Middlebury is an incredibly unique Northeastern liberal arts school. While admittedly an obnoxious way to frame things — and we’re just repeating general sentiment here, not endorsing it — Middlebury is often considered one of those coveted “almost an Ivy” tier colleges. Picturesque, academically robust, and competitive in athletics but not dominated by them, Middlebury attracts high-achieving students and has (as of last year’s data) an acceptance rate of just 13%.
But we don’t need to sell you on Middlebury. If you’ve landed on this page, you were likely waitlisted and wondering what your next steps are. We’ll give you the advice that will help you best plan for your future, because the truth is this is not a cut-and-dry situation. The number of students admitted from Middlebury’s waitlist varies year after year; it depends entirely on their yield from accepted students. Last year, for example, 2,215 of 2,259 waitlisted students (98%) accepted their place on the waitlist, which is over three times as many accepted students who actually enrolled (639). 12 students were eventually admitted off the waitlist — less than one percent of waitlisted students. For Fall 2021 admissions, only 2 students were admitted off the waitlist, but for Fall 2020 the year before 104 students were admitted off the waitlist.
The unpredictable nature of waitlist data leads us to say this in the best interest of our students: it is not impossible that you will get into Middlebury off the waitlist, but it is unlikely. In order to have the best possible transition to freshman fall, we’re going to walk you through what to do if you’ve been waitlisted by Middlebury for the Fall 2024 term to maximize your chance of attending while ensuring you have a promising backup plan.
ACCEPT YOUR SPOT ON THE WAITLIST
If you are certain that Middlebury is your first choice — meaning you would change your plans last minute and lose your deposit at another school if a spot opened up to the waitlist halfway through the summer — you need to join the waitlist. Yes, this might sound obvious, but it does need to be said: receiving notice that you’ve been waitlisted is only an offer to join the waitlist until you notify the school that you’d like to accept a spot on the waitlist.
CHOOSE A BACKUP SCHOOL
Now that you’re covered with Middlebury, you need to start making plans for where you’ll go if there is no movement on the waitlist. That sucks to hear, we know, and we’re sorry to say it. But the truth is — no matter how attractive a candidate you are, there is a chance that no spots become available at all. If that’s the case, you can’t bank on hearing from Middlebury later on. You need to have a school lined up for the fall in the likely event that it doesn’t happen with Middlebury.
No matter what happens, you won’t hear back before the May 1st commitment deadline. That’s when schools find out what their yield is and if they have spots to give to the waitlist, so regardless you will have to commit to another school by May 1st if you’re planning to matriculate in the fall. Once you’ve made this step, you can start to get excited about alternate possibilities. You don’t have to give up on Middlebury, and you shouldn’t!, but it allows you to hold space for the idea that even if you don’t end up in Vermont you’re going to have a wonderful 4 years of undergraduate starting soon.
REINFORCE YOUR INTEREST
You’ve taken the two *officially* required steps, so you can take a deep breath. Joined the waitlist: check. Accepted a spot at another school: check. Now all that’s left to do is the “optional” work to sweeten the deal (i.e. make you look like the most promising candidate on the waitlist). Remember that, in our line of work, optional is never actually optional. If spots become available to the waitlist, admissions will need to go back through waitlisted applicants to decide who will get an offer of admission. If you want that to be you, you’ll want to have sent a Letter of Continued Interest that has confirmed your wish to go to Middlebury and to provide updates on any major changes or additional accomplishments since turning in your original application.
Middlebury does not disclose whether they rank their waitlist, but — if they’re like the majority of their peers — they don’t rank. That means they are handpicking each accepted student from the waitlist, and you should focus here leaving a positive impression in any way you can (reiterating the things that make you a good fit for Middlebury and that show follow-through on your stated interests) and avoid leaving a sour taste in their mouth (repeatedly checking in for answers they can’t give you, writing the world’s lengthiest email and disrespecting their time, repeating things they would know from your application, etc.).
The crucial factors: your email should be addressed to the general admissions inbox, or to a regional representation if you’ve been in touch with an individual counselor before; it should contain the four elements of an informal LOCI; and it should be at or below 400 words.
Formal Opening: Keep it classy; in order words, be normal. Begin your letter with the appropriate opener: “Dear Middlebury College Admissions” or “Dear “Mr./Ms./Mx. [Last Name].”
Reinforce Interest: Briefly and personably remind admissions who you are. Reintroduce yourself in 1 to 3 sentences, stating why Middlebury is the perfect school for you and why you would undoubtedly attend if admitted off the waitlist. We always say this, but we always mean it: BE SPECIFIC. The more clearly admissions can see you sliding into a niche and achieving your goals on campus, the more likely they’ll be to allocate one of very few spots to you.
Short Update: This next part is equally important. If you’ve landed on the waitlist, Middlebury has determined that you are qualified to attend their college; they just didn’t have enough spots to admit you in the first round of acceptances. To put yourself over the top here, distinguish yourself in any way you can by giving information that supports the impression you’ve made in your application and that strengthens your academic and extracurricular transcript.
Again, don’t waste time telling them something you’ve already reported or trying to make your case for why you should have been admitted; that won’t be appreciated. Respect the time they’re taking to reconsider your application, and streamline your message to any important changes you can share. That could mean an honor or award you’ve received (whether that’s through a department at your school or the National Merit Scholarship program), an independent project or individual research you’ve undertaken, a notable improvement in grades or GPA, or extracurricular recognition. If you need help rounding up the updates that matter, contact us for personalized help writing a pitch-perfect LOCI.
Professional Closing: Close your letter as gracefully as you started it. Write a sentence thanking admissions for their time, rearticulate your intention to attend Middlebury in pursuit of specific goals, and sign off appropriately with a “sincerely” or “respectfully” — you get the idea.
SIT ON YOUR HANDS
Send your email, and then take a deep breath. Consider throwing your computer in the ocean. I mean… obviously don’t do that, but we’re serious that from here on out you’ve got to sit and wait. Nothing good comes from pestering at this stage. You’ve done everything you could to put your best foot forward with Middlebury, and now all that’s left to do is enjoy the rest of your senior spring and take your mind off college admissions if you can.
We hope you hear good news from them, but remember that no matter what you’re going to have an exciting and unique college experience. So what the heck — maybe you really should go throw your laptop in the ocean.
If you’re hoping to get into Middlebury off the waitlist, reach out for tailored support as you take the last step in your college admissions journey!