caffeinated applicant Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 (edited) 27 minutes ago, merry night wanderer said: Me too - which was a huge bummer, since I thought the interview went so well, but it was a nice email, at least. I feel like I am going to lose my dang mind waiting to hear anything, anything at all, from UMD... I didn't receive an interview, but I seem to recall that UMD is one of the schools that only interviews some candidates, not all candidates on their short list? Maybe? (There was definitely some school that did this, but I can't for the life of me remember who it was.) Back to refreshing my email... Edited February 6, 2020 by caffeinated applicant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agunns Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 20 hours ago, caffeinated applicant said: Congratulations! Waitlist is definitely a vote of confidence! To be a bit nosy, as I'm waiting to hear from UMD... Did you receive an email from them? Email them yourself to inquire about status? Happen to see a random portal update? I received an email from GerShun Avilez confirming that I am on the waitlist - I haven't seen any portal updates or anything. It sounds like they are working on starting to send admissions decisions out, so hopefully you will hear back soon! caffeinated applicant 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffeelyf Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 24 minutes ago, caffeinated applicant said: I feel like I am going to lose my dang mind waiting to hear anything, anything at all, from UMD... I didn't receive an interview, but I seem to recall that UMD is one of the schools that only interviews some candidates, not all candidates on their short list? Maybe? (There was definitely some school that did this, but I can't for the life of me remember who it was.) Back to refreshing my email... I got an email from their DGS! It does seem like those emails are rolling out, so don't lose hope yet. I did have an interview, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caffeinated applicant Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 35 minutes ago, coffeelyf said: I got an email from their DGS! It does seem like those emails are rolling out, so don't lose hope yet. I did have an interview, too. I've run out of reactions for the day, but thanks for the details! I need to sit back and take some deep breaths, haha--it's not as if posting on GradCafe 14,000 times is going to make the decision come around any sooner, and everybody else here is in similar positions waiting for results, and there's nothing I can do about the decision at this stage... Curiously I've been able to remain calm about the decisions that I know won't come in until the end of the month... I can't tell if that feeling will last, or if as soon as I get the rest of my first wave of results (Chicago, Duke, Maryland, UT), I'll immediately go into Full Anxious Mode about the second wave. Fingers crossed for the former! merry night wanderer and coffeelyf 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emailchecker Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 12 minutes ago, caffeinated applicant said: I've run out of reactions for the day, but thanks for the details! I need to sit back and take some deep breaths, haha--it's not as if posting on GradCafe 14,000 times is going to make the decision come around any sooner, and everybody else here is in similar positions waiting for results, and there's nothing I can do about the decision at this stage... Curiously I've been able to remain calm about the decisions that I know won't come in until the end of the month... I can't tell if that feeling will last, or if as soon as I get the rest of my first wave of results (Chicago, Duke, Maryland, UT), I'll immediately go into Full Anxious Mode about the second wave. Fingers crossed for the former! Am I the last human being that hasn't heard any word from any program so far? I am even scared typing this because I feel as though I will be praying for a response only to get a rejection. Mostly just tired of being nervous...it's a slow-motion train crash... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brown_Bear Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 13 minutes ago, caffeinated applicant said: I've run out of reactions for the day, but thanks for the details! I need to sit back and take some deep breaths, haha--it's not as if posting on GradCafe 14,000 times is going to make the decision come around any sooner, and everybody else here is in similar positions waiting for results, and there's nothing I can do about the decision at this stage... Curiously I've been able to remain calm about the decisions that I know won't come in until the end of the month... I can't tell if that feeling will last, or if as soon as I get the rest of my first wave of results (Chicago, Duke, Maryland, UT), I'll immediately go into Full Anxious Mode about the second wave. Fingers crossed for the former! I feel similarly. I am no stranger to rejection, myself. I am searching for the glimmer of light throughout this, but am now making preparations in case I get shutout. But your stats look really strong and impressive, so I would think you have a great chance to get admitted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cryss Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 (edited) Got my sister to call Rice for me (cuz human interaction sucks. Plus I'm much more likable in writing than over the phone), and they said if you haven't received any communication from them yet, it's because they are still reviewing applications. According to them, if you haven't received an offer, you are likely still being considered for a waitlist, and they are hoping to notify by tomorrow. So there may be some notifications of waitlisting and some rejections tomorrow. Edited February 6, 2020 by Cryss madandmoonly 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KaterGator Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 3 minutes ago, Emailchecker said: Am I the last human being that hasn't heard any word from any program so far? I am even scared typing this because I feel as though I will be praying for a response only to get a rejection. Mostly just tired of being nervous...it's a slow-motion train crash... I