps you can take. No fear, we’re here. Sorry that rhymed, we know this is a stressful time.
We did a little digging into Brown’s waitlist history, and it’s a little murky. In 2022, we have no idea how many students were offered a space on the waitlist. So we kept looking (a full decade!), and Brown provides no data on how many students they offer the waitlist to, but we do know how many waitlisted students they accept. We know from a PDF we found from last year that they “expect 1,000-1,500 students to accept” a waitlist spot. During the last cycle, they accepted 15 students off the waitlist, and 28 the year before. So, if we take their estimate into consideration, that’s a 1-1.5% success rate of getting off the waitlist. Before 2020, those numbers were in the 80-120 range, so we can only assume it’s gotten more competitive as the number of applicants have increased.
Step 1: Accept Your Place on the Waitlist
Brown will let you know, generally in March or April, how to accept a spot on their waitlist. In years past, this has been through the Brown Applicant Portal. You should accept the waitlist spot, and then go into Step 2.
Step 2: Secure Other Plans
Getting into Brown is tough, and getting off the waitlist is even trickier. Remember folks, 1%. We're all about playing it safe, so while you proceed to Step 3 on our handy guide, you also need to commit to a school you did get into and would be happy to attend. You cannot put all your eggs in the waitlist basket!
Now: time for an update.
Step 3: Update Brown
Let’s hear it from Brown themselves:
“Is it helpful to the Board of Admission if I send additional information, have additional letters written on my behalf, or visit campus to speak with an admission officer?
Additional materials or new recommendation letters are not necessary unless you or your recommenders are providing information that was not available to us during our original deliberations. You may upload new information through your Brown Applicant Portal, and recommenders may send letters to documents@brown.edu. We regret that we are not able to offer staff interviews or individual conversations with waitlisted students.”
Brown wants updates if you actually have updates to give them, which we agree with. Let’s talk about how to write a waitlist letter to give them the skinny on what you’ve been up to since applying in the fall.
A waitlist letter differs somewhat from a deferral letter of continued interest (that you may have already written), but it's ultimately pursuing the same objective: convincing them it’s the school for you. Remember, this is your final opportunity to communicate with admissions, so it's crucial to make it impactful, professional, and confident. No begging or desperation!!!
Opening: Begin with a formal greeting like "Dear Admissions Committee" (or include a regional counselor’s name if available). You aren’t writing an email to a friend or family member (unless you write really oddly professional emails to friends and family), so make sure the tone is very professional.
Reinforce Interest: Brown knows you like Brown – we mean, you did apply there. But you still need to take a few sentences (max: three) to reaffirm your interest in Brown and state, very plainly, that if you’re accepted, you will 100% attend. You need Brown to walk away with the impression that they are your first choice and the only place you can pursue your studies and fulfill your potential, so give them a specific reason.
Update: Next, you need to provide a very brief update on what you’ve been up to since you applied in the fall. We sincerely hope you haven’t fallen victim to senioritis, and this is a big part of why we make sure our clients are still pushing themselves in their senior spring. If you want to go to an Ivy, you need Ivy-level drive, so your accomplishments since applying should match that. Give them a highlight of the best things you’ve done, and keep it brief (a short paragraph, no more than 3 things should be on this list). You can include if you’re now the top-ranked student at your school, new leadership positions, new awards/recognition, new internships, or completed research.
Closing: Conclude your letter with the same professional tone you started with, yet again reaffirming your interest, and stating the specific academic reasons you want to go to Brown. This should be like, a sentence, max. End with a Sincerely or a Respectfully, because this needs to be very polite.
This should be no more than 300-400 words. Brown will either let you email this or upload it to the admissions portal. If you don’t send in a letter of continued interest, you have no shot of getting off the waitlist, period. That means you must write this letter, and it needs to be perfect. If that feels daunting, we can help.
Step 4: The Waiting
Prepare to submit your update in early spring, likely around April. Make sure Brown receives your latest grades from your school—just check in with your school counselor for that.
Now, onto the part beyond our control. Unfortunately, patience is the name of the game. Expect responses from Brown starting in May, but it could extend until July. Resist the temptation to repeatedly contact the admissions committee—let your letter do the talking. We don’t want to annoy them.
While you wait, focus on refining your letter and perhaps have a backup school in mind. 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.