2018 Acceptance/Rejection Thread

[AlanGibbardMegafan]

4 hours ago, Halcyon23 said:

There are always rumors of "hidden waitlists" and such. I'm not sure how much stock to put in that though (Chapel Hill is apparently on record as stating they do it iirc. Supposedly UT at Austin does it as well). You should email the dgs to ask about your status. Emphasize that it's getting close to April 15th and you'd like to make a decision but don't want to rule them out without being fully informed about your status.

From an email response I solicited from Laurie Paul at Chapel Hill (I received her reply on Mar 25):

<<I am sorry that we can’t give you any more information at this time. At this point, we have made offers and constructed a waitlist, but we have not sent out rejections because we have not made final determinations about the applicant pool. As soon as our entering class is filled we will process rejections. I am sorry I can’t tell you anything more about your personal situation. I know this is a stressful period and UNC will be in touch as soon as it is possible to give you more information.

However, if it helps to have more explanation, I am reproducing a comment here that I made in an online forum about admissions last year:

"I am UNC’s Director of Admissions. I am aware that applicants would like more information, and I understand that this is a stressful time. However, I believe that, in UNC’s case, sending out rejection notices before the start of April is not in the best interest of the applicant or the Department. This is why we have not sent out rejection notices yet.

Let me explain: UNC does not have a “secret waitlist”, or anything resembling such. Rather, we have found that, on occasion, as our list of who is considering our offer of admission evolves after the campus visit (as prospective students with offers begin to make decisions), we need to revisit our waitlist. (We retain extensive notes on candidates at every round of the process.) In particular, we may revisit our waitlist because we are looking to have an entering class that is intellectually diverse, and as the season progresses and people start to make decisions, that diversity can be imperiled. 

The reason we have not sent out mass rejections is that occasionally, when candidates who failed to make it past an early round are reassessed when we revisit the waitlist, a candidate is subsequently brought forward and officially waitlisted or admitted. If we rejected applicants early in the way that some people apparently think we should, we could not do this. (Rejecting candidates entails that we officially process them for rejection through the Graduate School.)

Candidates who have not been offered admission at this time from UNC can infer that their chances of admission are not high. Yet, they are not non-existent, and as soon as we can give candidates further information, we will. (We expect to begin sending rejections at the start of April. However, we are waiting on our current prospectives to make decisions, and so there is only so much we can do. We are doing the best we can, and we urge all prospectives to make decisions in a timely manner.) 

My assumption has been that candidates prefer a small chance of admission to a zero chance of admission. (If they don’t, they have the power to change the situation. They can withdraw themselves from consideration.) It would be much easier to rush through the process and to send mass rejections early. But this is not in the best interests of the applicants or the Department. It is not appropriate for me to give further information about the internal workings of the admissions process, but I hope this explanation helps our applicants to understand why we have not been prompt in sending rejection notices. I am sorry that the process is drawn out and difficult, and for the anxiety this causes.”

I wish you the best in this admissions season.>>

Still not rejected or officially waitlisted, so I guess I'm waiting until the bitter end, since UNC is one of my dream programs. That said, definitely not holding my breath for a UNC offer.

[Halcyon23]

@AlanGibbardMegafan very insightful, thanks for posting! So I guess it's not an actual hidden waitlist but a modular waitlist. Making this method more well-known could be useful but I imagine it could also force people to avoid making decisions elsewhere because they're holding out on hope for a last second acceptance. Or something like that.

[Kantattheairport]

5 hours ago, SlumberingTrout said:

To celebrate our being down to single-digit days before the 15th, I would like to invite you all to share your worst/best philosophy jokes.

What do you call a bug that exists in all possible worlds?

Highlight ---> A necessary weevil!! <---

One of my favourites:

How many speech act theorists does it take to change a light bulb?

*Do you really want to know or are you simply asking me to change it?*

[Neither Here Nor There]

I also have three programs that I never got an official WL from but did not get the rejection either. I assume that I'm on some kind of slime remote WL.

at any rate, I have other offers and think I would be unmoved by those. but I find it odd when they don't inform students. 

[eigenname]

5 minutes ago, Neither Here Nor There said:

I also have three programs that I never got an official WL from but did not get the rejection either. I assume that I'm on some kind of slime remote WL.

at any rate, I have other offers and think I would be unmoved by those. but I find it odd when they don't inform students. 

Same, for me it's CUNY and UNC Chapel Hill. At least UNC explained their hidden wait-list policy, but CUNY just ignored my solicitations (twice, 1 month apart), which I find incredibly rude. 

[SlumberingTrout]

7 minutes ago, Neither Here Nor There said:

I also have three programs that I never got an official WL from but did not get the rejection either. I assume that I'm on some kind of slime remote WL.

at any rate, I have other offers and think I would be unmoved by those. but I find it odd when they don't inform students. 

UC Riverside for me. I haven't contacted them, but a few others here have (repeatedly) attempted contact with no luck. If past records are any indication, some of these schools (Riverside for sure) send out rejections well after April 15th (very helpful -- thanks guys!). I suspect others never notify rejectees at all. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[GuanilosIsland]

11 minutes ago, SlumberingTrout said:

UC Riverside for me. I haven't contacted them, but a few others here have (repeatedly) attempted contact with no luck. If past records are any indication, some of these schools (Riverside for sure) send out rejections well after April 15th (very helpful -- thanks guys!). I suspect others never notify rejectees at all. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I emailed a week ago and got a response telling me I was rejected.

[SlumberingTrout]

1 hour ago, GuanilosIsland said:

I emailed a week ago and got a response telling me I was rejected.

I stand corrected! To whom did you write? I might inquire myself now that we're down to brass tacks.

