Likelihood of any of us getting off the Wait List

[zigazowohnow]

Any of you guys want to take a stab at the odds of getting off the wait list and receiving a funded admissions offer. :roll:

(fyi: I know these things vary by program, number of students admitted and number of potential on the wait list. I'm speaking in very general terms to gage the amount of hope one should have when waiting it out)

[sashababie]

Would you mean declining somewhere else and bet on getting off a waitlist? I'm seriously considering doing so mainly because one of my acceptances is from a program with two highly regarded professors in my field, and I definitely wouldn't risk making a career-long grudge by accepting/making deposit and then withdraw and incur their wrath :roll:

But even if the chair at said waitlisted program gave a very positive response, I still hesistate to put all my eggs in this one basket. Now that the worst is for the most part over (only waiting for a few anticipated rejections) I'm going to spend my time debating on how to get through this situation :evil:

[snagsby52]

Have you written to them to ask where you are on the waitlist? I did, and I found out that I was first on the waitlist for my field. It all depends on where you are on the list unfortunately...in any case, it sucks to be on waitlists...I hope I find out soon! Have you been told whether you will receive funding if you are offered admission? That is what I'm worried about.

[euges429]

Would you mean declining somewhere else and bet on getting off a waitlist? I'm seriously considering doing so mainly because one of my acceptances is from a program with two highly regarded professors in my field, and I definitely wouldn't risk making a career-long grudge by accepting/making deposit and then withdraw and incur their wrath :roll:

Yeah, that's a huge risk. I would rather accept-then-withdraw. Professors should understand if you explain the situation to them. I mean, in the short-term, they might not like you accepting-then-withdrawing, but in some cases, you just have no choice. If you put all your eggs in one basket, you might have NO acceptances this year, and you'd have to apply again next year.

[zigazowohnow]

When I called the grad secretary I was so nervous I didn't get around to asking if the list was ranked. However, there were only 7 of us who interviewed and the year before last they interviewed 9 and accepted 7, so I know they can accept 7. BUT when she mentioned the wait list she said there were "a few" of us on it, which is weird, maybe they don't have great funding secured? Also, If you're accepted there you're guaranteed funding.

[zigazowohnow]

Yet another issue to worry about:

What if the persons spot that you're waiting for has your school listed as their #2 and they are on a wait list for their #1 school. That could extend this waiting process so much further, I was hoping I would hear (positive) news this upcoming week, yet I have no idea what situation the other people who have been accepted are in. Fortunately, I know I was the only genius who applied to only 2 schools, everyone else was on a world tour of interviews. Let's hope they all get accepted to their #1 and it's not the same as mine! Or maybe someone will find out that they received an external fellowship they applied for and a spot will free up?!

[cmmimg]

I can't comment on likelihood of getting off the waitlist, but I will say that it is completely inappropriate to withdraw after accepting except for very serious reasons (like a huge family crisis) NOT because you were just trying to hedge your bets. It's unprofessional, plain and simple. It's not just the couple of professors there that you'll alienate--they will talk to other people in academia and then you will be known as untrustworthy throughout your career. You can sometimes get away with burning bridges when you're switching career tracks, but this is the same field in an already small group of people who get together regularly at conferences, etc. Don't do it. Suck it up and make the hard decision (after calling and finding out more info about your status). Of course, wait until the April 15th deadline.

[zigazowohnow]

To comment on accepting and then withdrawing, from a wait listers perspective. You have no idea who may be waiting on your spot and then receives a rejection letter because you took it and they end up accepting at another University that they may not have been as fond of. It's actually quite selfish apart from the unprofessional portion. However, don't think I'm judging you, I would have probably done the same thing not realizing the short and long term implications of my decision, yet now that you do know I hope that you would do the right thing. I know how badly you would like to get in to your wait listed school and I completely understand you not wanting to screw yourself over. I wish you the best of luck on getting accepted as soon as possible.

Cheers!

[sashababie]

Huge relief knowing that a lot of other applicants see the accept-then-withdraw as highly unprofessional, I was under the impression (from reading earlier discussions here and elsewhere) that people have done so in the past and seem to see it as a (quasi)normal part of the application process.

For my own part, I was told I am ranked at the top of the waitlist, the correspondent believes I have a good chance of getting in, and I know for sure I will receive full funding if admitted, all of which makes this more of a dilemma than if I was not likely to be admitted. The decision would've been much easier :cry:

[Tritonetelephone]

I was lucky enough to receive a waitlist letter that actually had alot of information in it. It specifically said that there was a strong chance that a later offer of admission would include full funding. If it hadn't said that, I would have assumed I won't get anything. I've been told by my professors that I still have a pretty good chance of getting in; it has a cohort of only 7 and it's not what they would consider most people's "top choice." The school won't give me any information on my chances or place on the list, but they gave me an idea of how long I'll have to wait to find out (decisions from current offerees are due April 15th). I just have to wait... and wait... :|