Emailing schools about decision

[waiting123]

I've been accepted to a school I really like, but I'm still waiting to hear back from 4 more schools. If I get accepted I want to go out and visit so I can be sure I'm making the right decision. As the days go by I find myself worrying that even if I do get accepted I won't be able to go see the schools. Is it appropriate to email asking when a decision will be made? What should I say in the email?

[S101]

I have been thinking about this, but feel unsure. I'm waiting to hear from my top choice and would not want to affect decision negatively by being too hasty. At the same time I have been wondering whether I could affect decision positively by showing keen interest towards their program. What do you others think? Could emailing affect decision somehow and which direction?

[Red Bull]

Even if you do email the school they will probably not have the information. DO NOT EMAIL THE SCHOOL. Sit tight and have patience. When you receive notification (along with everyone else, mind you) it will be the earliest possible. Don't bug the people in the department. Have you ever heard of someone calling and receiving an admissions decision earlier than anyone else? NO, because it doesn't happen. Take a xanax and wait for it. It will come!

[meche]

I applied to different grad programs and needed to pick an internship based on what grad school I was going to go to, but the internship deadlines came before the grad decisions. I e-mailed around quite a bit. all the professors will blow you off, and all the administrative people will send you a nice e-mail blowing you off. However, the profs just don't care and the administration has no weight in whether or not you're accepted, so it really makes no difference. Right now I'm at 50/50 accepted/rejected from the schools I contacted.

[BioMar]

I have been accepeted to my second choice and need to let them know by March 17.

So I e-mailed and called the assistant admmisions officer today explaining the situation.

This person knows who I am because I called and e-mailed on two other timely occations

since Nov. They said they will now send the decision letter today.

I am keeping my fingers crossed but I like my n,ber 2 as well. FATE

[BrandNewName]

Even if you do email the school they will probably not have the information. DO NOT EMAIL THE SCHOOL. Sit tight and have patience. When you receive notification (along with everyone else, mind you) it will be the earliest possible. Don't bug the people in the department. Have you ever heard of someone calling and receiving an admissions decision earlier than anyone else? NO, because it doesn't happen. Take a xanax and wait for it. It will come!

Your advice is just plain wrong, not to mention snide - these are major life decisions involving relocations to the other side of the world for many people, you go take a Xanax if you can't understand people needing answers to sort out financial, housing, or alternative offer options.

If there are situations, especially where travel costs are involved (or where travel may be impossible without a speedy answer), call your schools and explain the situation to them. I did it with two programs in particular. One administrator told me that decisions would be out in at least two weeks. No luck. The other administrator gave me my admissions decision over the phone. Bingo!

There's also another program where I was informed by the DGS that decisions had been made, but that university policy forbade the adcom from unofficially telling students about decisions before they had been approved. I waited and waited (over two weeks) as others around me heard. Finally, I got in touch, turns out that a decision had been reached, but that my file had not been 'released' to graduate admissions for processing. It was sitting in no man's land.

As long as you know how to be polite, then by all means contact your programs if you want to. Don't listen to someone's broad statements about what you DEFINITELY should or should not do. If graduate school applications are nothing else, they are a business -- you paid and you have a right to know what is happening with your application.

One final tip, if you're going to call, I also suggest saying something about how you anticipate that the answer may be negative, but at this point you just really need an answer in order to make A, B, or C happen. This was my strategy and, I think anyway, people were more willing to give negative news over the phone if they felt certain I wasn't going to go ballistic or start sobbing on the other end.

Edited March 12, 2011 by outofredink

[waiting123]

I was waiting on 4 schools and decided to email 2 of them. I found out that I had been waitlisted at one, but that everybody had accepted the offer so that turned into a rejection. The other school sent out letters through the post this week so I should know shortly. And after some more detective work I found out that one of the other schools I'm waiting on is second to my acceptance and I will be withdrawing my application.

Point is, I would have had no idea that I had been waitlisted and ultimately rejected had I not made contact with the school.

On another note, it's also just courteous to tell schools of your choice early. It makes it easier on everybody that has been waitlisted.

[GNC]

I made contact with the POI at a school I applied to, and he was very friendly and told me I had been wait listed.

If you are really interested in the program I see no reason not to shoot your POI a brief email.