What is going on with the UVa waitlist?

[gradattack]

Hello,

I interpreted being waitlisted by UVa as good news (which it still is because at least I wasn't rejected and after a terrible cycle I need some reminder that my application wasn't utter crap!) but I am feeling progressively more nervous since it seems like the list is massive and I have no clue where I am on it. I received a very encouraging email on 19th February from the DGS informing me that my application is being considered by the department and while they can't make me a formal offer yet, I am on their waitlist and they might give me some good news in the upcoming few weeks. I sent a reply explaining I would love to attend Virginia in the fall since it is one of my top choices and asking for further details like where I am on the wait list and when I will hear back etc. I didn't receive a response.

I also some posts from people about being on the 'long wait list' and receiving a 'bittersweet email'. I am also aware of a friend who hasn't heard a peep from the department at all. Can anyone enlighten me on how this process works and what is this 'long wait list'? 

UVa is a top choice and I haven't received any acceptances yet so I really need this to work out. I'd rather not deal with the pain of a year's hard work going to waste and explain to my referees that all the effort they put into their letters was for nothing. If someone doesn't plan on taking up their offer, please inform them ASAP.

 

Fall 2020: Columbia, UPenn, McGill, NYU, Harvard South Asia, UCLA Comp Lit, Princeton, Emory Comp Lit, UVa, Michigan, UT Austin  (Implied rejection/Rejection/Pending/ Waitlist)

Edited February 27, 2020 by gradattack

[caffeinated applicant]

The best I've been able to gather from other folks' intel, emails from the DGS (well, dir of grad admissions), and rough knowledge of other schools:

UVA admits a lot of people from the waitlist. Like, a first-year UVA student whose GC screenname isn't coming to memory now cited 40% of the 2019 entering cohort came up off the waitlist. Seems like they might only do first-round offers for roughly equal to the number of spots they have available, though that's speculation. Bear in mind though, 40% of a 10 person cohort is 4 people. So, they waitlist a relatively large group of people who, in another year, they may well have admitted--folks who are qualified and bright and whose work is interesting and exciting to the faculty. They break up the waitlist into groups and pull people from the groups as spots open up. I don't know if the groups are based on subfield and ranked within the subfields (so within subfield A, you have candidates ,1 2, and 3; within subfield B, candidates 1, 2, 3, and 4), or if it's like the clusters are ranked and they pull first from the A cluster until it's depleted and then pull from the B cluster. I suspect the former, but not sure. In the big email, the assessment from the grad admissions director was that most likely a handful of folks will get offers, but the chances of any particular person in the cluster getting an offer aren't great. 

I have no idea what the deal is with some people got the big email, some people didn't, though, and I'd suggest your friend email the grad admissions director to inquire directly. When I emailed him last week--before the big email--he replied within minutes.

[WildeThing]

For simplicity, I'll use bullet points:

• Being waitlisted IS good, no matter where it is or the size of the waitlist.
• Waitlists are dynamic, no one person can really affect the waitlist authoritatively, not even the director of admissions. So, be patient. I understand that it's frustrating but let me say that at this point last year I had not even heard from UVa yet, and my prospects only really materialized the days before the deadline. There is nothing the admissions committee or chair can do right now other than wait to hear back from admitted students, so I wouldn't send them too many emails asking for updates. Last year I emailed in March, then again on April 1st, and then on the 12th, and the response were basically the same each time because, ultimately, if there's movement and it falls to you then it will fall to you, but they can't give you any more information because...
• The waitlist, I think, is not hierarchy-based. UVa, at least last year, tried to get a mix of students so technically, several students might reject the offer and it never fall to you because you're in different fields, but then again you might be the next one up if X person drops. So there's no way for anyone to give you more information. it's just very unpredictable. Even if you're the next Victorianist up and the accepted Victorianist goes somewhere else, you MIGHT get the email, but maybe that Victorianist also did digital humanities and now another digital humanist has also back out so they might prefer not to fill the Victorianist spot at all. Note that I have no idea how the decisions are actually made and this is not about any particular example but just to illustrate how a waitlist is not necessarily a list and the best thing you can do is be patient (you can request updates every once in a while, but I don't see much point in asking about movement before April rolls in).
• I am very much on the side that thinks that if you know you're not taking up an offer then you should notify the school ASAP, but let's remember that this is still February, some schools have not notified yet, many schools still have rejections pending, so until most of that clears up it would be unfair to expect anyone to make the call. I was definitely in your shoes, hoping UVa admits would just decide already, but people need to take their time so, again, patience is key here.
• Note that the UVa visits have not happened yet, I believe they are taking place next week, so I wouldn't expect much movement before mid-March, anyway.
• But yes, 4/10 of us in the current cohort got off the waitlist, but ultimately each applicant is a universe onto themselves, so perhaps everyone accepts their spot (or no one does, who knows?).

