When a Grade is Fully Enrolled
When a grade is fully enrolled, a family can still apply for admission. We will work with the family to complete the application process as though space is available. If the child is otherwise admissible but cannot receive an offer of admission only because of a lack of available space, that child is offered a spot in the Wait Pool.
The Wait Pool is a group of admissible candidates that the Admissions Committee will reconsider if and when space becomes available in the grade. This is not a "wait list," as such a list implies that the group is ranked/ordered in some way. Below is a set of frequently asked questions related to the Wait Pool process.
The Wait Pool consists of any student(s) who would have been offered admission but who could not receive an offer of admission simply because there was no space available in the child's grade.
Unlike a "wait list" that is ranked, the Wait Pool is an unranked group ("pool") of students who are all admissible. The group as a whole is considered if and when a space becomes available. The Wait Pool can shrink as students are offered admission from the Wait Pool and/or as families choose to remove their children from the Wait Pool. The Wait Pool can grow as a result of additional applicants being admissible but no space being available.
Unlike a wait "list," students in the Wait Pool are not ranked in any way. The Wait Pool is not a "first in, first out" group, meaning that when a child is added to the Wait Pool has absolutely no bearing on the Admission Committee's consideration of the entire group if and when a space becomes available. For example, a child who would be added to a Wait Pool that already includes three children would not be the "fourth" applicant. This child would become one of four applicants, all of whom would be considered equally if and when a space became available.
The Wait Pool is not a "first in, first out" group, meaning that when a child is added to the Wait Pool has absolutely no bearing on the Admission Committee's consideration of the entire group if and when a space becomes available. For example, a child who would be added to a Wait Pool that already includes three children would not be the "fourth" applicant. This child would become one of four applicants, all of whom would be considered equally if and when a space became available.
Students in the Wait Pool will be reconsidered when a space becomes available in a grade that has been fully enrolled. This can happen during the school year, although that is not overly common, or in the spring once the school knows that a child will not be returning to Sycamore for the following school year.
A child can theoretically remain in the Wait Pool for any amount of time. The Enrollment Management Office will help families navigate this process if the child has been in the Wait Pool for a year or more. This would involve the family submitting updated academic documents and requesting a new teacher recommendation, and the child would complete another shadow visit.
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