philosophe

that's weird. i'd recommend you call the department

so uhhh UCLA limbo anyone? *crickets*

I was in limbo but solicited and got a rejection. Although now it sounds like they're going into the limbo ppl, kicking myself for soliciting now! haha

That's definitely not the case. I think he means he's the most likely to automatically give up his offer if he gets off the WL, whereas others (as you know) would consider the two and then decide.

Just declined from the very top of the wait list at UMass. It pained me. They were on the brink of giving me an offer, and knowing I would not accept it, I couldn't find it in me to remain on the list. I hope this helps someone out there!

This happened to me... I politely said I was very interested but I'd have to wait until the end of the day on April 15th. I got a real offer (as opposed to the cart before the horse kind) from that school the next day regardless, which I sat on until a different, preferred school came through. The APA rules say that they can't make you respond before then, stand up for yourself! You can't be bullied into accepting an offer earlier in order to make that offer come about. If they want you, they should give you an offer and wait for your response like everyone else.

Placement is much better at Arizona, but a few things made the difference for me: The grad students there have a very heavy workload. They teach 3 sections for all years except for one fellowship semester, up to 75 students (grading for them as well). All that while they're supposed to be doing their own work. That seems like way too much for me, I value my time. Second, the main person I want to work with is considering an offer elsewhere, and as late as yesterday told me he wasn't sure if he was staying or leaving. That leaves only one person in my area of interest, and that's putting a lot of eggs in one basket. Third, they've been jerking me around a lot, (initially guaranteeing one fellowship semester, then saying that will only be the case if I accepted asap) and that seems disrespectful and like a potential red flag. I also am not a fan of the desert climate. Hope that helps to clarify!

I'll be declining my offers at UCSB and Arizona by the end of the day! Hope this helps people

I do have a rank in my mind, but the idea of getting off more than 1 WL sounds like wishful thinking rn. I'll believe it when I see the choice arise

thnx bud. what a pal.

Yeah, I'd probably take any of my WL schools. UCSB would be fine, but I'd prefer to go somewhere with a better placement record.

Huge ball of anxiety today. I can't get any work done because I'm constantly checking my email. It's pretty crazy to think that I submitted these apps in November and here we are on April 8th and I'm still waiting, possibly for a negative result. Something tells me this might be the longest week of my life. I can't wait for it to be over. Since there's no nail biting or vomiting emoji this will have to do

Are you planning to decline everything else today? Every decline helps us WL folk! It's such a small network of ppl

apparently they've been trying to hire for epistemology for quite some time, but no results

Kudos for going into the finals days very lean.

we'll make it through!

It'll all be over in 9 days! (But who's counting?)

Congrats on finishing this process! May I ask -- have you taken yourself off the WL at UMass?

It's like i had three weeks off and now I'm back to freaking out every time I get an email. #WLlyfe

If I were you I'd take care of it ASAP though, someone might be on the WL and love to take your place.

If university B is the right choice for you, politely back out via email from A. It's not worth going to the wrong university because you're a bit embarrassed. You have to do what's best for you! It's before the deadline, they'll understand.

It's not always the case that it's a one to one ratio of decline for WL offer. For instance, a school might make 10 initial offers and hope for 5-6 spots to be filled. In that case, they would likely only begin to take from the WL once 5 initial offers have been declined. That being said, every bit helps! Stay in touch with the DGS, they may be forthcoming about how many initial students have declined / likelihood of offer, etc.

Any idea what number you were?

Word. Try to rank all of the schools in your head so you can make a quick decision once the clock runs out. I also highly recommend letting your WL school know that you will have to accept an offer on April 15th. (This way they won't think they might be able to give you an offer on the 17th). It also might help to tell them that they're your number 1 choice and that you would definitely accept. It might make the difference for them and bump you to the top, if you're not already there, since they know its not a gamble. They want things to be predictable and to fill their slots as soon as possible, once april 15 rolls around.

Contact your school(s) to determine the exact deal, but I asked for UCSB and they said I'd have to commit via the online portal by 11:59 pm April 15th. They said that waiting until midnight or later (IE April 16) would potentially put my funding in jeopardy. I hope this helps!