stryker79 wrote:
Did McCombs allow waitlist applicants to submit a letter of interest or updates last year without being asked to do so? Seems counterintuitive sending an email to "gauge interest" before offering admission.
Yeah, I agree that it is counterintuitive for McCombs to send out an email gauging all the waitlist candidates' interest, since presumably that is what the "letter of interest" supplemental material portal is for.
My understanding is that this is the first year in recent seasons that McCombs has allowed for a supplemental waitlist material portal. 2 years ago you had to email all waitlist updates to the adcom. So it is possible that this update request is just a carry over from previous practices.
I also find it interesting that 9 applicants had been admitted off the waitlist by May 1st during the 2017 cycle (according to Clear Admit and GMAT Club), however May 10th was the earliest waitlist admit during the 2016 cycle. See screenshot.
Thanks for the analysis. IMO, the timing is largely impacted by their yield rate and application pool. Low yields from previous rounds + small application pool in the last round means earlier review of waitlist. McCombs has been secretive about their waitlist. No info sections or personal contact. Just a blog post.