RubyBright

Isn't it a little off to have 18-21 still grouped together? I knew a lot of people who graduated undergrad at 21 without skipping any years. 
Not to give your second poll a hard time. 

I'm 26, and will be 27 by the time I start. I don't think my age makes any difference whatsoever. Maybe it would if I were 40.

I spent 3 years in industry and am about to finish up a 2 year M.S. degree. That explains the 5 year differential. Hey, at least I wasn't a ski bum or something.

I just wanted to bump this up because I feel like it is getting progressively harder being waitlisted at my top choice. This was the place I have wanted to go for years, and I keep thinking off all the things I could have done to make my application a little better. And I can't stop comparing the schools I have gotten into to this school, in terms of both the funding and the variety of courses and training offered. For some reason this waiting is making me less content with my acceptances, and wishing that I had applied to more reach schools. 

*faux pas
 
I'd be surprised if "wait list" meant something formal. More likely it means that if another person your POI is trying to recruit declines, they might invite you instead. What I mean is, it probably depends on who declines and who they wanted to work with, not a specific number of people. So I doubt you'll get a useful answer from them.

Another week begins... May all the accepted people at my waitlist school receive other offers. 

All programs don't necessarily hold interviews prior to making their decision.
 
Some interview all shortlisted candidates, some do it only for those candidates about whom they can't make up their mind, while others don't interview anyone at all.
 
So, not getting an interview call is not a cause for worry.
 
You should check the results page and see the dates for past years' decisions and if the schools where you applied called anyone for interview. Besides, you can check if the schools where you applied have begun to notify this season. If others have been called for interview or have been selected/rejected, wait for a week or so and if still you don't hear anything, may be you can send an email to the Grad Admissions.
 
Good luck with your applications!

It's smart/wise to make back up plans, regardless of how confident you are of an admission/rejection.

My mother says I should go to Cornell because she likes the pictures in the brochures...

you should send them this as an attachment, and have the body of the email be a modified version of the rejection you received, if you got a letter/email.

midnight rider
(i seem to have a few allman bros posts going now, haha!)

"Honey, I'm pretty sure you need your masters degree before you can apply for PhD programs."

Just you wait, grasshopper. 

@gradschoolmom "If you have the credentials, you have a chance!"
 
Really? Here are my credentials:
 
12 conference publications, 2 journal articles and 1 book chapter. 1 patent, 1 award nomination, countless review committees, program committees, invited talks, panels, etc. 16+ years science experience with a prestigious neurosurgery journal article (12 reviewers). Undergrad GPA: 3.82, Current Grad GPA: 3.62. h-index: 7.
 
I just got rejected from the PhD program where my advisor instead picked someone who has ZERO first author publications and only about 2 years of experience. However, this person is about 15 years younger than me.

@PanicMode -- It could be the difference in fields?  I think the social sciences (psychology and all its branches, social work etc) probably have a different theoretical outlook.   I'm just reporting what I know and see too.
 
So I'll clarify, that what I said applies to the social sciences PhD's rather than to all PhD's, because that's what I am familiar with.  Also, down in the social work forum there is a Social Work PhD professor who basically states that some Social Work programs  prefer older students.  I didn't mean to intrude on your area of expertise

Waitlisted today to my top choice...oh, the agony!! But, at least grumpy cat is also feeling the pain.
 

 
Hang in there everyone!

Hey, so I contacted some of the schools and.... 
 
One contacted me back within 30 minutes with an offer!
 
Thanks again for the advice!

i don't really know anything about CGU but they keep sending me emails asking me to apply (like 4 in the last month). something about that sorta weirds me out. as i recall, they seem to be more of a professional school than a research school (which explains the subpar funding) so if you wanna stay in academia it may not be the best path.

by Nero

I just had a terrible thought. It's not really an omen, sign, or hallucination... more like stress-induced, sleep-deprived rogue cognition...
So I was accepted at one school (call it University A), and I was waitlisted at my top choice (call it University Z). What if one of the people who was accepted to University Z's program (my waitlist school) was waitlisted at university A (my accepted school), and they would give up their spot at University Z if only someone refused University A (i.e., me), taking them off the waitlist?   The schools are in the same geographic region, and the idea that other students would have applied to both programs is actually pretty reasonable.
If you didn't quite follow that, it's the idea that I could be holding up my own acceptance!
I really don't think I should think about these things after 2 a.m... 
Edit: I thought I should add that now I'm laughing at myself for even coming up with this.

Perhaps they chose all the applicants they want on the waitlist, and now they're interviewing them to decide their ranking on the list.

Politely tell them you're waiting to hear from other schools and ask if you can have an extension.

I just had a terrible thought. It's not really an omen, sign, or hallucination... more like stress-induced, sleep-deprived rogue cognition...
So I was accepted at one school (call it University A), and I was waitlisted at my top choice (call it University Z). What if one of the people who was accepted to University Z's program (my waitlist school) was waitlisted at university A (my accepted school), and they would give up their spot at University Z if only someone refused University A (i.e., me), taking them off the waitlist?   The schools are in the same geographic region, and the idea that other students would have applied to both programs is actually pretty reasonable.
If you didn't quite follow that, it's the idea that I could be holding up my own acceptance!
I really don't think I should think about these things after 2 a.m... 
Edit: I thought I should add that now I'm laughing at myself for even coming up with this.

The link you provided isn't a ranking system for professors. I'm pretty sure the "Top Authors" refers to authors with the most articles in their database.

I don't have any knowledge or advice to offer you, RubyBright, but I just wanted to say I'm sorry you're dealing with this! It does not sound greedy at all to be worried about money, and you are right that it makes a big difference. Do you know when you'll hear from the other programs you applied to?