Getting off the Waitlist

[somerset]

@helpful fool- well the email did not say dont contact them-it said that they will get back to me in early april and thats a long time away esp since i have an offer in hand...so i decided to ask something but me think maybe your partly right since i have no response after 3 days now! this sucks! this thread has a lot of hopeful stories....cant help feeling though that i am not going to be one of them!

[Guest hopefulfool]

@helpful fool- well the email did not say dont contact them-it said that they will get back to me in early april and thats a long time away esp since i have an offer in hand...so i decided to ask something but me think maybe your partly right since i have no response after 3 days now! this sucks! this thread has a lot of hopeful stories....cant help feeling though that i am not going to be one of them!

As long as it didn't say "don't contact unless" then I think you are fine. I am sure they read your email, but not all directors respond to emails. I've had advisors in the past that didn't respond to my emails until 2-3 weeks later and I am sure anyone involved in admissions is super busy right now and unfortunately someone on the waitlist is not their top priority (myself included). I hope they reply to you soon!

[vision15]

I have two funded offers right now and have been waitlisted by multiple schools. My big dilemma is, if I accept any one of the offer now and get an admit off the waitlist at one of my top programs post April 15th, can I decline the offer I accepted before and accept the new offer?

 

Any idea?

[somerset]

according to this resolution you have to ask for a release from the place you accepted if you want to withdraw after april 15...to let you know im swimming in the same thing..i have accepted the offer from the other school since they pestered the hell out of me...and more important also increased my money a little....so if my waitlist school tells me later i dont know what will happen!

[Guest HEPhD13]

Womp Womp  ... I was rejected from 1 out of 3 wait listed schools-- heres to one of the other 2 accepting me off the waitlist! 

 

Good luck to everyone!

[somerset]

oh that sucks! Sorry! Two are still left! dont give up....yet.....im waiting too....i read the email the dgs sent me about my waitlist chances (which she left completely vague) over and over again....i m hoping im not only stupid person left

[candycrava]

This is the email I received notifying me I was waitlisted to my top school:

 

Thanks so much for taking the time to interview with our program. We were very impressed with your credentials and background. Unfortunately, we had such a large number of highly qualified applicants that we had to make very difficult decisions. We have placed you on our waiting list for admission. In most years, we are able to offer most students on the waiting list admission, as not all students who are offered admission initially accept. I will be in touch as soon as possible to provide an update. Please let me know if you accept an offer elsewhere so we can give guidance to others who are waiting for admission.

 

Uggggh.  The waiting is killing me.  I followed up with a nice "yes please keep me on the waitlist, I will accept if admitted" email.  I hope I find out sooner rather than later if I'm in or not.  And I hope I'm in!!!

[SilasWegg]

Will they always tell you if you are on the wait list? I applied to schools with a December 15th deadline and I haven't hear ANYTHING from 2 programs. Is that an implied rejection or an unsaid waitlisting or what?

[sweetpearl16]

They don't always tell you that you are on the waitlist. Sometimes they just leave you hanging for months. The program I am currently getting my MA from has a waiting list of about 10 people. No one on that list has been informed that he/she has been waitlisted.

[Guest HEPhD13]

Ugh... I spoke to the grad director at my top choice about the wait list and she said that I was #1 on the list but they had to wait until after mid-march to let me know anything. That is when they've asked people to respond about admittance offers.

 

They only accepted 5 people so we'll see if any of those turn down the offer...

[tarrman]

Mid-March is only two days away! Remember the adage: Great things come to those who wait.

[somerset]

Even I have been told that mid march is when there MIGHT be some news! This wait is killing...I for one cant decide if I should send the DGS an email updating her with the work I have been doing since my applications were over....I dont know if it is too much but keeps bothering me since on this thread and others people have suggested sending LORs and letter of intent...cant decide whats the fine line between being pushy and not trying hard enough

[Guest HEPhD13]

Even I have been told that mid march is when there MIGHT be some news! This wait is killing...I for one cant decide if I should send the DGS an email updating her with the work I have been doing since my applications were over....I dont know if it is too much but keeps bothering me since on this thread and others people have suggested sending LORs and letter of intent...cant decide whats the fine line between being pushy and not trying hard enough

What kind of communication have you had so far?

[somerset]

This is what the DGS wrote:

"Yes, we receive so many applications for such a few spots - we much

appreciate your continued interest in ****. It is always difficult to

determine when and how many will be drawn from the waiting list (which

consists of 4 applicants). As you know, candidates have until April 15 to

respond to their choices - and there is much flux. I believe I will have

a better idea late next week of what the likelihood is. We appreciate

your patience. I will email again at that time - feel free to contact me

as well."

They had 5 spots! And I really really want to get in!

[somerset]

What bothers me also is that its super vague-she does not even sound like they are interested in moving me!

[aucinema]

What bothers me also is that its super vague-she does not even sound like they are interested in moving me!

 

Somerset, I disagree that she sounds uninterested in moving you, I think she is just being honest about the situation. Her e-mail was vague because it has to be - they currently have no idea how many of the 5 students will accept their offer. I'm sure they would be happy to have you in their program, but right now their priority lies with their first-round choices and waiting for their decision. I know it's unpleasant to hear that it's all up in the air, but it would be even worse if she were to give you false hope. 

 

Anyway, try not to take things personally. The decision is really out of their hands for now.

