What does a wait-list say about a candidate?

[peppermint.beatnik]

I applied to four schools this year (all PhD programs, I have an MA). I was rejected by one, and wait-listed by three. I am still waiting to hear from the last school, but I suspect I am rejected from the wait-list.

I am wondering what this says about me as a candidate? Why was I not accepted? One school, who didn't go to the wait-list, said they really wanted me in the program, but "just don't have the room." OK, but others were accepted . . .

My experience tells me that there are several factors involved in admission, many of which have nothing to do with you. I'm also certain that people who are accepted, not wait-listed, are not more qualified, just smarter about the process (I make this comment about my area of study, not all disciplines).

I'm looking for advice, opinions, whatever--especially if you have wait-list experience. If you were accepted, what do you think made the difference in your application?

And yes I will follow-up with the schools, but I'm not done waiting for responses.

Edited May 5, 2010 by peppermint.beatnik

[repatriate]

I think that your intuitions about what being on the waitlist means are pretty spot on. If you weren't qualified, they would have rejected you outright, etc.

As with everything else about grad school, the individual department may matter most in deciphering the meaning of a waitlisted status, but here is my experience: I was waitlisted at one program and later accepted. When I visited the school, the program chair told me (completely unsolicited) that the reason I was waitlisted and not selected over the other candidates who were admitted was that I didn't have as good a fit with the program faculty as a whole and I had only mentioned one of them in my SOP. They still wanted to recruit me, but this was an important concern for this faculty group because they are very collegial and are all collaborators.

I don't know if that story is of any value, but I wish you the best luck with your current waitlist.

[fuzzylogician]

Just like the school told you, I think a wait-list really means "here are some great people we want to accept, but unfortunately we don't have the funds to admit them right now." So on the one hand it definitely means the school wants you, which is very being from being flat out rejected. On the other hand I guess the question is what makes a school decide who goes on the wait list and who gets the admissions offer. I suspect, as you say, that many outside factors creep into the equation, not the least of which being luck. Other possible factors could be place with a specific advisor or subfield, a personal connection someone made with a professor, a more persuasive SOP, an unrelated outside factor you happened to mention somewhere on your application (=in my field, for example, you speak a language that a faculty member is interested in; you have an unusual background that some faculty is interested in using for some experiment/theory; you happen to work on a topic that someone is considering going into; you are a pastry chef; etc). For all these crazy reasons, I think that one important aspect of a good SOP is being focused and thoughtful about a specific topic/subfield but at the same time leaving as many options possible - for changing interests within the subfield, for working with different advisors, for thinking about different methodologies. The more attractive you look to more people, the higher your chances of being admitted. You could--and should--follow up with the schools, but my feeling is a lot of times it'll be impossible for them to give you a principled reason for the decision, in the end it's a crap shoot.

[oldlady]

FWIW:

• Did you reach out to specific profs or the application coordinators before/during the application process?
• Were your LORs from profs well-known in your field or somehow connected to the schools to which you applied?
  These questions speak to the fact that personal connections to a program can often be the difference between an acceptance and the wait-list.
  
  
  • The schools to which you applied -- were they reaches for you?

If yes, then wait-lists are not bad at all.

And, other times, it truly is random. If there are two equally competitive applicants, and one is from the same hometown as an adcomm member, that may be enough to sway the vote.

Edited May 6, 2010 by oldlady

[peppermint.beatnik]

Thanks everyone for replies.

I received a rejection from the wait-list at the University of Toronto this morning. Devastated.

I think my biggest question is, where do I go from here? How can I make it better? Need time to recover and think about this.

I will reapply, but would you?

Edited May 6, 2010 by peppermint.beatnik

[samjones]

you are right that more goes into the process of being accepted than just applying yourself to a program/department with a packet of grades, writing sample, sop and lors. for example, i was waitlisted at one of the three schools i applied to. i had been interviewed (via phone) by the school with all the other finalists but there was something about my application and level of promise that didn't get me invited for the fall 2010 term. in order to know, i emailed the person who shared with me the news of my rejection. i asked them what I might improve upon for the next round of applications (it turns out that i was accepted to another school, by the way and so i won't be reapplying next year). their response stated that while i was obviously a strong enough applicant to get as far as i did in the application process (i mean, really, to be a finalist in a competition of dozens or hundreds is a feat!) they wanted students who might bring in funding. i took that to mean that i did not convey my focus well enough and/or in a way that demonstrated that i could apply to fellowships,grants, whatever successfully. i also hadn't applied to any outside funding this year so i wasn't going to be bringing in money for next year for sure. money is tight and they want folks who have it and/or will probably be able to get it. the person also added that they only offered three university/program-funded spots this year... so yeah, money is tight.

if you're looking for advice on what to do next year (if you plan to reapply), i'd say that you ask the programs (IF they have/do reject you this time) how you could improve for your next round off applications. it may just be that you need to tweak your focus discussion in a way that demonstrates that you know what you want to study/research and/or know how to design something to study/research which is achievable in their program (and achievable in their program is key!). this proves that you would be able to convey such a message to funding sources in a successful manner as well as that you would finish the program in a timely manner (the latter because you can design a line of research focus that you won't get stuck on in the middle of conducting research or writing the dissertation). i think promises of timely completion of the program is also something that programs/departments are looking for when they are reviewing applications and research discussions.

