buenor

All right people, here is what I suggest you all to do. Email the DGS of each program you applied to. I did just that and already got answers from two. They were both rejections but it starts clarifying things a bit. Don't worry about upsetting anybody, they're used to and payed to do this.

It would be misleading on my part to give you any answer at this point. Emory University is the only place that has so far contacted me. I take that I can answer you with certainty in two weeks or so. If you were put on top of the waiting list, my sense is that you will be accepted later on. The waiting list is a real possibility and people who got accepted to Emory are likely to get accepted at other places. People don't always want to move, sometimes they get more money elsewhere, sometimes Yale accepts them, etc. I sympathize with you and I hope things work out at Emory or maybe at another school you applied to.

I also applied to Yale Comp. Lit. and so far haven't heard anything from them either.

To those who haven't heard a thing from schools, Do not despair. At least not yet. Here is why: 1. Although this does not happen often, it is not unheard of candidates being accepted at different times. For example, this year, somebody was accepted at the Comp. Lit. Program at Northwestern in the end of January and another applicant was also accepted just three days ago. So you and I could be next. 2. The fact that you have not yet heard anything also means that they have not yet rejected you. Most likely, by this time, no answer at least means that your application might be still considered for waitlist. 3. The waitlist is a real possibility. In fact, applicants who are accepted at places such as Cornell or Yale are likely to get accepted in more than one school. They can only choose one of course, and that means that some folks in the waitlist are bound to get accepted. 4. Some applicants do get accepted with great funding at a much later date than mid February. Looking at past years I noticed that some people found out by late April that they got in the school they dreamed of with great funding. I guess that's all. But enough to be optimistic eh?

Ah, no despair! I was accepted at Emory and I am incredibly pleased with their offer.

I also agree with that. There seems to be a pattern that those who do get in are notified together on the same day. Those who do not get in are not always notified at the same time, something which I find strange. Why wouldn't the school care to let those who were rejected know of their rejection a.s.a.p.? I guess it could be because they are still being considered for the waitlist. But even then, if they already know who they want and who they do not want, why not let everyone know at the same time? It should not be so hard to come up with a wait list after all.

So the fact that I also have not heard anything yet probably means that I did not get accepted there ... that's what I thought.

Hi everybody, I applied to Ph.D. comparative literature programs and so far the only school that got back to me was Emory University. I was accepted there and that's fantastic of course. I was checking the results for the other schools I applied to and it seems that people are already accepted at UChicago, Cornell and Northwestern. I applied to these three schools but have not heard anything from them yet. But I think that now I am mostly pessimistic about my chances in these three places. Am I right or do schools sometimes accept applicants not all at once? I also noticed that a couple of people were already rejected but I still stand in the dark. What do you guys think?