I Was on the Barnard Waitlist

I remember when I first opened my Barnard Admissions letter. I was in my room during the depths of strict quarantine, patiently waiting for my application portal to update. I already knew that Barnard was my dream school, and I was desperate to convince the admissions committee that I belonged there as I had already felt I did. I had written my supplements, taken my tests, and gone through the stressful application season. It was now out of my hands, something terrifying yet comforting. 

After what felt like an eternity, the minute hand changed on my clock and my portal updated. I rushed to click it, my letter opened, I read it closely…. I was waitlisted. I was devastated. For some reason, in the college application process, I was never taught how to react to a waitlist, so I took it as a rejection. I mourned the loss of my dream school, I started preparing myself to attend another college. I was so disappointed. I had looked up the stats of the number of people that get off the waitlist at Barnard, and in the years prior to mine, it was low. Low enough that I assumed I would move on and eventually fall in love with another school. I spent a week grieving what I thought could have been, as I carefully crafted my letter of continued interest (LOCI). My family encouraged me to not give up, but I felt as if I had already. 

Enough time passed and the idea of going to Barnard was already pushed behind me in fear of disappointment. I was in a Zoom meeting for school, when I looked down at my phone and saw a random number from Atlanta, Georgia calling me. I figured it was spam, didn’t answer, and went back to focusing on my meeting. A minute later I had a voicemail on my phone, so I listened. 

“Hi I am calling from Barnard College Admissions office call back when you can.”

I immediately hung up the Zoom and called back the Georgia number. A woman named Lulu answered and asked me if I was still interested in being on the waitlist and potentially attending Barnard. Assuming it was a routine call I said yes of course. I remember exactly what she said after:

 “Well, we would actually like to offer you a spot in our class of 2024!”

 Instant tears streamed down my face, and I screamed “Thank you thank you!” She laughed as she told me more details, which I half listened to through my excitement and tears. I ran into my sister's room and jumped up and down as I tearfully told her, “I got off the waitlist, I am going to Barnard!” 

As an NYU student, my sister and I were especially excited to share the city together. My parents came home and greeted me with celebratory hugs and that night my family celebrated my happiness with me.

 For some reason, in the college application process, I was never taught how to react to a waitlist, so I took it as a rejection.

The days that followed were beautifully Barnard-filled. I read every blog post, watched every video, and learned as much as possible, not because I was looking for anything specific, but because I was so ecstatic to be a part of it all. Now as a junior at Barnard, the excitement I feel is the same, if not higher, than it was three years ago. I get so excited to talk about Barnard that I am a tour guide and get to able to talk to prospective families about how much I love Barnard. Giving tours fills me with energy: it isn’t a chore and it barely feels like a job, but instead, it feels like being able to share how amazing the place and community I am a part of is. I have infinite Barnard pride. 

The college admissions process is scary, stressful, and can be frustrating. We are programmed to see anything that isn’t an acceptance as a rejection, but that is not the case. I took my Barnard waitlist as a setup for a rejection, and I was extremely wrong. So wrong in fact, that I am sitting in Milstein (the Barnard library), writing this, in the place that I thought I would never be able to dream of going to. Everyone says you are meant to be where you end up, and I agree, but would add one thing - you will make the place you end up being where you are meant to be. So, if the letter says waitlisted, don’t panic, you are joined by many people who are my peers today who were once on that list, myself included.