SUNY Albany

[Timshel]

Okay, I emailed anyway. I need to have some closure on this whole process so I can move on with my life!

[Timshel]

I got a response back. I'm wait listed. There were 140 applicants and they only had 8 spots. I was sent a copy of the letter that I am assuming they mailed to me that was dated the 14th.

[cread]

Thanks for the update, and congratulations on the waitlist!

I'm going to wait a little longer before contacting the department. I know that the DGS for my husband's department has called over to English to see where they're at (he hasn't reported back anything), and I don't want to come across as a pest. Hopefully I'll hear something soon.

Isn't it odd that we haven't seen any acceptances posted yet? If they have a waitlist, they must know who they're accepting, right? Not that I've checked obsessively or anything, but decisions seemed to be tightly clustered last year, and they're spreading them out more this round.

[Timshel]

Thanks for the update, and congratulations on the waitlist!

I'm going to wait a little longer before contacting the department. I know that the DGS for my husband's department has called over to English to see where they're at (he hasn't reported back anything), and I don't want to come across as a pest. Hopefully I'll hear something soon.

Isn't it odd that we haven't seen any acceptances posted yet? If they have a waitlist, they must know who they're accepting, right? Not that I've checked obsessively or anything, but decisions seemed to be tightly clustered last year, and they're spreading them out more this round.

The response I got was an empty email that had a letter attached to it. I am assuming it is the letter that was mailed to me. It was dated the 14th, so you should be getting your response soon. The letter did say, however, that the 8 offers had already been made. I don't know if they were made at the same time via mail or not, but that's what the letter said.

[identitychallenged]

I just got the same empty e-mail with a waitlist letter attached this morning, and I hadn't inquired about my status. I'm beginning to wonder if they actually mailed the letter.

[menard]

After reading Timshel's post, I emailed the department, and they let me know that I was waitlisted. However, I didn't receive an attached waitlist letter, and I'm wondering what that might mean. The reply I received said: "Dear Menard, Thanks for your note. At the moment, you sit on a waiting list. We have sent out a first round of admission letters and assistantship offers. As people accept or decline those offers, we make our way through the wait list, trying to fill out a class of incoming students. Your work was highly regarded by our committee in a deep applicant pool of over 140 files. I hope that you'll be patient with us as we work through the process." Is this the same as or similar to anyone's waitlist letter?

[Timshel]

After reading Timshel's post, I emailed the department, and they let me know that I was waitlisted. However, I didn't receive an attached waitlist letter, and I'm wondering what that might mean. The reply I received said: "Dear Menard, Thanks for your note. At the moment, you sit on a waiting list. We have sent out a first round of admission letters and assistantship offers. As people accept or decline those offers, we make our way through the wait list, trying to fill out a class of incoming students. Your work was highly regarded by our committee in a deep applicant pool of over 140 files. I hope that you'll be patient with us as we work through the process." Is this the same as or similar to anyone's waitlist letter?

That is basically the gist of what was in my letter. My letter was just a bit longer and more specific, but it basically stated the same information.

[menard]

That is basically the gist of what was in my letter. My letter was just a bit longer and more specific, but it basically stated the same information.

Great, thank you for replying and letting me know.

[identitychallenged]

After reading Timshel's post, I emailed the department, and they let me know that I was waitlisted. However, I didn't receive an attached waitlist letter, and I'm wondering what that might mean. The reply I received said: "Dear Menard, Thanks for your note. At the moment, you sit on a waiting list. We have sent out a first round of admission letters and assistantship offers. As people accept or decline those offers, we make our way through the wait list, trying to fill out a class of incoming students. Your work was highly regarded by our committee in a deep applicant pool of over 140 files. I hope that you'll be patient with us as we work through the process." Is this the same as or similar to anyone's waitlist letter?

Yeah, that's an abbreviated version of my letter. How odd. I wonder why they're notifying us differently?

[j17564]

This may seem like an odd question, and also bizarrely late in terms of this application season, but I'm curious to hear the inspirations for applying to Albany. They've definitely got strongholds in particular areas, but I also wonder what the impression of the program is around your current programs. In my program, I heard very little of Albany but came across names from the department on my own. Is this the same for everyone else? What do you hear about the program and the faculty when you hear about them? Is my Southern school particularly out of the loop?

Feel free to ignore this, also.

[Timshel]

To be honest, I learned about them through my own research of programs. I went to a state school for my Masters, so the only schools I had really heard of were the really big names and the schools my professors went to. So, when I decided to apply, I went through and looked at each school from the top 100 on USNWR and picked the ones that aligned the most with my area of interest.

[j17564]

Thanks, Timshel. Good luck on the rest of your season!

[cread]

Anybody hear anything new?

I emailed to inquire about my status on the waitlist earlier this week because DH and I have programs that want us to give them an answer, and I didn't receive so much as a "nope, no news" response. Did anybody else have some luck? April 15th is really coming up quickly.

[menard]

I haven't heard any news from them either, but I haven't contacted them since finding out I was on the waitlist. I'd really prefer Albany over my alternative, and I'm hoping for this next/last week to bring some good news.

[Timshel]

I haven't heard anything since I found out I was on the wait list, but I haven't inquired, either.

[cread]

I received this reply last night:

I wish that I had better news for you. I'm afraid that while still possible, it is increasingly unlikely that we'll be able to make you a funded offer. The committee rated your application highly, but there are several students still in front of you on our list in a quickly dwindling number of assistantship slots.

It is still possible that a spot will open, but I fear it may be after the 4/15 deadline, by which time you will likely have needed to respond to your other offer.

My husband and I are going to hold out as long as we can, but it doesn't look good.

[TripWillis]

Ugh, sorry! That sucks. On the bright side, at least they sent you something at all... I really would like to just hear something either way.

Good luck to you!

[cread]

Thanks, Trip. This is insane.

[Timshel]

Thanks, Trip. This is insane.

Sorry to hear that, cread. However, I would like to ask what you wrote in your inquiry. I want to send an email to another school I am wait listed at, but I'm not really sure how to word the email.

[cread]

Here's my email:

Dear Dr. Benjamin,

I was wondering if you had any update regarding my status on the waiting list for the University at Albany doctoral program in English. I realize that it hasn't been long since you originally notified me, but I have been offered a generous assistantship on another campus, and they need my response by April 15th.

Additionally, my husband has been accepted to an M.F.A. program at the University at Albany. His program is also hoping that he will be able to give him a response shortly, and the fact that both of us have been accepted to graduate programs on the same campus, among many other reasons of course, makes the University at Albany our top choice.

Any information that you can share with me will be greatly appreciated.

Best,

cread

Hope it's helpful!

[Timshel]

Thanks, but I actually just went ahead and accepted the offer I already have. Good luck to everyone who is still waiting to hear something!

[Phan]

I heard back today (finally). I was rejected from the PhD program, but I was accepted into the MA program. I'm seriously leaning towards entering the MA program, but I'm wondering if it's worth it. SUNY Albany is relatively inexpensive compared to other schools. I'll also have a MS in Secondary Education in August, but my ultimate goal is to become a professor at either a community college or a four year college so I'm thinking the MA would help me the next time I apply for a PhD. Plus, I really love the subject matter!

Any thoughts or experiences from other grad students?