veg/crit_boy

I don't think that's true at all. Especially not on the west coast. But, obviously, this depends on what exactly you want to do. I was meeting with a friend on the hiring committee at a very well-respected cal state school, and he told me that he wouldn't think twice about hiring a qualified grad from Oregon. He said some very complimentary things about the kind of teachers Oregon produces.

Not really, no. I was no. 1 somewhere last year, and I suppose, technically, I got in, but it was only after my partner declined on april 15th when it was clear no other spots were opening up. I guess it also depends on the school. Some schools over-admit knowing that some accepts will decline, while others, thankfully like the school I'm waitlisted at, will admit only as many spots as they have and go to the waitlist as soon as someone declines.

Worry not! If only it were possible. I do appreciate your vote of confidence, and I am very optimistic about the situation. Here's what I meant to convey: knowing that someone has declined their spot won't relieve the anxiety unless it is quickly followed by the call or the email that officially declares your official in-ness; in fact, I'd say, I wish I didn't know and that I could still be ignorantly obsessively checking my email every three minutes just assuming that no one had yet declined. Okay, I'm off to look for another distraction.

This is actually quite a sticky wicket. I'm no. 1 on a particular waitlist, actually, the only school I can or want to go to (my wife is there and I'm not going anywhere else), and have been closely watching events unfold. A few days ago I actually saw evidence that someone had declined their spot. Obviously, I was excited. Now, days later, there is utter silence and I actually feel much, much more nervous than before. Sheesh. Not that I'm suggesting any of you are as obsessive as me. Just be careful. It's a dangerous world.

Sadly, I think the only thing you can really do is hope that someone declines an offer at the school you're waitlisted at-- though this year it seems like perhaps programs are just waiting it out in hopes of enough funding to open up for an additional spot? In which case, try your hardest to figure out where you are on the waitlist. In my experience, being in contact with the DGS can't really hurt, but it doesn't really help either-- I think they all understand how stressful the situation is. I was waitlisted at U of Oregon Ph.D in English Lit program last year while my partner had an offer from them. We visited the program and were treated so well by everyone there. Elizabeth Bohls, the DGS there, was especially sensitive to my quite tender psyche, and visiting made both me and my partner feel so good about the program. I was number one going into the last month of the season, but, alas, only got in once my partner declined. Liz Bohls knew all of this and while I am currently not in a program, I got let down in the nicest and most conscientious way, and that, as far as I'm concerned, was worth the trouble I took to pester. My partner decided to take the offer from UC Davis, where, incidentally, I'm number one on the waitlist this year (I think I might actually BE the entire waitlist?), where it seems they've limited their offers. At this point I have, as they say, put all my eggs in one basket and withdrawn my other applications. I really want to go to school, but I also really, really want to live with my wife. This whole thing (constantly twisted stomach, loss of appetite, sense of doom) feels awfully familiar. I'd think that you might comfort yourself a bit if you're waitlisted at some good schools-- the better the school, the better the chances are of the accepted having a number of other offers-- and the better you should feel about your application-- after all, the worst part of all of this is feeling like you're no good, which is probably never actually the case. If you do talk to the DGS, you should be able to get a good feel for how likely it is that you get in, but they also have to be rather non-committal per their responsibilities. I suspect that writing all of this down has helped me feel better as opposed to you, so I apologize. Hopefully there is some useful sense of camaraderie; I offer you my very best thoughts.