Should I call the secretary for an update on my PhD application?

[electric_ninja]

Hello all,
I’m in a bit of a dilemma and would really appreciate some advice.

In mid-February, I had a PhD interview with a very well-known lab in Europe. Over the following weeks, I had four interviews with different members of the team — they all went quite well, and I got positive feedback throughout. The last interview was in mid-March, and I had mentioned that I’d be available to start as early as May.

Since then, things have gone quiet. I followed up a week after the last interview but didn’t get a reply. Then, in late March, one of the postdocs emailed me saying the institute is currently extremely busy, and that they’ll coordinate for the final decision soon.

I sent another polite follow-up in early April, and the postdoc replied again saying that he’s only heard positive things about my case, but that I should follow up directly with the professor. I did that… and it’s been a week with no response again.

I’m now considering calling the secretary next week. It’s been nearly a month since the last interview, and I don’t even know if it’s an acceptance or rejection. I also need to start planning my next steps.

A friend of mine mentioned the institute has a big deadline next week, so that might be contributing to the delay. Still, I don’t know if I’m being too pushy or if calling is reasonable at this point.

Would love to hear your thoughts — has anyone been in a similar situation? Is calling the secretary too much, or just a practical step?