A COURTESY?

While Harvard insists that the waitlist is a legitimate way to tell students that they will be reconsidered if space in the class becomes available, some with knowledge of the admissions process allege that being waitlisted can serve other purposes.

Some critics allege that highly selective institutions have a “courtesy waitlist” that serves to placate families with close financial ties to the school who would be angry if their child were rejected.

“You would rather let them down gently,” says Goran. “That’s certainly one way to do it rather than offer an outright rejection.”

Fitzsimmons denies that Harvard employs a courtesy waitlist, dismissing the logic behind such a list.

“An unrealistic waitlist decision could actually harm relations between the [high] school and Harvard and the family and Harvard,” he says.

Fitzsimmons does, however, acknowledge that admissions officers sometimes grow attached to applicants and support waitlisting them, rather than rejecting them outright. But, he stresses that applications with unrealistic chances of admission are never waitlisted.

“It’s hard to send a rejection letter to a lot of people who apply to us,” he says. “Sometimes it’s very hard for [admissions officers] to let go.”

Independent college counselor Amy Sack says that some colleges will waitlist the children of legacies and influential donors in order to accept them later on without giving off the appearance that the school accepted a student who is clearly unqualified.

Despite the criticism, admissions counselors also acknowledge other practical purposes to waitlisting certain students.

“I know that admissions officers [can] get extremely nasty calls,” Sack says. “Students feel better if they make it to [the waitlist].”

Fitzsimmons acknowledges the public perception that the waitlist is unlikely to actually result in admission.

“A lot of the public views it as a fruitless exercise,” he says. “But you have to stay on the waitlist in order to get off it.”

—Staff writer Justin C. Worland can be contacted at jworland@college.harvard.edu.