Also, congratulations on your acceptance at GSU! I remember that you had been placed on the wait list. It must have been a wonderful feeling when you received that acceptance letter!

[GuanilosIsland]

4 hours ago, SlumberingTrout said:

I stand corrected! To whom did you write? I might inquire myself now that we're down to brass tacks.

Also, congratulations on your acceptance at GSU! I remember that you had been placed on the wait list. It must have been a wonderful feeling when you received that acceptance letter!

The director of grad admissions at Riverside is Michael Nelson – I'd email him.

 

Also thanks so much! Yeah, I'm super excited about the program. I was definitely getting a little nervous, haha...

[eigenname]

Wait-listed at CUNY (finally officially) but 'few spots have opened'. 

[elviejo]

I have posted several times in this thread, but I have a confession to make: every solicit I have made has been via telephone. How does one phrase a solicit via email? I am interested in what the body of the email states....

[seabiscuit87]

Given that successful applicants are required to make their decisions by April 15th, can those only waitlisted, including me, expect to be accepted after the day? How often are those on waitlists accepted after April 15th?

Edited April 10, 2018 by seabiscuit87

[elviejo]

39 minutes ago, seabiscuit87 said:

Given that successful applicants are required to make their decisions by April 15th, can those only waitlisted, including me, expect to be accepted after the day? How often are those on waitlists accepted after April 15th?

This is a great question. I too would be interested if anyone has information about this scenario.

 

[syn]

10 hours ago, seabiscuit87 said:

Given that successful applicants are required to make their decisions by April 15th, can those only waitlisted, including me, expect to be accepted after the day? How often are those on waitlists accepted after April 15th?

One professor of mine said that she did receive several offers after that day, as people were getting back to them late.

[Halcyon23]

10 hours ago, elviejo said:

I have posted several times in this thread, but I have a confession to make: every solicit I have made has been via telephone. How does one phrase a solicit via email? I am interested in what the body of the email states....

Here's the basic structure of mine (given how late it is in the season you may need to modify it to reflect that aspect):

"Dear Professor [Name],

I'm an applicant for the philosophy phd program at [university] and I have not received information regarding my current status. At the risk of being too forward or seeming over-eager I was reaching out to you to see if I can learn about my current status. Provided that there is no information you can give out at this time, do you have an estimate on when information will be sent out? I look forward to hearing back from you. 

Thanks,

[My real name]"

[Kantattheairport]

I've been informed that it's pretty unlikely, although not impossible, that NYU will be dipping into their waitlist this year. Not exactly unexpected information, but there it is, in case anyone else was also wondering.

[PhiloStorian]

1 hour ago, Halcyon23 said:

Here's the basic structure of mine (given how late it is in the season you may need to modify it to reflect that aspect):

"Dear Professor [Name],

I'm an applicant for the philosophy phd program at [university] and I have not received information regarding my current status. At the risk of being too forward or seeming over-eager I was reaching out to you to see if I can learn about my current status. Provided that there is no information you can give out at this time, do you have an estimate on when information will be sent out? I look forward to hearing back from you. 

Thanks,

[My real name]"

I've been sending solicitations with roughly this format and almost always gotten replies.

[Ashu1693]

Has anyone heard from UCLA for MS in CS? Is anyone still waiting for any reply?
Also has NCSU sent out their replies for the same?

Its 11th April already, getting restless!

[Bookchin]

15 hours ago, Halcyon23 said:

Here's the basic structure of mine (given how late it is in the season you may need to modify it to reflect that aspect):

"Dear Professor [Name],

I'm an applicant for the philosophy phd program at [university] and I have not received information regarding my current status. At the risk of being too forward or seeming over-eager I was reaching out to you to see if I can learn about my current status. Provided that there is no information you can give out at this time, do you have an estimate on when information will be sent out? I look forward to hearing back from you. 

Thanks,

[My real name]"

Here's what I wrote, and received a response within 24 hours from each program I emailed. Hope this will help someone!

Dear [prof],

I write to ask whether I have been accepted, rejected, or waitlisted at your PhD program for the academic year 2018-19. Here is my applicant information: [name], [applicant ID].

Thank you for your time and attention. I look forward to hearing from you.

 

Best,

[my name]

[syn]

10 hours ago, Ashu1693 said:

Has anyone heard from UCLA for MS in CS? Is anyone still waiting for any reply?
Also has NCSU sent out their replies for the same?

Its 11th April already, getting restless!

This is the Philosophy forum, not CS.

[SlumberingTrout]

I just received that "there's a non-trivial chance we can accept you," "don't accept other offers without consulting us first" email from UVA. I know that UVA this year seemed to have a gigantic wait list. I take it this is the canned email sent to everyone on the list?

[MPhipps]

No word from my top school Portland State for MPH! UMASS has given me until the 15th to accept or decline so fingers cross I hear back in the next couple of days from my top school!!!! Anyone hear back form Portland State: Masters?? Or have any advice for this situation?

Edited April 11, 2018 by MPhipps
add on

[SlumberingTrout]

Should we plan to accept offers before a certain time on the 15th?

[syn]

29 minutes ago, MPhipps said:

No word from my top school Portland State for MPH! UMASS has given me until the 15th to accept or decline so fingers cross I hear back in the next couple of days from my top school!!!! Anyone hear back form Portland State: Masters?? Or have any advice for this situation?

Also not the Public Health forum.

[syn]

19 minutes ago, SlumberingTrout said:

Should we plan to accept offers before a certain time on the 15th?

In lieu of having heard back from my wait list school (which I had previously deemed my first choice), I've begun negotiating my package with another school.  I'd rather not start it late and then make a rash decision.