id quid

muddy buddies

nuclear science

That is the unfortunate caveat of the wait list. They really do keep you waiting! There are various tips and tricks for handling your time on the list -- check around the forums, but I'm speaking particularly of responding to the wait list with a kind "Thank you, I'd like to remain on the list, I'm still very interested in attending the program" and perhaps (if you have it) an updated CV with any recent accomplishments/awards -- but there simply isn't much for you to do but wait. If it's unfunded, they have 16-20ish people, and you're #10 on the wait list, my extremely uneducated guess would say that you have even odds. If the program is new at this school but exists in other schools, I'd say your chances are slightly better. Lower if it's an entirely new program with no analogues. "As far as 'hanging in there', I'm 'hanging' all right... but maybe from a rope if I don't hear soon from my other schools." Hah, I know the feeling. Sorry for the cliche. I do hope your programs get back to you soon to alleviate some of the pressure!

How big is the program? What's the field? Is the program funded? MA or PhD? Does the school have a national reputation, generally? Or is it well-known in a particular niche? When were you notified of the waitlist? When does their term begin? When (if at all) did they say you would hear for sure? I'm not an applicant and have no experience with grad waitlists, but it seems like there is too much left vague for anyone to make a knowledgeable assessment. Even knowing the answers to those questions, you can only get historical information for other programs. That's at best - and even then, grad admissions has been rapidly changing in the face of rising numbers and declining budgets. In other words: Hang in there. You've waited this long!

Padded room

Chain reaction

I know the OP is asking specifically for Engineering programs, but I'm curious about this from the humanities perspective: Is it the same? There is less of a project-driven need to stay in the lab, or even on campus, during breaks. Of course you "should" be spending the school breaks on productive activities -- especially the summers -- but does this social science/science drive to spend every waking moment in academic activities exist for humanities grads?

bomb squad

bus stop

pathetic fallacy

poor substitute

golden goose

palm pilot

fuel economy

crystal ball

I thought this was a very reasonable response to that video.

blown glass

solar system

Pretty please

Dead faint

"Worst case scenario, I look back on some choice years of my life when I got paid to do something I found inherently worthwhile." Bingo.

solid rock

dead reckoning

great unknown