What is the difference between being on a "hold" list and being waitlisted?

[lawgirl]

Hold list vs. Wait list

What is the difference? Which one is better?

What schools have a "hold list"?

[zpops]

As I understand it, hold means "we don't want to take you right now, in case we get better applicants.  If we don't get anyone better, then you might be in."  Wait-list means "You're not our first choice of applicants, but if we don't fill our class up from the accepted list, then you're in, assuming we reach your point on the list."

[lawgirl]

I still don't understand the difference. Which one is better?

What do you mean by other applicants. Isn't it based on if they still have room in the class after people send in deposits. If they have room, they go to the hold list first right over the wait list?

[zpops]

I'm not exactly sure about this, so take anything I say with a grain of salt.  Based on my hold letter at Harvard, it seems like my app was just put to the side, but is still active.  If they do not fill up the admitted students list with newer applicants, then the rest of the seats on that list will be filled with people from the hold list, and the rest will most likely move to the waitlist. 

For the waitlist, let's pretend a school has 200 seats, and you are number 50 on the list.  If the school has 200 admitted students return their deposits, then noone from the waitlist will get in.  If they get 199 deposits from the admit list, then they will also offer the first person on the wait list a seat.  The only way for you as number 50 to get into the school is for the 1L class to still have at least one seat left after WL student number 49 has been offered admission. 

As for which is better, I think hold is, since I've heard (although this is totally unconfirmed) that most people on hold just move onto the wait list, making hold a sort of waitlist + a slight chance of outright admission.

[lawgirl]

Thanks for the info.

I am a little scared though now. Because I just though if not enough people sent in seat deposits, they would go right to the hold list. But I guess it depends on if the school has reviewed all their applications.  The school I am taking about had an admissions deadline of Feb 15th and were not accepting any more apps after that.

So I think if not enough people turn in their seat deposits, then they will go right to the hold list.