Darkholmme

The difference between those waitlisted and people who are sitting on spots that could go to the waitlisted is that whatever potentially paralyzing "mental agony" the former go through doesn't hurt anyone, whereas those in the latter situation absolutely hurt those in the former. If you're going to complain about having to get yourself mentally ready to pack up and change your life, think on how much harder it is for those on waitlists who have offers on the table for schools that are far less attractive. I had a friend who only found out on April 14 that she was admitted onto a waitlisted school and had only 24 hours to make a decision after already slowly coming to peace with a decision that was in no way clear-cut. NO one here has asked you to disregard whatever factors go into making your decision, but your defensiveness is without grounds. You left out any other factors stopping you from announcing your decision in your original post, and so you should take your lumps for failing to disclose them. As a future academic, you should know that you will rarely ever get the chance to amend what you write, and any omissions on your part are fair game for others. As it stands, the most offensive poster in this thread is you for reducing others here with accusations of psychological reduction. If you are going to take that high ground, you should act with empathy rather than accusing others of lacking it. I'm sorry, I understand the anguish you're talking about fairly well. I've done this entire process three times, and have only recently met with success. But right now you're just extending the "agony" for everyone with your disparaging remarks.