Waitlists

[Confused Goose]

Hi. I've been pretty fortunate to have got a couple of good offers. At the same time, I've been waitlisted at two of my top choice programmes. This has got me thinking what they actually indicate. Does it mean that they'd be happy to have me but the advisers with whom I would like to work aren't taking in any more students or have already made their picks for the next year? Or does it mean that they wouldn't exactly be elated if I joined, but would gladly take me in to make up the numbers?

I believe there may be significant differences between how these things work in sciences/engineering and in humanities/social sciences. I'd really appreciate some perspective from both sides though.

[digits2006]

First thing, contact your program and ask them these questions. Ask how many people on the wait list. If they are ranked, in so, what number are you. You are wait listed because you are the 2nd best? I am wait listed at 2 programs. They want you, but dont have enough room. Once some ppl reject offers, they contact the wait listed folks. Contact them and remind them how much you want to go and where you are on the wait list.

[psycholinguist]

More the former, as far as I can tell. I'm waitlisted at my top choice at the moment; the supervisor I want there says that they have strict quotas and can't make any more than a certain number of offers. Odds are that they want you almost as much as they want the people they accepted, and they would be very happy to take you on if anyone turned them down this year. After all, if they "wouldn't exactly be elated" to have you around, they probably would have rejected you outright.

I personally wouldn't want to be so in-your-face as to demand to know my placement on the waitlists, but writing the programs thanking them for putting you on them wouldn't be such a bad idea, as it would show the departments in question that you are enthusiastic about them.

[digits2006]

Well it think its good to ask your placement on the list. If you are at the bottom of the list, there is no point in waiting out for them. Accept another offer. It's nice to know if 2 people are on the wait list, or twenty. The programs are usually open to questions.

[socnerd]

I was sort of wondering about this too because I've been waitlisted at my first choice and will gladly wait at least another month to hear anything. They said it was a "short wait list" but didn't tell me how long it was or where I was on it. I just assumed it would be rude to ask those questions. They said they are only aiming for a cohort of 6 and I don't know how many offers they already made. I suppose I could wait a few weeks and then ask where I am on the list, I didn't think they would tell me something like that but I'd sure like to know!

[digits2006]

I asked one schools and I found out that I was next in line. I am still waiting to hear from the other school. I believe it is okay to ask. You worked your butt off to get in, you have a right to know what position you are.

[Confused Goose]

Thanks everyone. Actually, I did send emails to as well as call both. But, nobody answered at one of the schools (on 4 separate occasions) and at the other, they just said that they couldn't reveal information about waitlists :-|

Anyway, would it be advisable to send an email to any professor at this point? Or would it seem too pushy? If indeed he doesn't have any open positions in his lab, then I may just move on.

[digits2006]

I say go for it. Update your POI on anything that has change since you applied. Also, the worse that can happen, is they say No.