April has arrived, and that means admission decisions have been made. But the process isn't over for everyone. For some students, and for some colleges as well, the uncertainty will continue for a while longer.

I received an e-mail recently from the admissions director at the Seattle campus of the University of Washington saying that the waitlist will be very important this year. That's likely to be the case at many colleges.

All schools need to enroll a certain number of students. They want enough students so that they don't have empty beds in the residence halls, but not so many that there aren't enough beds or classes for all of them.

In order to end up with the right number, enrollment managers look at how many students accepted their offer of admission in previous years and decide how many offers to make. But this year, because of the state of the economy, it is much more difficult to predict how many students will actually show up on campus.

Many of this year's seniors had started applications or had a list of schools they were excited about when the economic crisis hit. They completed their applications as families decided to wait and see what kind of financial aid packages were offered and what their financial situation looked like in the spring.

Nobody knows how many of these students will turn down an offer of admission because of finances.

Even students who were accepted early decision at a college, with the understanding that they will attend that school, may end up backing out if a parent has lost a job and the college can't provide enough financial aid.

With all of this uncertainty, admissions officers will be working hard to convince students to accept their offer of admission.

So even though many colleges are looking for ways to cut expenses, they will still be hosting oncampus programs and local receptions for admitted students.

The number of enrollment deposits is already down from last year at some schools, and I know of one college that has already started admitting students from the waitlist, rather than holding off until the May 1 enrollment deposit deadline.

Not only is waitlist activity starting earlier this year, I think we'll also see it continue later, because if families find their financial circumstances deteriorating over the summer, students who sent in a deposit could cancel their enrollment.

While it's no fun to live with the uncertainty of being on a waitlist, the good news is, if you are waitlisted, your prospects of being admitted could be better than ever this year, especially if you don't need financial aid.

If you have a strong interest in a school that has offered you a place on the waitlist, you need to notify the college that you do want to be on the list. Also, ask if there is anything you can do to enhance your chance of being admitted.

But there are no guarantees. You need to choose one of the schools that did admit you, send a deposit and invest emotionally in that college.

Go to the reception for admitted students, read up on courses you'd like to take and clubs you'd like to join. You might even decide you no longer care about getting into the school where you are waitlisted.

And keep in mind that, by the end of their first semester, most students are happy with their college and can't imagine going anywhere else.

Audrey Kahane, MS, MFA, is a private college admissions counselor in West Hills. She can be reached at (818) 704-7545 or at audrey@audreykahane.com.