[cicada]

I just got off the wait list yesterday at Duke... I wasn't expecting it to happen, let alone that "early", but I hope that'll give you hope, guys I don't really know why but it really upset me, I felt shell shocked for the whole day yesterday and today again, even though I feel better now... obviously it's great to have to make a choice, and it doesn't seem like a hard one to make, but I guess I'm one of those creatures of habit. I pretty much had my mind set on another school for several weeks and wasn't really imagining any other scenario, so now I need some time to process the change 

[toby42]

Mid-March is only two days away! Remember the adage: Great things come to those who wait.

 

Mid-March is only two days away! Remember the adage: Beware the Ides of March.  

 

[Isi]

I am waitlisted at one of my fav. choices (MIT)..all other applications were rejected. The program is rather small (5-8 students) and I have no clue about my position on the wait list and how many applicants are on the waitlist.

This waiting freaks me out, since I am afraid that it won't work out..and then I cannot go to the US for my PhD :-(

[eponine997]

As of today, it looks like I'm down to that single waitlist option... rejected at all others.  

Though this thread has me seriously regretting not responding right away to the waitlist notification to express interest.  I worried too much about annoying the DGS when he said he wouldn't have news until mid April - now I'm worried it might have hurt my chances.  

Waiting is killing me.  

[cicada]

Maybe you guys could send the DGS an email, I don't think they would see it as annoying since it would be the first time you'd email them. I did express ongoing interest right away when I received the waitlist notification, but I don't know if that played any role in my getting off the waitlist... The funny thing yesterday was that I hadn't emailed the DGS since that one message back in early February, and as time was passing by, I thought I should ask some more details on the wait list, so I renewed my interest in the program and asked if she could tell me how many offers of admission had been made this year and whether they had started admitting students from the wait list. I also asked if the wait list was ranked, and if so, what was mine. She replied right away saying that she would have very good news for me soon, but to be honest I wasn't expecting the offer letter to be in my mailbox 2 hours later... What a coincidence that I emailed her on the very same day she was working on my offer of admission, I don't think that my emailing her about the wait list had anything to do with it, but it's still a funny coincidence.

 

Anyway, I think that showing your interest in the process can't be bad for you as long as you're not harassing the DGS or the department coordinator 

[Guest HEPhD13]

This is what the DGS wrote:

"Yes, we receive so many applications for such a few spots - we much

appreciate your continued interest in ****. It is always difficult to

determine when and how many will be drawn from the waiting list (which

consists of 4 applicants). As you know, candidates have until April 15 to

respond to their choices - and there is much flux. I believe I will have

a better idea late next week of what the likelihood is. We appreciate

your patience. I will email again at that time - feel free to contact me

as well."

They had 5 spots! And I really really want to get in!

 

If it were me, I would just send a quick email letting the DGS know that if you are offered a spot, you would enthusiastically accept. I follow the adage that a quick, non-intrusive email will only help your chances and not bother.

 

I just got off the wait list yesterday at Duke... I wasn't expecting it to happen, let alone that "early", but I hope that'll give you hope, guys I don't really know why but it really upset me, I felt shell shocked for the whole day yesterday and today again, even though I feel better now... obviously it's great to have to make a choice, and it doesn't seem like a hard one to make, but I guess I'm one of those creatures of habit. I pretty much had my mind set on another school for several weeks and wasn't really imagining any other scenario, so now I need some time to process the change 

 

Congratulations!! Way to give us all hope. Take the time you need to decide-- just remember that once you make your decision to let the other programs know! There are probably people on waitlists at your accepted schools.

 

Mid-March is only two days away! Remember the adage: Beware the Ides of March.  

 

 

Ugh-- reread the emails and it says mid to late march!! Why so vague and yet specific at the same time?!? Haha. Another school I was waitlisted at told me that they will not pressure current admits until after April 15th-- I feel like that is SUPER late but I'm in it for the long haul!

 

I am waitlisted at one of my fav. choices (MIT)..all other applications were rejected. The program is rather small (5-8 students) and I have no clue about my position on the wait list and how many applicants are on the waitlist.

This waiting freaks me out, since I am afraid that it won't work out..and then I cannot go to the US for my PhD :-(

 

If you are certain you would like to go to that school, write to whoever let you know about your waitlist status and tell them that if accepted, you would attend. They don't want to risk a spot on someone not interested in making a commitment.

 

As of today, it looks like I'm down to that single waitlist option... rejected at all others.  

Though this thread has me seriously regretting not responding right away to the waitlist notification to express interest.  I worried too much about annoying the DGS when he said he wouldn't have news until mid April - now I'm worried it might have hurt my chances.  

Waiting is killing me.  

 

It is never too late to express interest!!! Good luck.

[Isi]

 

If you are certain you would like to go to that school, write to whoever let you know about your waitlist status and tell them that if accepted, you would attend. They don't want to risk a spot on someone not interested in making a commitment.

 

Thanks for the advice. I already did that, they were explicitly asking for feedback. He was telling me that it is hard to predict admission from wait list due to the small size of the program..

[somerset]

We all seem to be in it for the long haul! Like someone said earlier I guess all of us waitlisters need to stick together

[Guest HEPhD13]

We all seem to be in it for the long haul! Like someone said earlier I guess all of us waitlisters need to stick together

 

Should we get bracelets or jackets made? I feel like I need to get something-- well maybe something I can burn/toss if I end up being rejected everywhere! lol