What is a hold?

[ilr2009]

I've been placed on hold at Columbia and Northwestern, what are my chances.  I also got into GULC and Cornell, should I let them know?  May the help my chances

[LawDog3]

I say yes, for two reasons: 1) these schools are of similar prestige, and 2) schools of similar prestige compete with each other for talent. A third reason to tell the other schools about your acceptances is the fact that playing schools against each other works for financial aid, why not admission?

Still a fourth reason is the "neighbor effect". If you go door-to-door with a petition, you'll find that the first thing a resident will do is try to peek at your list to see what other neighbors have signed off on it. As confident as people seem in their decisions, they often look for validation in other people's decisions; it's human nature. Admissions' officials are not immune to this dynamic.

Writing them gives you an opportunity (read; excuse) to contact them and have your file "refreshed", i.e., moved back near the top of the pile for further review, as you are showing genuine, continued interest in their school. The squeaky wheele gets the oil, right?

A "hold" for all intents and purposes is like a "waitlist", but directed at the regular admissions season. The only differences are that your file likely has not received a full review and the committees will probably come to some kind of decision on you (admit, deny or waitlist) BEFORE the summer. Like waitlisted files, those that are held are competitive, just outside the realm of being among the strongest, or arrived rather late in the game. The schools are very interested in you, but feel the need to see other files before making a decision on you. 

But here's the thing: you must AVOID positioning your letter as a "demand" or "bragging"...or even a "warning", but more as an "update" that lets the Columbia and Northwestern committees know that you are still extremely interested in their schools, that you are a valued candidate, and that you want to make an educated decision and could not possibly do so without knowing where they stand.

Tell them that you want to update them. after all, gaining admission to another top school is an accomplishment. And once a school begins competing for a talent, it doesn't like to lose. Be careful not to position the letter so as to create the impression that you will attend another school, but, at the same time, be gracious and admit that the other schools are great. Do not slam the other schools...kiss of death!

[Ninja1]

Hold seems to be preferable to waitlist. I'd say it's like the premium waitlist or something. I was held at FSU for about 3 weeks before they let me in, but they were also waitlisting people at the same time I was put on hold.

[TimMitchell]

Hold: A foul in which an offensive player keeps a defender from advancing by grasping him with his hands or arms. Offensive linemen are allowed to use their hands as long as they keep them to the inside of a defenders body, but if they get to the outside of the defender's body, it is a penalty.

[ilr2009]

Hold: A foul in which an offensive player keeps a defender from advancing by grasping him with his hands or arms. Offensive linemen are allowed to use their hands as long as they keep them to the inside of a defenders body, but if they get to the outside of the defender's body, it is a penalty.

LOL, good one

[bl825]

I've been placed on hold at Columbia and Northwestern, what are my chances.  I also got into GULC and Cornell, should I let them know?  May the help my chances

I don't really see it helping for you to tell them that you got into Georgetown and Cornell.  What you should be doing is explaining why you would choose over all others the school for which you've been placed on hold.

[heartbreaker]

I've been placed on hold at Columbia and Northwestern, what are my chances.  I also got into GULC and Cornell, should I let them know?  May the help my chances

I don't really see it helping for you to tell them that you got into Georgetown and Cornell.  What you should be doing is explaining why you would choose over all others the school for which you've been placed on hold.

This.

[This is wrong.]

The squeaky wheele gets the oil, right?

This is wrong.

The only differences are that your file likely has not received a full review and the committees will probably come to some kind of decision on you (admit, deny or waitlist) BEFORE the summer.

This is wrong.

[Ninja1]

The squeaky wheele gets the oil, right?

This is wrong.

The only differences are that your file likely has not received a full review and the committees will probably come to some kind of decision on you (admit, deny or waitlist) BEFORE the summer.

This is wrong.

I enjoy this gimmick.

[LawDog3]

U guys don't know what ur talking about. I have helped people get off the waitlist by instructing them to do the very thing I am telling OP to do. Read Susan Estrich's (OF USC LAW) book, HOW TO GET INTO LAW SCHOOL...and she advises this very method!!

A friend of mine had been admitted to UVA in 2006 and had been "held" by Penn...as soon as she wrote the letter (which I crafted), she received a call asking her to come to Penn. Another friend did the same thing with GWU targeting Georgetown.

As Estrich tells it IN HER BOOK!, and as I know from experience...schools are competitive with each other and do not like to lose out on top talent, or talent they covet.

Do i have to start giving chapters and verses agaion, or will anybody STFU and admit that I know what I am talking about? And...for the record, a LOCI has three components: 1) Affirmation of Interest (obviously), 2) Update on new information (i.e., accomplishments, scholarships/awards, accolades, and, YES, admission to other schools), confirmation that the school is your first choice (do not lie).

The fourth, hidden purpose is a sort of implicit "warning" that the target school may lose u.


I LOVE HOW PEOPLE TELL ME SOMETHING IS WRONG BUT CAN'T BACK IT UP with hard info. NOW THIS IS WRONG KNOWS MORE THAN SUSAN ESTRICH. Anyone who disagrees with me obviously does not read admissions books or do research.

I AM 100% CORRECT. I HAVE SEEN THIS.