[peppermint.beatnik]

just bumping to see if anyone else has input

[metasyntactic]

 It is probably for the best if you don't get too caught up in the whys of rejection and waitlisting. There are many factors involved that are totally out of your control. Apparently this year was particularly bad for many admissions committees in terms of rejecting qualified candidates. I had the opportunity to talk, in person, to one of the professors at a top institution that I was rejected from. It turns out that I was on a short list of qualified candidates, but they only had one spot to offer. Sometimes it's just a matter of luck.

That said, you can improve your chances by applying to more schools and finding professors that are actively looking for students and have slots to offer. Good luck!

[John_E]

Do wait a year and reapply if:

- You are completely gung-ho about academia and your field.

- You are okay with applying to more "safety" schools next time.

- You don't mind waiting an additional year on top of the many you will be in grad school.

Don't reapply if:

- You're not ready to face the prospect of receiving a PhD after many years of labor only to find you can't land a job.

- You presume that you will receive no funding offers, even if you are accepted to a program next time (funding varies by field).

If you go for it, try to cultivate relationships during the interim year with profs at your target schools with whom you would like to work. Read their books, email them questions, etc. Good luck!

[peppermint.beatnik]

Do you mean reapply for Fall 2011, or Fall 2012?

[Katzenmusik]

Three tips which worked for me:

I think it is helpful to try and figure out what exactly the program and its faculty are looking for, then mirror that (VERY explicitly) in your SOP. I know that sounds obvious. But try to speak the department's language. Take a look at the current grad students, recent dissertations, the faculty's most recent work, and what the department's web site says about its own approach. Then draw links between yourself and the program's view of itself.

Also, if the department has sub-programs--like specializations or certificate programs that you're interested in--it doesn't hurt to mention those, either. This can get your application reviewed by additional faculty who might be interested in having you as a student. Anything that gets your application in front of more potential advisers is a good thing.

Finally, AVOID being a generic applicant with interests that are too humdrum or dull-seeming. I was a relatively non-traditional applicant with no prior experience in my field, so it didn't hurt for me to take a gonzo approach. My SOP was wacky, but I managed to frame all sorts of strange/interesting experiences and goals as a compelling academic project that the adcom could relate to. A few of the professors I met told me directly that they loved it and it really made me stand out as an applicant (in a good way, as I was accepted)!

[melusine]

I was on two waitlists, got off one.

First thing I did when the rejections started coming in is email the professors I had previously been in touch with, to see if they knew what had worked against me.

Some didn't answer, some (hello Yale!) were very helpful and encouraging.

Later, when the school I get in accepted me, I also made a point to ask what had put me on the waitlist (rather than direct accepts.)

In my case, the responses were pretty unanimous: unlike English or French who often admit ppl straight out of BA, Comp Lit admits tend to have MAs or some type of professional experience. There's of course the exceptional exception, but at least that's the reason they gave me. That and that my SOP lacked focus ("which is fine for a BA", or the school I'm going to tells me!)

In any case, my advice to you is: email the schools.

[socialpsych]

Having seen a bit of the other side of admissions as a current grad student, I think there are two main reasons why people get waitlisted. One is, as many people have said, you are definitely "above the bar" but for whatever reason not close enough to the top of the list -- especially if they admitted someone else with similar interests. But they would unquestionably love to have you if they had space. The other reason is that they are excited about your application overall but there is one specific thing about it that makes them hesitate or even worry. Melusine's experience as a Comp Lit BA is a great example of this kind of thing. Or perhaps something specific in an SOP was a turnoff for some reason. Of course, this is the type of waitlist you can (usually) do something about, so if you can get any information about it from the schools, that can help you a lot next year. Also, if there are current students in your field whom you trust to be honest with you, you might consider showing them your entire application and getting their opinion. If you have made some kind of faux pas that the departments themselves might choose not to tell you about, this could be a better way of getting feedback. If you can't turn up any specific thing, that probably just means you were the first type of waitlisted applicant (fantastic but in an unfortunately crowded field). Best of luck!

[peppermint.beatnik]

Thanks everyone. I will definitely e-mail the schools.

I gave myself a week (or so) to mourn, and then I will begin to move forward.

[yayherecomesliz]

Wow, this is great. I took everyone's advice and emailed some of the schools I've been waitlisted/rejected from. I'm actually debating on whether I should reapply (in hopes of attending a top-tier university in my field of interest) or accept admissions from a lesser renowned institution (which gave me a fairly generous fellowship)...