Many high schoolers across the nation are being waitlisted to top tier universities. At first, this may lead one to dismay, but students can do a few important things that may give them a chance of attending a university at which they have been waitlisted.

1. Make sure to accept your position on the waitlist.

After colleges evaluate applications, most upper tier universities place students into 3 categories: denied, waitlisted, or accepted. For the accepted students, the student is responsible to officially accept the college’s offer.

This process is the same for waitlisted students. Often times students will only read the first few lines of acceptance letters, notice they are waitlisted, and then throw it aside. However, colleges require that students formally accept their position on the waitlist in order to have a chance of being admitted.

2. Write to the college.

Depending on what college you have been waitlisted to, writing a letter can immensely help you get into the college of your choice. Aside from some very popular schools such as UCLA or Harvard, colleges love to see that a student cares enough about their college to write a letter.

In the letter, update college counselors on your academic and extracurricular progress and make sure to highlight your desire to attend their college. They notice when you take the time to reiterate your passion for their specific school. Counselor Kellley Christman spoke about why it is important to follow up to colleges. “A letter shows continued interest in the university. Students can also include recent accomplishments that were not included in their initial application,” said Christman.

Make a case for how you can contribute to their college. According to the College Board, “Now’s the time to mention any additional nonacademic factors that might help your case — any new achievements or supplemental information.” It should be your goal to have the college try to recruit you instead of the other way around.

3. Once you have completed these steps, move on.

It may sound blunt, but after you have done everything possible to improve your chances at a waitlisted college, step away. Reconsider your previous acceptances and pretend those are your only options. It is better to let an acceptance from the waitlist come as a pleasant surprise than wait anxiously just to not hear back from them.

As the college-decision season comes to an end, relax, take a step back and realize just how much you have accomplished this year. Whether you get into the college of your choice or not, you can still find success in what you do. If you follow the steps above and stay calm during this college decision season, you will most likely end up happy with whatever happens.