ArtOfNumbers

It happens. I have experienced it, twice. It’s gutting but there are factors you aren’t even considering that may cause what felt like a great interview to result in a ‘no’. Many of those factors have nothing to do with you. If you’re concerned just send a politely worded email to the POI and ask about the timeline. Profs are just people. At this point in the process we tend to see them as untouchable gods but really; they’ve been where you are. Most are pretty kind and generous with their time in my experience.

Baby Cham

The middle of last week I had a few schools that were still giving me radio silence. I finally emailed the Profs I had connected with in the past and in one case just cold emailed the program director. Every single one came back with a very friendly status update. 5 schools and all 5 were perfectly happy to tell me where I stood. Some were rejections, others were ‘we’re still working on it, here’s our timeline’ in some cases it started a useful dialogue in which I could provide more info. If you’re ready to hear a possible ‘no’ I suggest you just reach out; at least you can find out where you stand.

At the end of the month I have a campus interview for a PhD program and I have a couple of questions. First, I have the impression the interview means I stand a very good chance of an offer (they’re paying for the trip). Is my impression correct? Second, I’ve already been told if I do get an offer I’ll only be given a few weeks to decide(the fact that they’ve already warned me about this also makes me think I’m in with a very good chance). I would be thrilled to attend this school, without question! It’s a fantastic program, and very highly ranked for my area of interest so I think I would be very happy there. BUT I also know I won’t have an answer from my ‘dream’ school before I have to commit. What, if any, repercussions would there be if I accepted but later rejected the place in favour of a true dream opportunity? Note: I am extremely unlikely to be accepted by ‘dream’ school but I’m a worrier and a planner so I always have to game out every possible scenario!