H.E.

Hello everyone, I received an unofficial offer from the DGS on Monday. I replied that I am still interested in joining the program and was told that an official admission offer would be issued soon. The DGS mentioned it would take a couple of days for the central admissions office to process the offer and send it to me. I wondered what a timeline is for a couple of days and whether it is a good idea to follow up tomorrow that I haven't received the letter yet. It is pretty late in this admissions cycle, and I would appreciate any thoughts or advice on this matter as I am trying to secure a spot in the incoming cohort. Thanks!

Hello everyone, I hope this admissions cycle is going well, and you know where you are going next fall. I was admitted but waitlisted for funding at my top choice program. Over the last couple of weeks, this has been anxiety-inducing, jeopardizing my productivity, happiness, and sense of self-worth. If you get me started, I tend to go on and on about how I am currently an absolute mess. I have been in touch with my POI and the DGS, who said the funding situation would get clarified over the coming weeks, after they hear back from funded students and other potential funding sources. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to give a talk at their research group. Despite the emotional roller coaster, I worked up my courage to craft a solid presentation, including advanced simulations and analysis of my Math research topic, which I believe attest to my ability to succeed in their Ph.D. program. We have talked about research, experimental validations and elaborated on where I see my future work heading. All in all, I made it clear that there is a scarily alignment between their work and my background/interest. Now comes the exacerbation of my contradictory passions. I gave in sweat and tears to achieve such scholarly work, but I am left feeling as if I am not good enough... It took me a leap of faith to overcome my fears and compartmentalize my ideas to meet my POIs and again prove myself. Sometimes I think it isn't fair. Any thoughts on what I should do at this point? Keep reaching out to the department DGS and POIs, continue inquiring and iterating my interest? Or simply hold back my horses and wait to see if they can secure my funding?

@musicdegree4me I am on a funding waitlist for a phd program. Can you please elaborate on wether this same analogy "giving away what little leverage you have left for what essentially amounts to very little gained" applies to my situation? I have emailed my POI reiterating my interest on Friday and updating him on my discussion with the admissions coordinator, haven't heard back yet :(. I am thinking of emailing the admissions coordinator sometimes next week using a similar email structure as above, do you all think this is a good idea? Good luck everyone!!

Thanks for sharing your experience! It seems like we are both on the same boat, but congrats on your acceptance; well done. I understand the emotional fluctuations and hard work we've put into this. I sincerely hope it works out for us. The pandemic has certainly caused funding cuts and even more factors involved beyond our control. Have you thought of writing a letter of continued interest sometimes close to the April 15th deadline? Thinking of having another of my professors write a rec letter to admissions; any thoughts on this? I would be happy to connect!

That's it. I may be sick... I need someone to hold me up. I was accepted at my top choice program in early January for a Ph.D. in Applied Math. However, my offer did not include financial support. It stated that I might be given one depending on the department's budget development. I reached out to my POI about the situation. He expressed enthusiasm, mentioning my application is considered strong, and there is a good chance of obtaining funding. Following my POI advice, I wrote to the grad school coordinator to reiterate my interest in the program and inquire about the funding situation. His response included: My impression is the waitlist is unranked. Would you say I am a strong candidate for funding given the above response? Anyone care to share a similar experience being on the waitlist funding and how it turned out to be? Also, any advice on how to play my cards well and improve my chances of being funded? Thanks in advance for all your help.

Thanks for your response and kind words. Yes, I am referring to 2/11 and the deadline to commit is indeed April 15, so I will surely follow up next week as you suggested. Best of luck on you application as well!

Hello everyone. I was admitted to a Ph.D. program in applied math in early January, but my offer did not include any funding. However, it states that they might offer it later, depending on their budget development. On Thursday, I have reached out to the program coordinator, with whom I've had prior contact, inquiring about the funding situation and explaining that cost of attendance is an overriding concern for me; I haven't got any replies. In a prior discussion three weeks ago, my POI advised me to reach out and mentioned that my application is considered strong, so there are good chances of obtaining the funding. I do not want to sound pushy or desperate, and I'm wondering how to handle this situation. Should I wait a little more and follow up? Reach out again to my POI explaining the situation? This has been a rough admissions cycle and, being an international first-gen college student, I would appreciate any advice/insight you might provide on this.