jmacnomad

Good luck with the decisions! I'm waitlisted for admission and funding at both Umass Amherst and UW-Seattle. I'm in at U of Denver, but there's no funding. I'm really hoping that at least one of the other two will work out! The waiting is tough!

Thanks for giving some hope and congrats on your acceptance!

15 days and no funded options yet! Blerg!

I absolutely agree with this post. It's better to communicate with both schools and get the most information you can. It's also better to ask for an extension than it is to resend an acceptance.

Well said! I'm right there with you. Thank goodness I can obsess on grad cafe because my SO and friends get really tired of hearing it!

I'm glad the links were helpful! As far as assistantships, every school does it differently. Some are funded the first year only and subsequent years are contingent on performance. Some schools don't fund the first year and the subsequent ones are funded if the student performs well. Others, guarantee funding for 3, 4, or more years. I would also ask the programs if it is funding is strictly performance based or if there is a chance that it would be budget contingent. Since you are already admitted, you can ask the schools these frank questions as you weigh your options.

There is also this site to make comparisons if you haven't seen it.

I don't think the waitlist necessarily means we were not up to snuff. I actually think it means that we are. There are so many factors that go into the decisions and those factors can sometimes just be arbitrary. I've reposted in several places, but I think it gives a good overview of how complicated and almost random the process can be. Don't get me wrong, waiting sucks and I'm obsessive compulsive about checking my email and grad cafe, but in the end, I know I'm capable, qualified, and have a shot at getting in. I also know that I need a bit of luck and some good karma to push the scale in my direction. 18 days to April 15th! The clock is ticking, albeit slowly, folks.

Congratulations! It sounds like you've really done your soul searching and are moving in the right direction for you! I'm sure it was a hard decision to come to after putting so much energy into one path; however, I'm glad to hear you were able to come to the place you needed to be. I'm sure it's a great feeling of relief! Good luck with your MA!

If I were you, I'd ask both departments for statistics on placement. I'd ask for the actual numbers because if they are trying to recruit you, they may fudge them a bit anecdotaly. Also, if you haven't seen this, it's worth checking out both school's rankings for your particular area of study. Good luck with the decisions! I was just in Colorado for the first time recently and loved it. I wasn't in Boulder, but hear great things.

Wow! This is interesting! thanks for posting!

hmmmm. Interesting question! I'd say about 15-20.

Thanks for adding this post and congrats to you! I'm sure you're breathing a sigh of relief! Good luck!

Congrats on UIUC! What a great program. Thanks for letting us know about your declines as well. I'm sure someone will be glad to see that!

Congrats Socdoc and thanks for sharing the hope!

Congrats to you! That gives me hope!

Thanks for the good thoughts. I have no idea on one program (my sense is there is a lot of people in the pool for that one) and the other one doesn't rank applicants but matches admitted and waitlisted candidates with certain faculty. If the first choice candidate under that faculty declines, then a waitlisted candidate gets in. I'm more hopeful with the latter program simply because their admission process is more transparent. How are prospects with you?

I didn't realize that I would be waiting so long for decision either. I thought I would know something by mid-March. At this point, I'm waitlisted at my top two programs. My third option was an admit that I would have been thrilled with, but there is no funding, so I won't be able to attend. (It's hard to stomach because I visited the program and really liked it a lot). I have two other options that I haven't heard from but neither was high on my list and I'm not sure I would accept them if I had the option). I'm slowly coming to the realization that I may not be attending anywhere this year. It's a heartbreaking prospect and I'm trying to stay optimistic. Three weeks seems so far away! Good karma to you.

I'm waitlisted for admission and funding in two programs. If I get in, I'm funded.

I just saw that too. God I hope so! The waiting is killing me!

I'm trying my best to stay positive. I know that by the end of the admissions process, both my programs end up admitting twice as many as they enroll (the data on their websites say so). Statistically this is good for me. I'm just trying to stay patient as I wait on April 15 to roll around! It's tough, but I'm hopeful that the closer we get to that date, the more people will be able to post here that they were successful in getting off a waitlist.

So, I'm waitlisted at my two top programs. I've searched through past results and haven't seen a ton of posts about people getting off the waitlist (even though I know it happens). This thread is a space to give us all hope. Please post when you get off any waitlists!

I applied to 6 schools and think the total cost (transcripts, gre class/materials, gre test, application fees) was around 1500-1800. Ouch. If i don't end up in with funding, it's going to be miserable.

Man! More waiting! Only a couple more weeks before stuff really starts move... Sending good thoughts to all!