caffeinated applicant

Oh yeah I'm thinking exclusively in the bat-guano-wild upside-down-world of like, "Oh, this person has another option, and they were already in our second-tier waitlist pool, so we'll just knock them off the list now in case they were gonna reject us." Which like, is so outlandish that I can't seriously imagine a program would do it.
But also, I'm aware that anecdotally (in a different field, I repeat, not in a humanities field) it's believed (not known for sure!!) to be the case that committees will reject candidates that they believe will attend other programs/turn down their program, which is also totally batshit to me, so I try not to rule anything out at this point. 

I know you're just throwing out a "worst case scenario," but I don't think this would ever happen. They've already made their decisions and they aren't going to reverse a decision because an applicant asked about the status of their application. I think your advice about how to word the email is great, and I encourage @jm6394 to reach out! ?

It's been what, two and a half weeks since acceptances went out, a week since rejections? Seems fair to email. Something like "dear coordinator, as we near the end of february and my options become clearer, I hoping to inquire about the status of my application." Like "lmk what is happening, I have other options" but make it formal. Thrown in something about being "keenly interested in the graduate program at UC Davis," if that's true. 
Worst that could happen is they reject you (which... would be weird and petty, but that's academia for you!), but you already know you have a better option for you, so even if your email somehow gets you bumped from waitlist to reject pile, all that's really happened is that the next person on the list finds out sooner than if they waited until April for you to turn them down/to turn you down. 

It's been what, two and a half weeks since acceptances went out, a week since rejections? Seems fair to email. Something like "dear coordinator, as we near the end of february and my options become clearer, I hoping to inquire about the status of my application." Like "lmk what is happening, I have other options" but make it formal. Thrown in something about being "keenly interested in the graduate program at UC Davis," if that's true. 
Worst that could happen is they reject you (which... would be weird and petty, but that's academia for you!), but you already know you have a better option for you, so even if your email somehow gets you bumped from waitlist to reject pile, all that's really happened is that the next person on the list finds out sooner than if they waited until April for you to turn them down/to turn you down. 

I am absolutely LIVING for this play by play. Congratulations!! 

I am absolutely LIVING for this play by play. Congratulations!! 

Also in at Michigan with a Rackham Merit Fellowship. Yay!

Congratulations! Three great schools to choose from already, and hopefully even more to come soon!!

I'm in at Michigan!!!
ETA: Also offered a Rackham Merit Fellowship!

I am absolutely LIVING for this play by play. Congratulations!! 

I am absolutely LIVING for this play by play. Congratulations!! 

I am absolutely LIVING for this play by play. Congratulations!! 

I am absolutely LIVING for this play by play. Congratulations!! 

I am absolutely LIVING for this play by play. Congratulations!! 

just got my Michigan offer. 6 years funding. Fuck. 

Waitlisted at University of Connecticut! Which is great, and an honor, and it seems like a great school!
I wouldn't mind a bona fide acceptance though ?

Hmmm... ?  So what happens if you haven’t heard from Michigan yet? HOPE! The kind of possibilities that I’m conjuring up! Maybe Brown will send their final acceptances this week. Maybe they can only inform 1-2 people everyday!  Maybe I won’t get in anywhere, and then I’ll get an offer from Harvard! 
How this messes up with our heads! How we let it! 

Part of me hates that I know this offhand, but Maryland is #30 and WUSTL is #35 according to the new English rankings. Much better ranked (at least) than the other two being discussed, nothing to scoff at - but plenty of people don't even consider the #30s. So I think Regimentations' perspective is quite interesting. 

Another Monday rolls around... I have the day off from work (presidents day) and was kind of hoping that it would be a slow start to the week with other folks taking the Monday off, but it doesn't look that way so far. Anyone want to claim the UVA acceptance on the board?
Also, congrats to the folks reporting Oxford and other acceptances! 

? I’m in at UVA!!! Omg I found out in the middle of a 3 hour class, ha. Idk what to do with myself. My first acceptance!! 

Another Monday rolls around... I have the day off from work (presidents day) and was kind of hoping that it would be a slow start to the week with other folks taking the Monday off, but it doesn't look that way so far. Anyone want to claim the UVA acceptance on the board?
Also, congrats to the folks reporting Oxford and other acceptances! 

Another Monday rolls around... I have the day off from work (presidents day) and was kind of hoping that it would be a slow start to the week with other folks taking the Monday off, but it doesn't look that way so far. Anyone want to claim the UVA acceptance on the board?
Also, congrats to the folks reporting Oxford and other acceptances! 

In at UNM! Also offered a teaching assistantship! 

It feels like it has been February for several years now.

Can we all just collectively close our eyes and see if we can make time jump? If it could be like, Thursday, that would be super. Or March. March would be good too. 
The continued waiting.......   madness.