College Waitlist Secrets Revealed

As if the college applications process wasn't drawn out enough, more colleges are putting a greater number of applicants on waitlists, a survey of admissions officers finds. But the good news is that many colleges eventually accept more students off those lists. And colleges are starting to reveal details about how they decide whom to choose from their waitlists. Many students may be surprised to learn that besides standard factors such as the student's grades and eagerness to attend the college, some colleges also consider an applicant's prospective major, home state, or ability to pay the school's full price. Kim Clark, U.S. News & World Report, Oct. 25, 2010