What is the meaning of silence?

[crystalleem]

Hoping for some advice/feedback especially from people who have been hanging around these forums longer than I have. I applied to 16 programs and have been rejected by 7 and accepted to 1 (with a waitlist for funding, so for now that feels like a rejection, as well).

I'm waiting to hear from 8 schools, but here is my issue. I have seen both acceptances and waitlists posted to 5 of those schools: Rochester, Purdue, FSU, South Carolina, Fordham. I have heard absolutely nothing from any of them. No emails, no letters in the mail, and no updates on the status checks on their websites.

What does this mean? Are these, typically, implicit rejections? Should I be contacting the DGS at these programs? Why don't these programs just let you know that you are rejected at the same time acceptances are notified?

Any feedback/insight will be much appreciated!

[Stately Plump]

The schools I haven't heard from that have sent out acceptances or wait-list emails I've considered rejections. That isn't necessarily the case; technically, if you haven't heard yet, all it means is that you haven't heard yet. Until you hear something for sure, you really can't make any assumptions.

I haven't contacted the DGS from any of the programs I'm "waiting" on. If you really need to know, perhaps you can get in touch. Otherwise, I would just let it play out.

I know that Columbia accepted a bunch of people, then rejected a bunch others, and I didn't hear anything. About a week later, I got the rejection (this happened to a lot of people, for some reason). It's really tough to say why they don't notify everyone at the same time. I suppose we should get used to the system not working smoothy, if we are planning a career in academia .

Good luck with the rest of your schools!

[ComeBackZinc]

I didn't hear from several of the schools that accepted me until mid-March. With Purdue specifically, I know that the many different concentrations within the department notify at different times. It's just too soon to tell. You can only wait. (And I know that's frustrating.)

[rainy_day]

This has been my experience. YMMV.

The schools that accepted & waitlisted people, eventually, rejected me.

The majority of the schools that accepted people, eventually, rejected me.

2 schools that accepted me also placed me on the waitlist. One school did this very soon after accepting other students, while another took a few weeks. I had assumed the latter was a rejection, and was pleasantly surprised about the waitlist. I also made the mistake of thinking maybe I had a (very small) shot at Columbia's waitlist because they had accepted and rejected people, which only made the (inevitable) rejection that much sadder to read.

I honestly think the best tactic is to assume rejection, and try your best to ignore that hopeful voice in the back of your head.

[lolopixie]

To my hopeful voice in the back of my head,

shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up

Sincerely,

Lolo

[crystalleem]

To my hopeful voice in the back of my head,

shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up

My sentiments exactly! I emailed one of my professors to ask for advice, and one of the things she said was, "It’s really not over until it’s over, because right now, there will be many who decide not to accept offers, and at the schools from which you’ve not heard, their “no” might be your “yes.”" God, I hope she's right, but I don't want to hope anymore. I just want to know so that I can move on to whatever the next step is.