Sorry if long but basically: be patient, breathe, you will find out sooner or later, hopefully sooner. Good luck to everyone (and as always, if you have UVa-specific questions feel free to PM)!

[caffeinated applicant]

1 hour ago, WildeThing said:

• The waitlist, I think, is not hierarchy-based. UVa, at least last year, tried to get a mix of students so technically, several students might reject the offer and it never fall to you because you're in different fields, but then again you might be the next one up if X person drops. So there's no way for anyone to give you more information. it's just very unpredictable. Even if you're the next Victorianist up and the accepted Victorianist goes somewhere else, you MIGHT get the email, but maybe that Victorianist also did digital humanities and now another digital humanist has also back out so they might prefer not to fill the Victorianist spot at all. Note that I have no idea how the decisions are actually made and this is not about any particular example but just to illustrate how a waitlist is not necessarily a list and the best thing you can do is be patient (you can request updates every once in a while, but I don't see much point in asking about movement before April rolls in).

Thanks for this whole post, @WildeThing! I'm sure I'll be messaging you in the coming days about the program to prepare myself in case I do get an eleventh-hour offer. 

Re. this particular point, I was trying to explain this to a friend in a biology PhD program to answer her question about "What do you mean they told you they don't rank their waitlist?" and her response was basically, "That's the most complicated and wild thing I've ever heard." Apparently in her program, they just hope every year not to admit all people who want to do the same project! I imagine it must be so difficult as a committee to weigh the waitlist for an English program and keep their cohort evenly distributed among all of the different periods, professors needing to advise, methods, interests... particularly since they must know as well as students that interests change and shift. The director of graduate admissions at UVA seemed especially conscious of the strain that the process puts on graduate applicants--I don't envy him or any other decision-makers this month as they try to build a cohort. 

[LitScript]

This topic has been brought up in the "Campus Visits" thread, but are any of you on the waitlist at UVA considering going to Charlottesville during their campus visit? I don't know if I could even afford to go (coming from California) or when it specfically is yet (@WildeThing , maybe you could update us on this?), but I feel like it may be worth emailing the DGS and asking about it. I received one offer of admission elsewhere and think I would choose UVA over it, but if I somehow get off the waitlist on, say, April 14, I don't know if I could move somewhere for the next 5-6 years on a good feeling.

[WildeThing]

3 hours ago, LitScript said:

This topic has been brought up in the "Campus Visits" thread, but are any of you on the waitlist at UVA considering going to Charlottesville during their campus visit? I don't know if I could even afford to go (coming from California) or when it specfically is yet (@WildeThing , maybe you could update us on this?), but I feel like it may be worth emailing the DGS and asking about it. I received one offer of admission elsewhere and think I would choose UVA over it, but if I somehow get off the waitlist on, say, April 14, I don't know if I could move somewhere for the next 5-6 years on a good feeling.

I believe the visits are happening later this week. If you'd like any info on anything related to the city/program/whatever, feel free to DM, though of course it won't make up for not visiting (I don't know what the policy is on waitlist visits, perhaps you can email the director of admissions if you're interested in that).