Should I Consider No News, Good News?

[griebling]

I finished applying to grad schools at the end of December with due dates of applications being on January 15th, February 1st, and February 15th. I have heard back from two of the three schools I applied to. However, I'm starting to get extremely nervous because the last school I haven't heard from is my alma mater and I know that several others have already heard back and been accepted. I have not received ANYTHING. And I mean anything, no wait list letter, no rejection, and no acceptance. I'm starting to really get concerned because since others have heard back, does that mean that I did not get in? But if I didn't get in, why wouldn't they just send me the email saying no. 

I've tried to think about this as logically as I can like maybe they sent out letters in alphabetical order but the people I asked ALL have last names starting with letters after mine in the alphabet.. I was thinking maybe they accepted the grad scholars first, but I know for a fact that one kid from my alma mater who got accepted DID NOT apply for the grad scholars and he received an acceptance. I'm just freaking out because this was my back-up plan but I didn't think I wouldn't have been able to get into my back-up plan!??

Should I just consider no news good news???

Edited March 16, 2019 by griebling

[Rezzy S.]

I’m sorry. I have been in that speculation game several times throughout this process and it sucks. It’s so hard to say when no news is good news or bad news. Do you know a professor there still that you were close to, maybe you could ask her where they’re at in the process? I also don’t think it would be all that harmful to inquire about the status of your application given that it’s been so long and you haven’t heard anything else while others have.

[slplo]

I would say it really depends on the school. Look on the results page and see if any of the schools you applied to have sent out rejections yet. If they have, then you can consider no news good news. If they have already sent out acceptances then you were likely waitlisted, unless no one has recieved rejections yet either.

[samiamslp]

Which schools did you apply to? Like slplo said, whether or not you should have heard back depends on which programs you applied to! Have you looked on gradcafe to see if others have heard back from these programs?

[Aspire_to_Be]

3 schools? That’s quite brave; at any rate, I suggest reaching them some next week to inquire about your application statuses. That would be the most you can do for the moment.

[Rezzy S.]

12 minutes ago, Aspire_to_Be said:

3 schools? That’s quite brave; at any rate, I suggest reaching them some next week to inquire about your application statuses. That would be the most you can do for the moment.

I've thought that too about applying to <5 schools, but I've seen it works out for a lot of people on here.  @griebling were you waitlisted at the other two schools by chance? Sounds like a lot of people make it off the waitlist in the late Spring or Summer.