Waitlists and stats

This morning I hosted a lively, well-attended MBA waitlist chat. The attendees seemed happy with the information provided, and we had a good time. If you missed it, I will announce here when the waitlist chat transcript is posted on Accepted.com.

I was surprised at one steady stream in the questions: What are School X's WL stats? In other words, in the past, how many students have been waitlisted and then accepted? Is there a difference if waitlisted after the first or second round?

I was surprised about this theme for two reasons:

1. The stats are available through Businessweek -- if the school is willing to release such information. Just check BW for the stats for the school that has waitlisted you.
2. For the life of me I couldn't see why those numbers are so important.  All schools , except possibly Insead whose policies are in flux somewhat, set up waitlists and accept students from them. If your school last year accepted 5% or 15% or 25% of waitlisted applicants is it really going to change your behavior?

I guess if you need that data to determine whether you want to remain on the waitlist, it's useful, but realize that last year's numbers are not predictive. If the school has a higher yield than last year, the WL acceptance rate will plummet. If it has a lower yield than last year, the WL acceptance rate will climb.

This lack of predictive quality is not true only of  MBA program. It is also true for college, medical school, and law school. Focusing on past WL acceptance stats is a distraction. You should be focusing on making your case for acceptance, your case for fit with the program, your case for your qualifications.

If you need help making that case, consider Accepted.com's waitlist advising and editing services.  If you are an waitlisted MBA applicant,  check out our latest ebook, The Nine Mistakes You Don't Want to Make on an MBA Waitlist.