don't post very much, but I wanted to chime in to let you know you're not alone. I own a house and my husband has a local business, so I am limited to one area for applications, and I haven't heard back from any yet. I feel good about my application, but the longer I wait, the more I wonder if I'm headed for a shut out. Not much I can do at this point, but I can really relate to wanting to just stop feeling nervous and anxious. Hopefully we all hear more soon! There is still a lot of time, and a lot of room for hope. Emailchecker and spikeseagulls 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffeelyf Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 It really is still very early in the cycle! Plenty of amazing schools have not notified - I personally am still waiting for 6 of mine. Last year, I was working on my MA thesis and applying to 5 top-ranked programs at the same time, and ended up with distinction on my thesis and a total shutout. The nerves are doubly crazy for me this year because of that shutout experience, in which I didn't hear anything throughout the process except for the rejection letters, but having support from people around me and this forum has been very helpful. Best of luck to all of us! Brown_Bear, KaterGator, spikeseagulls and 1 other 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm6394 Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 1 hour ago, caffeinated applicant said: I feel like I am going to lose my dang mind waiting to hear anything, anything at all, from UMD... I didn't receive an interview, but I seem to recall that UMD is one of the schools that only interviews some candidates, not all candidates on their short list? Maybe? (There was definitely some school that did this, but I can't for the life of me remember who it was.) Back to refreshing my email... Also haven’t heard anything from UMD, no interview, no waitlist, no emails, etc. Out of curiosity, what subfield are you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm6394 Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 1 hour ago, agunns said: I received an email from GerShun Avilez confirming that I am on the waitlist - I haven't seen any portal updates or anything. It sounds like they are working on starting to send admissions decisions out, so hopefully you will hear back soon! Is he someone you named in your application or did he email you on behalf of the committee/dept? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thesubalternspeaks Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 Hi y'all. First time poster here. Didn't think I'd ever post (was totally fine with lurking lol) but the anxiety of this application cycle is getting to me. But, serious question, is getting waitlisted a sign of at least being taken seriously? I was fully expecting only rejections from the six schools I applied to, and have received or know I'm receiving at least three rejections, but I did get waitlisted at two colleges. Since submitting my applications, I've been really doubting myself and my preparation for grad school, and I'm trying to decide if I should consider being waitlisted a sign of confidence or just a prolonged rejection. spikeseagulls, MichelleObama and Kelsey1599 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agunns Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 4 minutes ago, jm6394 said: Is he someone you named in your application or did he email you on behalf of the committee/dept? I did not name him in my application, but he was part of my interview committee, so I think that's why he emailed me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caffeinated applicant Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 4 minutes ago, jm6394 said: Also haven’t heard anything from UMD, no interview, no waitlist, no emails, etc. Out of curiosity, what subfield are you? I'm 20th/21st century fiction and queer/gender stuff. You? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm6394 Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 1 minute ago, caffeinated applicant said: I'm 20th/21st century fiction and queer/gender stuff. You? Pretty similar! Same period, feminist & political/critical theory. Interested in activism narratives in both fiction and nonfiction. Not sure whether to feel like our group isn’t one being interviewed, or if there are a ton of us. Lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agunns Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 I would absolutely take being waitlisted as a sign of confidence! At least in my opinion, there are so many people vying for so few spots - a waitlisted spot means that they take you seriously enough that they would be interested in having you in their program. thesubalternspeaks, Kelsey1599 and madandmoonly 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffeelyf Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 11 minutes ago, jm6394 said: Is he someone you named in your application or did he email you on behalf of the committee/dept? GerShun Avilez is the Director of Graduate Studies at UMD! I think all of these update emails are coming from him. Brown_Bear, jm6394 and merry night wanderer 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caffeinated applicant Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 On 2/6/2020 at 12:44 PM, thesubalternspeaks said: Hi y'all. First time poster here. Didn't think I'd ever post (was totally fine with lurking lol) but the anxiety of this application cycle is getting to me. But, serious question, is getting waitlisted a sign of at least being taken seriously? I was fully expecting only rejections from the six schools I applied to, and have received or know I'm receiving at least three rejections, but I did get waitlisted at two colleges. Since submitting my applications, I've been really doubting myself and my preparation for grad school, and I'm trying to decide if I should consider being waitlisted a sign of confidence or just a prolonged rejection. The way I've been thinking about it, which was re-affirmed by the language in the waitlist email I received from UT-Austin, is that it's a strong endorsement of your application. Like, your application is strong enough that they're as confident that you would be a successful graduate student and that you would fit well in their