Waitlisters: How often should you contact DGS for an update on movement and your status?

[everygirl]

I was waitlisted at my top choice, and the list is ranked. When I was notified, I replied with the usual letter of continued interest ("I'll go if you offer admission!") and he was pretty nice in his response back. I have an okay chance of admission.

Now, I want to email him periodically to ask for updates on movement, but I don't know how often I can do this without being a pest. He had said accepted students have two weeks to respond with a non-refundable deposit, and the two week deadline is generally calculated from the date the offer letter is sent out.

It's been two weeks since my notification, so I assume that the offer letters went out on the same day or around it. Should I email again? And can I email again in two weeks, if offer letters go out to people ahead of me on the waitlist? They have to respond, right? I don't want to be a pest, but I want to lie in railroad tracks here. I'm anticipating a summer of waiting, honestly. An polite email every two weeks all summer will get super annoying, don't you think? But I need that info!

Advice is always appreciated.

[NadaJ]

I wish I could offer some helpful advice. I was wait listed in late February for the one PhD program I applied to. Both the current and past DGS in the dept I work in (different field than what I am studying) suggested I send one follow-up email saying that I'm interested in remaining on the wait list, and I look forward to receiving their decision regarding my application in April. I used up this "one pass" last week, and here I am, a week later still waiting. I think at this point, we just have to wait. If you have top wait through the summer, maybe once a month?

In any case, good luck! I hope your waiting is too much longer.

[TMP]

You can't really do anything about a ranked list. If you've already told him your interest in staying on the list and said that the school is your top choice (well I hope you did), they WILL get back to you. Things don't really happen until April 14/15 when people accept/decline offers and the DGSs are busy trying to keep track of all the offers and see how far the list can go. You made it this far, you can wait another week! I'm also in the same position... *sigh* But I'm moving on with my life because... that's just one aspect of my life that I actually do have control over.

[everygirl]

You can't really do anything about a ranked list. If you've already told him your interest in staying on the list and said that the school is your top choice (well I hope you did), they WILL get back to you. Things don't really happen until April 14/15 when people accept/decline offers and the DGSs are busy trying to keep track of all the offers and see how far the list can go. You made it this far, you can wait another week! I'm also in the same position... *sigh* But I'm moving on with my life because... that's just one aspect of my life that I actually do have control over.

Unfortunately, the April 15th deadline doesn't apply in Canada; it's a US 'law'. So I was using the two weeks from my notification idea (assuming that the acceptances went out on the same day) as a defacto April 15th deadline. But you're right -- I should wait a few days after the deadline to start asking, so the adcomm has some time to process all the declinations (let's hope that there are a lot). I'm going to give it a week. I may need that time to craft an email that isn't so desperate.

Good luck with your waitlist! Let's hope that everyone else thinks our schools are crap. This is how I always get the ice-cream I want. No one else likes vanilla so there's more for me.

[thesnout]

I would definitely say wait another week. Even though the Canadian schools don't participate in the April 15th deadline, they might wait until then anyway. Do you know where on the list you are? Just one more week then email or call.

[everygirl]

I would definitely say wait another week. Even though the Canadian schools don't participate in the April 15th deadline, they might wait until then anyway. Do you know where on the list you are? Just one more week then email or call.

I... can't... wait.... that .... long.

I know where I am on the list, and even if it doesn't sound good the Director says its OK. Should I wait until the 15th, or a week after the 15th!

Either way, I can't wait that long! I need someone to sit on my hands until I am sane again.

[NadaJ]

Wait until the 15th. You're almost there.

[thelost]

So what if I haven't emailed the school at all yet? I haven't heard anything from two schools. I strongly suspect I'm wait listed. Should I just continue to tough it out until next week? I worry I may have missed a postal letter (although I'm 99% sure I haven't).

[everygirl]

So what if I haven't emailed the school at all yet? I haven't heard anything from two schools. I strongly suspect I'm wait listed. Should I just continue to tough it out until next week? I worry I may have missed a postal letter (although I'm 99% sure I haven't).

Hmm. I'd call/email the schools. What if you did miss the letter? Stranger things have happened. I think it's best to confirm everything. Luck!

[thesnout]

So what if I haven't emailed the school at all yet? I haven't heard anything from two schools. I strongly suspect I'm wait listed. Should I just continue to tough it out until next week? I worry I may have missed a postal letter (although I'm 99% sure I haven't).

If you haven't emailed them yet I would say go ahead and email them. I called and sent an email. Then you'll know what's going on.