0% Confidence of Acceptance

[litkid]

So I'm basically at the midway point. Applied to 8 schools and didn't get into 4. What does that make me? At the same time, I just want to know. This waiting torture is dragging now...

[DontHate]

I'm midway through my list as well. We'll see what happens. There's still two months left of this...

[bluecheese]

Yeah, it is hard to remember that it is only Feb. 13th... there is at least another month of news (at least on the standard acceptances end of things -- and stuff can drag out well beyond that too with waitlists, delayed acceptances, etc.). Ugh.

[t1racyjacks]

well, I only have one uni left -- Boston. So I'm more or less 3/4 through this shit.

 

and is this crazy but I'm beginning to feel annoyed that Berkeley isn't even bothering to give us official rejection letters.

[dazedandbemused]

well, I only have one uni left -- Boston. So I'm more or less 3/4 through this shit.

 

and is this crazy but I'm beginning to feel annoyed that Berkeley isn't even bothering to give us official rejection letters.

To be fair, they may still be planning to give you official letters, you just might not get them for awhile. Last year, I applied to about ten schools, and at least 4 of them didn't send me my rejection until a month after acceptances had gone out. My favorite one was Penn State; my rejection letter didn't even arrive until after April 15. Good times.

.

Edit: I am by no means saying that it's ok; I actually think it's really rude. Unfortunately, it happens.

Edited February 14, 2013 by dazedandbemused

[t1racyjacks]

To be fair, they may still be planning to give you official letters, you just might not get them for awhile. Last year, I applied to about ten schools, and at least 4 of them didn't send me my rejection until a month after acceptances had gone out. My favorite one was Penn State; my rejection letter didn't even arrive until after April 15. Good times.

I actually called them Mon or shit and they said that they were 'still in the process of making decisions and notifying applicants' and that they 'hoped to be done by Fri'. At least if all acceptances and waitlists have been sent out they could tell us, couldn't they

 

You mean they didn't email you the rejection letters? -- or that your rejection emails came much later?

[dazedandbemused]

I actually called them Mon or shit and they said that they were 'still in the process of making decisions and notifying applicants' and that they 'hoped to be done by Fri'. At least if all acceptances and waitlists have been sent out they could tell us, couldn't they

 

You mean they didn't email you the rejection letters? -- or that your rejection emails came much later?

 

No, a lot of schools actually send snail mail still. I guess they emailed their acceptances though, but I couldn't be certain. Also, they very rarely will tell you anything. I only got info out of a few programs last year, and most of them wouldn't give me my status. They'd only say that the first round of acceptances had already gone out.

[t1racyjacks]

No, a lot of schools actually send snail mail still. I guess they emailed their acceptances though, but I couldn't be certain. Also, they very rarely will tell you anything. I only got info out of a few programs last year, and most of them wouldn't give me my status. They'd only say that the first round of acceptances had already gone out.

that's interesting. why won't they tell us if we get rejected? it's only our right to know [we paid for the service. sorry but we did too]

[practical cat]

I'm hoping the official rejections hold off just a while longer. If I am getting an acceptance this year, I would prefer it to happen before the official rejections.

[asleepawake]

Believe it or not, the people who serve on adcoms are busy. The admissions committee is not the most important thing in their life. Once they are certain that they will not be admitting any more students and they get the paperwork in order, they will notify applicants. 

[bluecheese]

Believe it or not, the people who serve on adcoms are busy. The admissions committee is not the most important thing in their life. Once they are certain that they will not be admitting any more students and they get the paperwork in order, they will notify applicants. 

 

Truth.

[pomoisdead]

I don't know what's worse, knowing most of your responses by now or none. My wife hates it when I check the results page because she can see the agonizing frustration on my face. But hell, that's part of the reason I come on! Brandeis responded last year this week to most...odds they'll repeat? Anyone know about their funding? I honestly think I'm a good fit, especially with the high population of poets (I have an MFA and research interests) and culture specialists.

[thestage]

Believe it or not, the people who serve on adcoms are busy. The admissions committee is not the most important thing in their life. Once they are certain that they will not be admitting any more students and they get the paperwork in order, they will notify applicants. 

 

To be frank, I don't give a fuck how busy they are.  It's their job.  The admissions committee is not the most important thing in their life, but it is the most important thing currently in the lives of everyone who applied.  Professional courtesy, at least.  Just about every single one of these departments are god awful at communicating anything unless they are absolutely sure you are in and reasonably sure that you are going to accept.  There are departments I never heard back from at all last year.

