Chmeva
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Hi all - Best of luck with the WL process. As a current Tuckie who came off the WL, I know your pain. It's definitely not a fun wait. I'm sure you have or are going to scour past WL Tuck threads - and the plentiful advice re: 'How to get off the WL' on a ton of different websites, so I thought I might sum up some general thoughts/advice:
1. Don't feel the need to contact AdCom unless there is a major event that'll add immensely to your candidacy. Between my WL e-mail and the acceptance call, the only action I took was to confirm that I wanted to remain on the WL. There's more likely downside rather than upside if you pester AdCom regarding your status, feedback, and so on. Don't worry if AdCom is radio silent, they haven't just forgotten about you. And even if they say feedback will be given in Feb, don't be surprised if it happens later. At most, 1
2. Most people get off the WL around May onwards. I may have been one of the few exceptions that found out earlier (I applied EA and got an acceptance the day before January Round calls went out in March) and I think the latest I heard was in July (August is a major stretch). Ding letters will be sent on an ongoing basis. Eventually there'll be a "reduced waitlist" but in the end, you should get official notification of accept or ding.
3. Don't be surprised if you get feedback that amounts to "There's nothing really that you can change." Why does this happen? Basically, you're potentially good enough to be accepted / fit Tuck's profile. However, it's likely that there are admits who have a very similar profile to you but unfortunately are just a tad better. There's nothing you can really do because, unless those kind of people accept elsewhere, you're unlikely to get off the WL. The whole admissions process is crafting a class that represents a broad range of personal and professional backgrounds, experiences, and career interests. For that reason, it's not as if Tuck has a ranked WL. If you do get more pointed feedback from WL, it's likely that you could do something, like raise your GMAT score, to actually boost your profile. Specifically in the case of GMAT, b-schools are graded or looked at based on a range of criteria, one often being average GMAT score - if yours is too low, you're bringing down the average and potentially ranking of Tuck. I think you're much more likely to get more in depth feedback once you request feedback post-ding.
Just my two cents / opinion (who REALLY knows what goes on in the minds of AdCom, after all...).
After reading the above, I'm not sure if it'll make you more informed, depressed, or a combination thereof. Stay strong!
I'm not sure if you can answer this question, but here it is regardless: if there's something to add to my application, should I wait until the admission committee gets back at me or should I send it as soon as possible?
Can't really answer your question on timing, but in general I'd recommend waiting until you have something substantial to give to AdCom - whenever that is. I think this is somewhere in Dawna's advice/blog, but you should reflect on your own application and think about the weak points. If it's test scores, take the GMAT now (even if AdCom hasn't given you feedback now). It may be harder to identify things in your overall application along the lines of leadership for MBA/Tuck story. But if you feel that there are developments since you've submitted your application that balance out weaknesses, then sure, go ahead and contact AdCom. But again, be mindful of the quality and quantity of those touch points.
End of the day, before you submit anything to AdCom, just
really think if what you're submitting is actually adding something substantial to your overall application that will really give AdCom a reason to think of converting you to an admit. As an example, one may think that a job promotion is a good item to update AdCom about - but if you're still doing the same work with relatively the same level of leadership and responsibility, then (in my opinion) that promotion isn't really something AdCom would see and thus think better of one's application.
Last note, be mindful of the overall calendar. This goes back to my comment about quantity/quality of touch points, but AdCom is amazingly busy. Imagine, in January, they're still going through the November round applications. January round applications just wrapped up, so those get thrown into the bunch. And there's still a ton of people interviewing. So if you're contacting them about WL / your application, especially before they've gotten back to you with anything re: feedback or whatnot, you should have a really good reason behind contacting them.