foglemgs Posted March 26, 2012 Posted March 26, 2012 I've had a poor application season, but I did manage to get onto one program's Wait List. I was wondering if anyone had any advice on how to proceed? Is it best to just sit back and wait? Should I email the program with an impassioned plea? I hate feeling helpless, but I don't want to overdo it, either. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated - thanks!
badgers154 Posted March 26, 2012 Posted March 26, 2012 Just my two cents, but if I were in your position, I would just wait it out. Decisions have to be made by/around April 15th, so the program will most likely try reach you with their decision relatively soon (though, I have heard of some people not finding out until the very last minute). I know how much waiting sucks, but you have made it this far and you would not want to possibly ruin your chances by sending an email. Best of luck (and try not to go crazy)! foglemgs and badgers154 2
foglemgs Posted March 27, 2012 Author Posted March 27, 2012 Decaf - thanks for the thoughts and kind words. One more thing - GO BUCKS! (I'm an Ohio State alum) badgers154 1
far_to_go Posted March 27, 2012 Posted March 27, 2012 Best of luck to you, foglemgs! I'll echo badgers154's advice- I think you should hang tough. Also, think about whether this school is one that you really want to go to if you do get in off the wait list. Is it one that you added to your app list just as a safety school, or would you be happy and excited to go there if admitted? If you do really want to go to this school, and you do decide to contact them (which I don't recommend), try to project confidence rather than desperation. I'd write something along the lines of "I haven't accepted any offers from other schools yet because your program is currently at the top of my list" rather than "I haven't gotten in anywhere else, give me a break!" They don't need to know that you haven't gotten any other offers. I only got into one school out of seven, but because they thought I was likely to get good offers from other places, they actually increased their initial stipend offer by an extra 10k per year... I never told them that they were in a bidding war only with themselves :-) Hope you get in! Only a few more weeks to wait! go3187 and foglemgs 2
Jasmineflower Posted March 28, 2012 Posted March 28, 2012 Hi foglemgs. I was in your situation a couple of years ago -- I applied to only one place, ended up getting waitlisted, and basically just never heard back from them. Finally got decisively rejected in June. I just wanted to say that if this ends up happening to you, don't give up hope! I applied again the next year -- to about nine schools -- and received fully-funded offers from all my top choices, including top-rated programs in my field -- programs at UC Berkeley, UCSD, some other UC schools, and UPenn, among others. Now I'm in a program I love, with great funding, and doing the work I'd been dreaming of doing for so long. The moral of the story is that just because you get rejected one year doesn't mean you can't reapply and get a great offer or offers later on. There's no shame in aiming for another application season. (Yes, I realize you probably know all this ... I'm just telling you the things I needed people to tell ME when I got waitlisted and then rejected!) Also, I want to echo far_to_go's advice about what to consider if you DO get in off the waitlist. Ask yourself: Is this school a place I really WANT to go, or am I just willing to go there to avoid the drama of another round of applications? Particularly if they accept you without good FUNDING, you should really consider the option of just applying to places again next year. I personally learned a lot about the process in between getting rejected one year and getting accepted the following year ... my qualifications hadn't changed very much, but my understanding of the PhD application process had. I'm guessing you'll be able to submit much stronger apps the second time around, if only because you've refined your understanding of how to articulate your interests in ways that are convincing to the admissions committees at the schools you're interested in. Sorry for the long-winded reply, but I hope at least some bit of it is helpful. Good luck! talific, TropicalCharlie and go3187 3
foglemgs Posted March 29, 2012 Author Posted March 29, 2012 Wow - thanks to all for the great, insightful comments. I know that others are in my situation (or worse!), but it is certainly nice to hear that people have survived this process! To answer the question posed by both far_to_go and Jasmineflower: yes, the school that waitlisted me is one of my top choices, although it's a masters - not a doctorate - program. I know that the fact that it's one of my top choices is only exacerbating my desperation. I have decided not to get in touch with the school; according to the letter I received from the DGS, I should now by mid-April one way or another. If I don't get in, I will simply try to strengthen my application for next year; my GRE scores weren't great and I opted not to take the subject-GRE for this year's apps, but I probably will take it if I have to apply again.
transcendental Posted March 30, 2012 Posted March 30, 2012 I guess I would disagree with the other advice here about contacting the program. I received a waitlist letter and it specifically asked me to email them before accepting another offer. Since I am interested in the school, but do have another offer, I mentioned to them as much. I told them that I am interested in the program and would like to remain on the waitlist. Hearing from others in similar situations, sending an email to say that you are still interested in their program would not hurt anything. Something along the lines of: "I was pleased to receive a wait list letter from your program. I wanted to thank you for the consideration and to let you know that I am still interested in the program." It will help them to know that you're still interested; they do not want to admit someone from the waitlist if they don't think that person will accept. Good luck! foglemgs 1
foglemgs Posted March 30, 2012 Author Posted March 30, 2012 Espresso Shot - Thank you for providing a dissenting opinion; I did email the DGS shortly after my waitlist notification, and, among some basic questions about the waitlist (length and my position on it), I also re-iterated my interest in the program. I should have included this detail in my original post. I do not plan on sending them a further email unless I receive one from them asking me any other questions about my app.
transcendental Posted March 30, 2012 Posted March 30, 2012 Espresso Shot - Thank you for providing a dissenting opinion; I did email the DGS shortly after my waitlist notification, and, among some basic questions about the waitlist (length and my position on it), I also re-iterated my interest in the program. I should have included this detail in my original post. I do not plan on sending them a further email unless I receive one from them asking me any other questions about my app. Good to know. Yeah, then I guess at this point it's just a matter of riding it out. Easier said than done.
foglemgs Posted April 24, 2012 Author Posted April 24, 2012 Thank you to everyone who posted - I got in! go3187 1
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