Waitlisting, waitlisting

[redwine]

Just a query for those who can shed light on waitlisting systems (for an international who finds the whole procedure confusing)

My partner applied to a PhD at UMich and has been told he is waitlisted but they are 'very hopeful'. (Meanwhile, I got accepted to UMich straight up). I think I am more anxious to find out than him, because though I hate to say it, whether he is accepted or not will affect my decision (ie whether to accept the offer or go elsewhere).

Is waitlisting a kiss of death? I know it means you are still in with a chance but how many people really do make it in after being waitlisted (esp at a school like UMich which I know is competitive, so presumably a lot of people will be accepting their offers)?

[rising_star]

Yes, people do get accepted after being on the waitlist. Often people turn down their acceptances because it's not where they want to go so then the person on the waitlist gets an offer. It's definitely not the kiss of death.

[jaw17]

Did you both apply to the same program? I wonder if it would make sense for you to call let the graduate administrator know that his status affects your decision - who knows, maybe they can bump him up a notch or two on the waitlist.

[amanda1655]

It might not hurt to call and ask how many people typically receive offers from the waitlist. If your significant other is number 5, and traditionally six or seven get in, it's probably a good bet. If he's number 4 and two or three typically get in, I'd be a bit more nervous.

Also, not all schools rank their waitlist. For some, it's a bit more complex. There might be individual waitlists for subfields. I would try to get more information from UMich because few people here are going to be offer specific information.

[redwine]

Thanks - we did get into the same program (actually, kind of- mine is joint history/women's studies, his history) Also we are slightly different subfields - Europe, but different parts. I did actually write and indicate as clearly as I could that I needed to know what would happen with him too, and the faculty I was in contact with kindly went and found out for me, but thats how we found out he was on the waiting list, thats all. Apparently they accept up to 6 ppl on the list, so I guess I'll try and find out where on the list he is! Its so confusing!

[dreia3333]

i am currently on a waitlist for my top choice school... I received the notification from the dean of grad admissions, not the department. I had an interview prior to the notification with a faculty member in the department; however, it was not with one of the people I would be working with.....

I saw on the results page that someone said that they got off a waitlist and had contacted the department after being told they were waitlisted....

Has anyone had a similar experience? Who in the department did you contact and what type of contact was made?

Thanks!!

[JMoo]

Most schools are feeling a financial crunch that has been building the last few years. I think they're playing it cautious and admitting fewer students initially to avoid the possibility of a class that's too large. There isn't as much financial flexibility as there used to be. Being waitlisted is definitely not the kiss of death. A school might not be willing to tell you where you are on the waitlist, but I can't see how it would hurt to ask.

[deianeira]

The DGS emailed me and said she was "please to inform" me that I was fifth on the waitlist of my top choice school.

Is there a way to slyly find out what the matriculation rates of applicants?? I don't want to ruin my chances, but very much want to know if I have a shot.

[amanda1655]

If you google Peterson's, you can search for specific programs and graduate schools. If you then click on "outcomes," it shows you their admit and matriculation rate.

[deianeira]

I heard somewhere (perhaps on this forum) that Petersons doesn't differentiate between MA and PhD admissions so it's difficult to tell...

[amanda1655]

Hmm... I never thought of that but all of the programs that I applied to don't have stand-alone MA's so I'm guessing it's not a big issue. Also, their numbers for Wisconsin are pretty close to what Wisconsin self-reports on their internal applicant website.

[rebelrita]

Out of the three schools I applied to, I received two rejects and am waitlisted on the third, for CUNY Graduate Center's Poli Sci PhD program. I was informed that "there is no ranking for the waitlist".

I found myself playing with the nos on petersons-

Was wondering for example, if they accepted 40 people in 2007, and petersons reports 20 enrolled, does this 20 include only those who were originally accepted (of the 40) rather than any waitlisted? If I know that entering class size is typically 30, could I guess that about 10 of these came from the waitlisted? Or is this all crazy?

Anyone else trying some number crunching astrology such as this?

I wonder if this waitlisting gives us a little taste of what it would be like waiting for parole.

[Minnesotan]

I would bet acceptance rate is less than half, for a program of that size. A lot of the schools I contacted ahead of time told me that last year they accepted something along the lines of 7 people for every 3 spots they actually wanted to fill.

You probably have a decent chance of getting in, still. If you're terribly worried, you could always ask them how often they pull from the waitlist.

[Tritonetelephone]

To people worried about asking the department where they are on the WL...

I'm on the waitlist now for my top school, and the letter I received (via email) seemed to strongly discourage asking for more information about one's chances of admittance: "The Department has a waiting list because we truly have no idea how many students will accept or decline our offer. But as such, I unfortunately have no basis at this time to tell you the probability of your being accepted into the program; it depends solely on if and how much space becomes available and this changes from year to year."

I was still desperate for information because acceptance would mean moving from TX to NY, but I didn't want to create a bad relationship with the school by pestering them. So what I did was write the GPD who sent the letter to say that I was still very interested in the program and am eager to hear from him once a position becomes available. THEN I wrote the professor there that I like to tell him that I'm on the waiting list and "although I don't currently know my position on the list," I am looking forward to the possibility of meeting him.

I would recommend the same to anybody. I dropped enough hints that would allow them to provide me more information if possible, but I didn't ask too many annoying questions. The professor ended up mentioning my email to the GPD, and the GPD wrote me a response which basically indicated that they still couldn't tell me anything: "Thank you for responding. Indeed, this is valuable information for us as we go forward. Again, I unfortunately do not know what the future holds, but will let you know as soon as I possibly can." Basically I was able to politely indicate my high interest in the school and the awkward refusal to answer my questions was totally avoided.

[litch]

I contacted one of my programs about their wait list today.. quick response from the DGS. I just asked if they could give me any info about how the wait list works, where I am on it, and whether or not, given past experience, they could give an estimate as to my likelihood of admission.

Ok, so my wait list position is "strong" but they have to go through other depts before taking me off, and several other candidates would have to say no (I have a feeling that NO ONE says no to this program), so at the very least I wouldn't hear until around decision time. THe DGS's overall opinion was that it was unlikely I would be admitted, but not impossible.

That was enough for me to decide I'm not saving a vacation day to visit this school. If I'm admitted and feel compelled to visit, I'll just fake sick or something

I would have taken a different approach if this had been my absolute dream school, but I feel about the same regarding all of my programs.

[commoner]

Seems to me that it is different for each school, and each program within each school. I am waitlisted at UT Austin. The later I received said that they have no ranking system and that usually about 25% receive offers of admission. I sent an email back letting them know that I was happy to hear that an offer may still be forthcoming and that if they needed any additional materials from me I'd be happy to oblige. No response.

So . . . we'll see. I'm not throwing all my eggs in their basket yet, but so far it is the only good news I have heard.

[snagsby52]

I was just waitlisted at one of my top four schools. I was told by the English secretary that I should to write to this professor in order to find out where I was on the waitlist. The professor wrote me back and said that I was next on the waiting list for my field and that therefore 'there was a real possibility that they were going to be able to offer me admission.' I think this means that I will be offered admission eventually, but I'm worried that I will find out too late, and if I'm going to go, I want to visit first so that I can make sure that I am making the right choice. I also have no idea whether they are going to offer me funding. :cry:

Being waitlisted is so stressful.....and I sort of feel like I should go to one of the schools that accepted me right away.