Waitlists

[sidiosquiere]

Do big schools like UCLA, Berkeley, NYU, and the Ivies have waitlists? For some reason my assumption is that they don't.

[borderlands]

I know Berkeley does not have waitlists.

[Rustin]

Do big schools like UCLA, Berkeley, NYU, and the Ivies have waitlists? For some reason my assumption is that they don't.

I've been waitlisted at Princeton. I heard from Harvard first though, which took out most of the normal frustration of being placed on a waitlist.

[TMP]

Yes they do. Usually for funding though.

I should also mention that some schools are good about letting applicants know upfront that they're waitlisted while others don't say anything. So wait until after March 15th to contact if you haven't heard anything.

Edited February 12, 2011 by ticklemepink

[kungfuzi]

Do big schools like UCLA, Berkeley, NYU, and the Ivies have waitlists? For some reason my assumption is that they don't.

Yep, they do. Have just been placed on Harvard's.

[Scare Quotes]

The Ivy I attend does. But I should add: they haven't taken anyone off the waitlist in a few years; they aim for a cohort smaller than the initial number of offers extended. So last year, they made [target + x] offers, and [target] accepted, so nobody came off the waitlist.

[sidiosquiere]

Thanks everyone for your answers. I'm just trying to figure out if NYU, UCLA, and Berkeley have rejected me already, since all of these schools are already notifying applicants. But I guess they would notify waitlisted applicants at the same time, right? Oh well.

The Ivy I attend does. But I should add: they haven't taken anyone off the waitlist in a few years; they aim for a cohort smaller than the initial number of offers extended. So last year, they made [target + x] offers, and [target] accepted, so nobody came off the waitlist.

[TMP]

Thanks everyone for your answers. I'm just trying to figure out if NYU, UCLA, and Berkeley have rejected me already, since all of these schools are already notifying applicants. But I guess they would notify waitlisted applicants at the same time, right? Oh well.

NYU is notorious for not doing anything for people who aren't admitted. You may have to annoy the department after the 15th of March to find out if you've been rejected or waitlisted.

[superfluousflo]

I have a waitlist question, but it doesn't have to do with which schools have them. Is anyone waiting to hear whether they are admitted off of the waitlist before making a final decision? Or are people declining the waitlist for an offer? I guess it comes down to where you are admitted and where you are waitlisted. I'm just curious.

[paint]

I know people waitlisted at Penn, Johns Hopkins, and Michigan. In each case, the departments fully fund everyone, so they're waiting for a sufficient number of people to decline spots and thus open up another for someone on the waitlist. As others have said, it's not a one-to-one correspondence to a declined offer and a space opening up. Rather, there are target numbers and if they drop below, they will offer a spot to someone else. In this sense, these waitlists are for everything: a place in the program and funding.

If you're waitlisted at your top choice program it's probably worth waiting until Apr 15 to make a decision. Programs may or may not be able to tell you where they stand -- it all depends on numbers and the way their waitlist works. That is, whether they have a number of slots per region or time period, whether it's a ranked waitlist, etc. Ask politely for info but be prepared to be told they can't tell you anything. An organized program should know by early April what the numbers look like (assuming a decent number of accepted students respond by then) and whether there's a chance they'll use the waitlist or not.

[Mulehead]

I am waitlisted for funding at one school (UIC), and I am holding off as long as possible my other funded options hoping that some people turn down UIC because of the high crime rate assoiciated with the campus, the horrible parking situation, and also that they are funded at higher-ranked schools. (UIC's buildings are falling down, have fun holding a class outside in the winter! I can take it, can you?)

[sankd]

I am waitlisted for funding at one school (UIC), and I am holding off as long as possible my other funded options hoping that some people turn down UIC because of the high crime rate assoiciated with the campus, the horrible parking situation, and also that they are funded at higher-ranked schools. (UIC's buildings are falling down, have fun holding a class outside in the winter! I can take it, can you?)

I've been to campus for a conference, it isn't so bad. Urban campuses usually aren't my cup of tea anyway, though. I've seen worse.

Who holds a history class outside anyway? Haha.

Good luck with the waitlist!

[borderlands]

I am also on the waitlist at the U of Michigan and wished that I would have gotten a simple yes/no answer. I think waitlists can be a "false hope" do not get me wrong, people have been accepted with funding off the waitlist, as seen in the results page, from past years, however most just get turned down.

I emailed U of Michigan last week to asking how the waitlist works and they still have not gotten back to me. I just feel like sending them an email to tell them i'm no longer interested.

[Kelkel]

Who holds a history class outside anyway? Haha.

We do!! Not all the time. Just when the weather is nice enough (for Louisiana). Then again I go to a SLAC where the average class size for a 300 level history class is between 15-20 (and the number who show up in much less ).

[TransnationalHistory]

I am also on the waitlist at the U of Michigan and wished that I would have gotten a simple yes/no answer. I think waitlists can be a "false hope" do not get me wrong, people have been accepted with funding off the waitlist, as seen in the results page, from past years, however most just get turned down.

I emailed U of Michigan last week to asking how the waitlist works and they still have not gotten back to me. I just feel like sending them an email to tell them i'm no longer interested.

I wouldn't give up. The open house for accepted history students is not till the 20th, so I doubt most people will be giving them an answer until the end of March at the soonest.

When I got wait listed at NYU, I asked a professor I know who works there how it worked there. He said that basically in order to take people off the wait list the department has to under-yield. So for example if they offered spots to 20 people hoping to get 10, then less than 10 people would have to accept their offer of admission. If that happens, then who they decide to take off of the list depends on which field under-yielded the most. So if no Europeanists decided to come, then that's who they'd take from the wait list first. Can't say for sure, but I imagine it's a similar situation at most schools.

Anyway, I'd give them until late March, and then maybe email a professor within your field, and ask them if they can tell you anything about how many people have already accepted their admission offer overall/for your field, and what they think your chances might be. They might not be able to tell you anything exact, but can't hurt to ask.

[paint]

I am also on the waitlist at the U of Michigan and wished that I would have gotten a simple yes/no answer. I think waitlists can be a "false hope" do not get me wrong, people have been accepted with funding off the waitlist, as seen in the results page, from past years, however most just get turned down.

I emailed U of Michigan last week to asking how the waitlist works and they still have not gotten back to me. I just feel like sending them an email to tell them i'm no longer interested.

They're probably waiting to get back to you pending more info. That is, until they hear from some accepted students, they don't really know whether or how they'll use the waitlist (for an Amiercanist v a Europeaninst v Africanist, etc). So they can say "in the past, x, y, and z happened" but that could be meaningless this particular year. If you know you won't go even if you get in, then decline. But if you would go, you may as well wait. People have gotten in off the waitlist before, but it's often close to April 15.

[medihist]

I was accepted to the SLU PhD program (medieval) but I am on the waitlist for funding. I was advised funding "is still possible but not probable." This is extremely disappointing. The program is a great fit, the professor I want to work with agrees. However, I simply cannot afford to move my family without funding nor can I add to the financial burden of my current school loans. I would like to hold out hope but at this point I am assuming I will not go in the fall and now I am trying to figure out what I am going to do since it looks like this road has come to a dead end.