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@Wyatt's Terps, @MeNotMe, @hello_kitty, @bhr -- THANK YOU! It's reassuring to be reminded of the arbitrariness involved in the admissions process.. and also that I'm not the only one going through such moments of self-doubt and soul-searching (the level of honesty and encouragement on this forum, by the way, is truly amazing!). My insecurities seem to have clouded what I thought was my better judgment. In any case, thank you for sounding the voice of reason in this more-trying-than-expected (!) season. Your posts have given me much needed resolve to stop trying to understand how adcoms work.. Good luck to us all!!

Hello, longtime lurker here! I am currently waitlisted at one of my top choices; fortunately, I have offers from other good programs I have always admired and would be thrilled to attend; at the same time, however, I feel reluctant to make a commitment until I know all of my options ... aka waitlist purgatory. As the April 15th deadline approaches, I have some niggling concerns which, rationally, I know to be dumb but wanted to bounce off you folks on the GC. I can't seem to erase the feeling that being waitlisted essentially equals not being the school's first choice, and was wondering if there are certain, even if subtle, repercussions of this slight hierarchy, for want of a better word choice. Is it the norm for students who are taken off the waiting list to be treated differently, such as being given different (lesser?) funding opportunities, and does this translate into a different academic experience once the student is in the program? I'm aware of how neurotic this sounds.. and it hasn't helped that, due to personal circumstances, I am unable to visit any of my prospective schools. I wish I knew the "feel" of each school, what the general atmosphere of the incoming cohort is, if students accepted from waiting lists are treated differently, if such different treatment is felt/perceivable, etc. I have been told by acquaintances that, depending on the school and program, students can be very competitive, collegial, and anything in between, and I'm wondering if this extends to the division between students "picked first" and "picked last," as juvenile as this might sound.. but, at the same time, experience tells me that potent concoctions of pressure and competition can do extraordinary things to even the most rational of people, so ... I'm open to hearing your thoughts!

Congrats on the good news! BTW -- did anybody receive an interview invite from Duke English? Do you reckon it would be safe to assume no invite = rejection? Also, out of curiosity, how are English PhD interviews conducted? Do they typically grill you about your writing sample, reasons for applying, etc? I think I'd be a nervous wreck.. If it wasn't clear, I'm obsessing over results (read compulsively checking GC 24/7). It might have something to do with the fact that it's my second time/year doing this. I have yet to hear from any of the schools I applied to and the radio silence is fairly killing me..