Wait listing is NOT the end!

[dazedandbemused]

I'd love to hear some strategies, too. Turns out I'm also not going to be getting off of a PhD waitlist But I'm not giving up hope. This is my first app cycle and I don't even have an MA yet, so I've definitely got room to improve. The DGS at my waitlist school was really nice, but the email telling me I wasn't getting accepted was strangely clinical and impersonal, especially compared to all previous communications. I don't know how to respond with an inquiry about strengthening my app next time around. Any suggestions?

[CrunchySocks]

So, it's after April 15th and I still haven't heard a peep from Southern Illinois or Western Michigan where I was waitlisted. Should I write back or give it a few more days?

[GuateAmfeminist]

when did you last write? It is the 18th and it's only fair for them to give you an idea of when you will or won't know. Do they go by the national deadline of April 15th? If so, then they should have something to tell you. If not, it only seems courteous. That's just my 2 cents.

[Datatape]

Oh, dear God. Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in. I just got this email from the LSU DGS:

"Dear [Applicant],

There are still two spots in the PhD program that are in play. It’s hard to say if we will be able to offer you a place, but you are not very far down the list. I wish I could give more concrete information, but it’s all very much in flux right now.

Please let me know if your status changes, and please feel free to ask more questions."

ARRRRGH. I had just gotten used to the thought that I wasn't getting in anywhere.

[transcendental]

Oh, dear God. Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in. I just got this email from the LSU DGS:

"Dear [Applicant],

There are still two spots in the PhD program that are in play. It’s hard to say if we will be able to offer you a place, but you are not very far down the list. I wish I could give more concrete information, but it’s all very much in flux right now.

Please let me know if your status changes, and please feel free to ask more questions."

ARRRRGH. I had just gotten used to the thought that I wasn't getting in anywhere.

Yeah, offers definitely still go out after the deadline. Many programs are still scrambling to complete their cohorts, so don't give up! Good luck!

[Fiona Thunderpaws]

Oh, dear God. Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in. I just got this email from the LSU DGS:

"Dear [Applicant],

There are still two spots in the PhD program that are in play. It’s hard to say if we will be able to offer you a place, but you are not very far down the list. I wish I could give more concrete information, but it’s all very much in flux right now.

Please let me know if your status changes, and please feel free to ask more questions."

ARRRRGH. I had just gotten used to the thought that I wasn't getting in anywhere.

Good luck! That is awesome news. It's never over until it's over!

[Datatape]

Thanks, guys. I've been in complete shock ever since last night; I'd already started forming my plans for the fall with adjuncting and getting another round of applications together. I don't know how I moved without warning from being "somewhere in the middle" of a fifty-person wait list to "not very far down" it, but if I get in, I'm not going to be asking any questions.

[Vee]

We're pulling for you!

[lolopixie]

I haven't heard back from LSU yet. Datatape, maybe we will both be pulled off the list?????

[Datatape]

Fingers crossed. They're definitely running behind this year - I'm hoping they fact that they're so late in finalizing their cohort will work in our favor: with any luck, everybody else will have committed elsewhere.

[TripWillis]

Every time I see one of you guys post in this I think you're in! GO DT and LOLO!

[lolopixie]

LOL sorry to dissappoint!

[Fiona Thunderpaws]

I haven't heard back from LSU yet. Datatape, maybe we will both be pulled off the list?????

This would be awesome! I'm crossing everything I can cross for you guys!

[lolopixie]

It's official...everyone I know personally that applied has now been accepted...except me. I feel like the biggest loser on the face of the planet.

[GuateAmfeminist]

Don't take this process as a sign of any personal failings - to even attempt the process of grad school apps and to be waitlisted, you need to be an incredibly intelligent person. If you're still here, you must stil have a chance. We're rooting for you. I know it's hard to keep positive but don't put yourself down.

[Datatape]

Okay, now I'm officially done for the season. LSU just confirmed that they will not be able to offer me a slot. And, oddly, I think I'm okay with that. I have a much better idea of what to expect for the next go-round and can now start working on getting a list of schools together to start exploring for the 2013 application cycle. For now, though, I think I'm going to get a well-deserved night's sleep.

[TripWillis]

Took 'em long enough. You'll get 'em next year, datatape.

[Fiona Thunderpaws]

Wow, really. Better late than never when it comes to notifying people, LSU! I bet you'll be an acceptance ninja next year, DT. You'll need to hire PR reps and body guards to keep the adcomms from swarming you.

[Imogene]

That's a great mindset, Datatape, and I'm right there with you. I feel like I learned so much through this application season, and have even better ideas about not only how to navigate the application process but how to crystallize my research interests.

Even though I didn't get a golden ticket this round, the wait list decisions are reassuring that I'm not 100% crazy for trying to do this. I actually feel that it would be more crazy if I *didn't* try again next year. (And that's what friends and my LOR's are telling me, too.)

It hurts a little when I think about how long the whole process is and that it could end up being another wasted year, but then I try to focus on the positive things, like all the reading I've been cramming into this "wait" period, and all the great connections in this forum, even.

[lolopixie]

I'm out too. Got my rejection from LSU on Friday. Guess academia is not where I am supposed to be.

[TripWillis]

I'm out too. Got my rejection from LSU on Friday. Guess academia is not where I am supposed to be.

Whether you decide to hang it up or go for a third try (which I would fully support!), know that we're all bummed that you didn't make it. Take a little time to mourn so you can clear your head. You were waitlisted this year, so it's obvious your stuff has merit -- I think you could do it.

[Fiona Thunderpaws]

I (as I'm sure many others) fully agree with Trip. From what I've seen it looks like this process is half skill, half luck. You've clearly got the skills for academia, and certainly the drive. Don't let anyone or anything make you feel like you can't do what you want to do.

[TripWillis]

I (as I'm sure many others) fully agree with Trip. From what I've seen it looks like this process is half skill, half luck. You've clearly got the skills for academia, and certainly the drive. Don't let anyone or anything make you feel like you can't do what you want to do.

Well put. And if you ever want peer readers, you know where to find a very friendly crowd.

[cubiclemusic]

Bumping this thread to ask a different question: has anyone been waitlisted and rejected one year and accepted the next? I was waitlisted last season at my dream school and hope (sooooo badly) to have better luck this time around. Success stories appreciated.

[hopefulwoolfian]

Bumping this thread to ask a different question: has anyone been waitlisted and rejected one year and accepted the next? I was waitlisted last season at my dream school and hope (sooooo badly) to have better luck this time around. Success stories appreciated.

Yes, this happened to me. I was waitlisted, rejected, and then accepted the next go-around. I revamped my SoP and writing sample a ton. In my case, I found out later that the biggest reason they didn't take me was that my POI had just failed to get tenure and was in the process of leaving, so they had no one working in my specialty. By the next year they had hired a new British Modernist, so they had somewhere to put me. So keep in mind that sometimes the rejection has very little to do with your qualifications and a lot to do with departmental issues we don't see. That being said, do work on your SoP and writing sample, because being a more competitive applicant can never hurt.