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For the past month, you anxiously checked your mailbox, hoping to find the legendary "fat" envelope containing congratulatory words and enrollment instructions. While most students are happily evaluating the relative merits of the institutions that returned such letters, some students are receiving letters with two of the cruelest words know to college applicants: "wait list."

Wait lists can be more frustrating than a simple denial of admission because they can mean postponing your ultimate college choice- thereby prolonging the period of uncertainty and anxiety about your future. Many students decide the angst is not worth it. They opt to remove their names and accept admission offers from other schools. If, however, you were wait-listed by your first choice school, or one of your dreamed-about reach schools, you will probably spend hours trying to read between the lines of your letter- wondering whether you really have a chance at admission and what you might do to improve your prospects.

Admission officials say that most of the telephone calls and letters they receive between April 15 and May 1 pertain to students who they have placed on these "alternate lists." The most frequently asked questions- Is the list ranked? Where am I on it? Unfortunately (for students) most schools do not rank their wait list, and may not be able to give you a definitive yeah or neah until early August!

To better understand what being on a wait list can mean for you personally, you must first understand why colleges maintain such lists. The most obvious reason is that colleges, as much as they might wish and try, cannot predict with certainty exactly how many admitted students will accept their admission offers.

In recent years, top colleges have started to receive an increased number of applications making "enrollment management" even more problematic. This trend results from a combination of factors- for example, easier computer-based applications and common-application forms, and pressures concerning the cost of college attendance cause students to apply to a higher number of colleges than in past years. Consequently, some schools have lengthened their wait lists as an insurance against under-enrollment or a guard against over-enrollment.

Not all rationales for maintaining wait lists are that straightforward. Some colleges wait-list particular students for political reasons. For example, suppose an admission committee decides that the daughter of an alum is not really qualified for admission. Rather than alienating her parent with an outright rejection, admission officers may opt to wait-list the student as a more "polite" form of rejection.

Another concern is admissions percentages. With the increasing weight students place on annual rankings guides, colleges are paying close attention to statistics that affect their position in these polls. As a result, some admission officers wait-list many students and, after admitting these students later, "neglect" to adjust the percentage of admitted students to reflect that fact.

A final issue of concern to wait-listed students is financial assistance. Even if you are accepted from a school’s wait list, you may not receive adequate financial support because the school may have depleted its aid budget. Other schools simply restrict their admission offers to those wait list candidates with no financial need.

With these facts in mind, you are probably wondering whether it’s worthwhile for you to hang your admission hopes on a wait list. Each school has different methods for dealing with wait-listed candidates. Some rank their lists. Others admit students based on gaps in entering classes that were not filled by the first wave of admitted candidates. Before you decide to remain on a wait list, be sure to contact admissions officers to discern the school’s wait list policy. Once you have done this, you can employ some of the strategies described to improve your position on the wait list. Good Luck!

• First of all, take stock of your own feelings before deciding to accept a place on a wait list. If you are only marginally interested in a school that wait-listed you, and think you could be just as happy at a college that accepted you, you might want to abandon the wait list game and begin planning your future at the other school.

• Even if you choose to remain on a wait list, reserve a place at another school. If your first choice school should then come through, you merely forfeit your original deposit. Colleges are aware that some students who accept their admission offer will later withdraw if admitted from a wait list at another school. This domino effect is the reason some wait-listed students are in limbo until August!

• Be proactive. Write a letter to the Director of Admission reiterating your interest in the school and stating that you would definitely accept their offer if admitted from the wait list. Update the Director about your coursework, and any additional honors you have won since submitting your original application. Also, don’t hesitate to inquire what actions you could take to enhance your chances of admission.

• Rather than telephoning admission staff yourself, ask your guidance counselor to call on your behalf. Your counselor will be able to obtain a more honest assessment of your admission prospects. He or she may also be able to put in a good word for you with the college.

Reprinted from Solutions, Octameron Associates College Planning Newsletter. For subscription, phone: 783-836-5480