program, but for whatever reason, your application just missed the cutoff. For example, maybe there was another student in the same subfield, they couldn't take you both, and that person's research interests fit slightly better with what their POI wants to be advising in three years, that kind of thing. Definitely from past GC results it appears that many, many students end up accepted to programs off of the waitlist, which intuitively makes sense if you assume that top-ranked grad programs don't want to admit outright more students than they can fund and support. Edited to add: I also can't think of any real incentive that grad programs would have to waitlist candidates they don't consider viable. For undergraduate programs, more students = more money, so sure, waitlist enough students to make sure you'll have a big enough freshman class. But for graduate programs, where students cost money and advising resources and their success or failure reflects very strongly on the program itself, and there are 250-500 applicants, many of whom have quite strong applications, for your 6-14 slots... there's no reason to think that they'd stack the waitlist with candidates they don't really, really want. Kelsey1599, AnachronisticPoet, ashwel11 and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm6394 Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 25 minutes ago, coffeelyf said: It really is still very early in the cycle! Plenty of amazing schools have not notified - I personally am still waiting for 6 of mine. Last year, I was working on my MA thesis and applying to 5 top-ranked programs at the same time, and ended up with distinction on my thesis and a total shutout. The nerves are doubly crazy for me this year because of that shutout experience, in which I didn't hear anything throughout the process except for the rejection letters, but having support from people around me and this forum has been very helpful. Best of luck to all of us! I feel like this is going to be me. This year is my first PhD cycle, and I wonder if I’ll have the strength to keep going. Good luck to you ❤️❤️ coffeelyf and Kelsey1599 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merry night wanderer Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 (edited) I think some schools pull from the waitlist more than others, but it's definitely true that in most cases, they will inevitably draw upon the waitlist. I mean, it's maybe not something to bank upon, but look at how many programs we've all applied to - it's often the case that people have more than one offer, even though the odds are so bad overall. To get the cohort numbers they want, I suspect it takes a lot of maneuvering. Not an enviable job, to make these lists, and I do think it's likely more than just a platitude- they do reject and waitlist people they like for all kinds of reasons. Edited February 6, 2020 by merry night wanderer thesubalternspeaks and caffeinated applicant 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Hoosier Oxonian Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 For Berkeley applicants who haven't heard anything yet after yesterday's round of acceptances: it looks like last year they admitted everyone they were admitting in early February and then waited almost six weeks to notify all the rejections. Time to strap in for a long wait! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caffeinated applicant Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 1 minute ago, The Hoosier Oxonian said: For Berkeley applicants who haven't heard anything yet after yesterday's round of acceptances: it looks like last year they admitted everyone they were admitting in early February and then waited almost six weeks to notify all the rejections. Time to strap in for a long wait! Didn't apply to Berkeley but dang, this is the worst system I've ever heard! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wimsey Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 4 minutes ago, The Hoosier Oxonian said: For Berkeley applicants who haven't heard anything yet after yesterday's round of acceptances: it looks like last year they admitted everyone they were admitting in early February and then waited almost six weeks to notify all the rejections. Time to strap in for a long wait! Yeah, I'm just marking it as an implied rejection and moving on. I wish they could send out the rejections more promptly. Same goes for Chicago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Hoosier Oxonian Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 4 minutes ago, caffeinated applicant said: Didn't apply to Berkeley but dang, this is the worst system I've ever heard! NYU (the other school I was sort of hoping to hear something from this week) appears to have done the same thing last year - they didn't notify their rejections until mid-March! Fully expect not to get into NYU either (like Berkeley, it's a tenuous fit for me), but I wish they'd tell me now and not make me wait six or seven weeks! jm6394 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caffeinated applicant Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 (edited) 44 minutes ago, The Hoosier Oxonian said: NYU (the other school I was sort of hoping to hear something from this week) appears to have done the same thing last year - they didn't notify their rejections until mid-March! Fully expect not to get into NYU either (like Berkeley, it's a tenuous fit for me), but I wish they'd tell me now and not make me wait six or seven weeks! Here I was thinking that Harvard was going to be a pain because there was a week gap between their acceptances and rejections in 2019. At least I can be pretty sure that I won't be left hanging for 6+ weeks! 44 minutes ago, Wimsey said: Yeah, I'm just marking it as an implied rejection and moving on. I wish they could send out the rejections more promptly. Same goes for Chicago. I don't know what is up with the delay from Chicago this year, but it is so annoying. Like please just rip the band-aid off so I can get on with my life, thanks. Edited February 6, 2020 by caffeinated applicant ...lowered snark level on this one too... I should've skipped the extra shot of espresso in my coffee at lunch... Wimsey 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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