how many times have you emailed your programs asking about your status?

[We regret to inform you]

... and has anybody gotten positive results after multiple emails?

I emailed one of my programs a few weeks ago and i got a response saying i should hear something by the end of last week and that the holdup was the department still didn't know what its funding situation was at the moment. I'm tempted to email again, but i don't want to come off as annoying.

[abc123xtc]

Nada, but I've made one fruitless phone call.

[MarketingPhD2012]

I'm scared to email them! I am afraid of what they may say!

[We regret to inform you]

I broke down and called. Then the secretary just told me to email the head of the dept. So I did.

Now I wait.

[DeeLovely79]

It's not about how many times you contact them but how far apart your contacts are spaced. My applications were submitted in November so the fact that everything was in so early already gave me a reason to contact programs for an update. When I was contacted for interviews or accepted by other programs I e-mailed other programs for updates. I've been e-mailing programs about once a month since January. On average, I've contacted the programs that I hadn't sent me results once or twice.

[rowlf]

The wait. The worst thing about emailing them. It turns the rate of checking emails from the usually rate of 1/10min to 1/1min.

I have called one program 4 times. Now that it is crystal clear that I am rejected, I want to call them more to give them an incentive not just to ignore the rejects, (The sooner they tell us, the sooner we stop harassing them.) but haven't received any notification from anywhere yet. Since I don't want the first notification to be a rejection from a school I already knew I was rejected from, I'll sit tight for the time being.

[SunnyWade]

I'm scared to email them! I am afraid of what they may say!

This. So I just sit and hope I hear something. Not sure when I'm going to just email or call.

[DoggieMom]

Never. If there is good news, you would have heard, if not, you will find out soon enough.

[aberrant]

once or twice depend on when did they respond.

[MarketingPhD2012]

Well, I broke down and emailed LSU today. Haven't heard anything. Here comes another weekend that I won't be able to enjoy!

[coonskee]

I emailed the grad secretary once - and that was because I'd seen two rejections for the program go up here. She told me the posters were full of sheet, and to email her if I hadn't heard anything by the next Monday. I got an unofficial acceptance two days later from my POI/three days later from teh dept

[Ameonna]

For me, it was for closure. I knew interview invites had gone out for this particular school (from a reliable source,) and I just wanted to rule out the possibility that I had been waitlisted before I made any final choices, as this was the only school that hadn't given me a decision. Fortunately, the person I e-mailed was prompt to tell me that I had indeed been rejected. Can't win 'em all!

[stephanie.ms.antunes]

I've debated calling the school asking about the admissions. However, I'm not really sure if it would be beneficial. On one hand, they could see it as me being very interested in their program. On the other hand, I feel like it might just annoy them. I'm not really sure what to do. Thoughts??

[shaxmaty1848]

How long is usually appropriate to wait before calling or contacting someone? (All other factors aside, such as knowing that interviews went out.)

[MissH]

... and has anybody gotten positive results after multiple emails?

I emailed one of my programs a few weeks ago and i got a response saying i should hear something by the end of last week and that the holdup was the department still didn't know what its funding situation was at the moment. I'm tempted to email again, but i don't want to come off as annoying.

One program I e-mailed, and was told they were running late.

Another I e-mailed and I was told to try next week. I tried next week, and was told they were still out.

[laviola]

0 times but ... if by mid March I haven't heard anything, I might.

[Frostfire]

Emailed four programs over the weekend. Nobody has replied to my emails yet, but I notice that one of the schools suddenly has their rejections showing up on the status check site. Coincidence? Maybe, but I DO find it more than a bit ironic.

[MarketingPhD2012]

Received an email from LSU today. I assume I have been wait listed. The email read...

"The faculty have extended interviews to a select group of candidates, and your name is on the alternate list. I will contact you if the faculty want to bring in additional candidates. Thank you for your inquiry and for considering our PhD program in Marketing at LSU."

Not really great news, but at least I wasn't flat out rejected. Here's to some spots opening up in the very near future!

[SunnyWade]

I finally emailed the Dept chair at Ithaca- (had visited in beginning of Feb and was told to expect a decision in a few days) and received this today:

Good morning April--

Your application currently is in a group we have marked for further consideration. It's a little like purgatory, you're not in but your not out either. Essentially, we have reviewed your file but no decision has been made yet. I will stay in touch with you. Feel free to get back to me if you have questions.

First of all, I'm happy about this. This was a school I wasn't sure I'd be considered for since they didn't require a SOP, and basically went off of my numbers (not great). I have very strong LORs so I know I have that going for me, and I visited the program and met with him so that he would get to know/see me and learn about my intentions and goals.

Second of all, how should I reply to the email? I want to put myself in a good light and make him want me in his program. Is there anything I can say at this point to help?

Thanks

[shaxmaty1848]

I finally emailed the Dept chair at Ithaca- (had visited in beginning of Feb and was told to expect a decision in a few days) and received this today:

Good morning April--

Your application currently is in a group we have marked for further consideration. It's a little like purgatory, you're not in but your not out either. Essentially, we have reviewed your file but no decision has been made yet. I will stay in touch with you. Feel free to get back to me if you have questions.

First of all, I'm happy about this. This was a school I wasn't sure I'd be considered for since they didn't require a SOP, and basically went off of my numbers (not great). I have very strong LORs so I know I have that going for me, and I visited the program and met with him so that he would get to know/see me and learn about my intentions and goals.

Second of all, how should I reply to the email? I want to put myself in a good light and make him want me in his program. Is there anything I can say at this point to help?

Thanks

If you really want to go there, I would say something like,

"Thank you for further considering my application, and thank you for being in touch with me about the status of my application. I am very enthusiastic about the faculty and research opportunities offered by the Dept of ___ at your U, and if I was to be admitted, I would certainly accept the offer."

A lot of schools are concerned with offering acceptances to students who will accept the offer, because the more people who reject offers, they have to revisit the waitlist and it's basically just more bureaucracy. Also, depending on how flexible you are with funding, you may consider saying that you would accept being provisionally unfunded for a year or so, or look for funding outside the dept. That's your personal situation though.

[shaxmaty1848]

My application has been in about a month. However, my dept is very very small, and it's almost the middle of March. Should I send a brief email?

[allyba]

I was just starting to wonder the same. One school I should be hearing now or within the next week or so does rolling admissions. I want to email them but, I don´t want to be a bother. I did send several emails during the application process. They were always nice but, I don´t want to wear out the welcome. What have others been doing?

Edited March 7, 2012 by allyba

[Frostfire]

I sent a brief email to 4 programs over the weekend. I've gotten ... hmm ... 1.5 answers. One program actually answered my email and one sent out / released official rejections. Still waiting to see if the other two get back to me. But it was worth doing, for me at least. It changed the process from "sit around on ass, wait for news" to something more palatable. Even if it's only "send an email, wait for news." But it depends on how you deal with stuff. If not getting a reply to your email is going to make you crazy, it may not be worth doing just yet. On the other hand, it may make you feel better, even if they don't answer you right away.

Long story short? Do it if you'll feel better even without getting an instant reply.

[duxfeminafacti]

I caved about 20 minutes ago and sent an email. I was a little hesitant to do it, but I need to respond to another offer right away, so my hand was forced a bit.

I have no regrets.

[rmgerdes]

I just emailed two of out the four schools I'm waiting out. Both replied immediately: Check back if you don't hear anything by the end of the month.

I suspect that, unless another program is forcing your hand, we should wait until the end of the March to ask. I'm not even going to email the other two, as I'm sure they'll say the same.

I'm going to lose my mind!