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Eleanor Munson, PhD

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Wait List, Wait Pool …. Stressful No Matter the Name!

Munson phd consultantTom Petty had it right …. “the waiting is the hardest part.”  A number of parents I’ve spoken to this week have received news that their child has been put in the wait pool.  Hockaday, St. Marks, Greenhill, Good Shepherd, and Parish are some of the schools that have parents sitting on pins and needles in hopes that a spot will open up.

Many schools have moved away from having a traditional ‘waitlist’ and now use a ‘wait pool.’  Both are for students that meet the school’s entrance requirements but are not offered a place.  A waitlist means that for each grade prospective students are ranked so that when a spot opens up the first on the list gets an offer.  The next opening goes to the second person on the list, and so on.  Schools that maintain lists tend to be smaller, have a smaller number of applicants and may use the sign-up date as a basis for entry.

A waiting pool consists of all of the ‘approved’ students for each grade, without any ranking.  If a spot opens up, the admissions committee reconvenes to review the students again to determine who is offered the spot.  Though it requires more work on the part of the school, it also gives them the most flexibility, as they may consider gender and other variables that change from year to year, grade to grade.

Honestly, when your child is ‘approved’ for admission but denied a place, it stings.  You know how wonderful your child is, why doesn’t the school see that?  As difficult as it is, try not to take it personally.  There are many reasons why another child was offered a spot.  She may be a sibling, a member of the church, an alumna child…you’ll never really know.  The best thing you can do is let the school know you are still interested and then just wait……and hope.

© Eleanor Munson, Ph.D. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from Eleanor Munson, Ph.D. is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Eleanor Munson, Ph.D. with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Filed Under: Admissions Process Tagged With: dallas private school wait list, dallas private school wait pool, dallas private school waiting list, ESD, Good Shepherd, Greenhill, Hockaday, Parish, St Marks, wait list, wait pool

About Eleanor Munson, PhD

About Eleanor Munson, PhD

Dr. Eleanor Munson is a graduate of the Hockaday School and an expert in private schools in the Dallas, TX area. Rely on her experience to help make wise, well-informed decisions about your child’s educational environment, from preschool through high school. Contact Dr. Munson today to get started!

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