[TripWillis]

To be frank, I don't give a fuck how busy they are.  It's their job.  The admissions committee is not the most important thing in their life, but it is the most important thing currently in the lives of everyone who applied.  Professional courtesy, at least.  Just about every single one of these departments are god awful at communicating anything unless they are absolutely sure you are in and reasonably sure that you are going to accept.  There are departments I never heard back from at all last year.

Having now seen what I've seen from the inside, I have a lot of sympathy for ad-comms and grad secretaries. Every time someone posts a result on here, a grad secretary gets a 100 e-mail flurry of "DID I GET REJECTED?/ACCEPTED?/WAITLISTED?" It's quite a burden.

[thestage]

Thanks for your remarks.  I think  our situations are quite different, though.  You have a top-tier education behind you; I have a shit-tier education behind me.  I feel like I'm upending the natural order of academe by applying to the places I did.  People from my university don't get into Ivy league or top-tier schools.  I can surely count on Penn being a rejection, especially with the 600+ applications received this year, so my last hope is UNC-Chapel Hill, which is a top-tier school too...

 

Check this one out: I have never been accepted by a school at any level in my life.  That includes undergrad, undergrad transfer, MA, MFA, and PhD.  I dare anyone to beat that.  If only I had ever applied to a prep school for the full sweep.

 

I got my undergrad degree from a school with "modified open enrollment."  I don't even know what that means.

Edited February 14, 2013 by thestage

[asleepawake]

To be frank, I don't give a fuck how busy they are.  It's their job.  The admissions committee is not the most important thing in their life, but it is the most important thing currently in the lives of everyone who applied.  Professional courtesy, at least.  Just about every single one of these departments are god awful at communicating anything unless they are absolutely sure you are in and reasonably sure that you are going to accept.  There are departments I never heard back from at all last year.

 

No, it's not their job. It's a single component of their job, which includes a bunch of other things that take priority over getting admissions decisions out on the applicants' schedules. It is completely normal to send graduate applicants a response on the application anytime between January and April. Professional courtesy includes courtesy from us.

[bdon19]

No, it's not their job. It's a single component of their job, which includes a bunch of other things that take priority over getting admissions decisions out on the applicants' schedules. It is completely normal to send graduate applicants a response on the application anytime between January and April. Professional courtesy includes courtesy from us.

 

Ditto.  I happened to see the grad admissions director in the student union today, meeting with undergraduate students. These are professors who are still teaching both undergrad and grad courses, getting their students through major/minor exams, mentoring students, planning the visitation weekend for students who do get accepted, and doing a whole bunch of other things.. I don't envy them, as I can barely get my work done as is!

[asleepawake]

Yup, definitely! That doesn't make it any easier for us still waiting, but it's understandable.

Edited February 14, 2013 by asleepawake

[DontHate]

Stop kissing their boots, Asleepawake

[asleepawake]

This isn't that different from being in a restaurant and thinking your server only has one table and you're sitting at it.

[DontHate]

But if your waiter gives you shitty service, you're allowed to leave a shitty tip.

[t1racyjacks]

no, I understand if emails etc take time to compose and all. but if we call the department, I don't see why they can't just tell us eg 'all acceptances and waitlists have been sent out' -- I know the red tape is horrid, but that piece of info if given would help us so much -- I don't mind getting news later in writing -- but if we call they can tell us informally?

[Porridge]

that's interesting. why won't they tell us if we get rejected? it's only our right to know [we paid for the service. sorry but we did too]

 

You didn't pay for a service. You paid for the privilege of having someone read your file and make a decision about your potential for grad school. When and how they release that decision isn't up to you because you are not a customer.

 

Edited: I'm screwing up my grammar because I'm tired.

Edited February 14, 2013 by Porridge

[The Whistler]

I was kind of whining about this on some other thread yesterday, not really because I think that the departments are not doing their job, but because I'm really nervous, and tired of being stressed.

 

I actually asked one of my POIs if it would be OK to e-mail the department and ask about my status. He was kind enough to say I shouldn't do it, because these six or so people in the committee are overwhelmed with a huge amount of applications, and might see the e-mail as asking for special favors. And I understand where he's coming from, I mean, if there are 600 applications, why would I be so special and know right now, if other 599 people can wait?

 

I understand people who are angry about not knowing, since I am one of them, but I can't really blame the departments. It's just that this applying business is a huge mess of stress and anxiousness, probably on both sides.

[hidalgo]

are you for sure that Penn had 600 application? This is like the lottery now. Not even the most well-intentioned adcom can properly review 600 applications of this kind.