Haven't Heard ANYTHING

[SilasWegg]

As a form of self-punishment, I log on to the results search everyday and see the acceptances roll in at my top programs while my mailbox remains empty. Reading the tea leaves, this is probably a bad sign. Then again, I haven't recieved a rejection from anywhere yet....

 

My question is 2 parts:

 

1. Is there a specific saint to pray to in instances such as these? Being a non-believer, would this prayer even work?

 

2. Do rejections come later in the application season? Do acceptances? Is there any good or bad way to read this situation?

 

Not that anything anyone would say in answer to this idiotic line of reasoning would at all clarify my situation. Nonetheless, typing this silly missive on a chat forum seems better than whatever anxiety ridden self-destructive behavior (chain smoking, compulsive gambling, discover card) I might take up to deflect my anxiety.

 

Thank you chat forum.

 

 

 

[ArtHistoryandMuseum]

People on GradCafe have said in the past, it is only over when it is officially over.

[uromastyx]

People on GradCafe have said in the past, it is only over when it is officially over.

This is true.

BUT if you haven't heard anything then chances are you've been rejected. Sorry.

Stay positive about the programs that remain.

[ThePope]

I'm not sure that this answers anything for you, but I'll share a bit of insight gleaned from a close friend of mine who works in Georgetown's admissions office. Bear in mind this is only guaranteed true in Georgetown's case, but I've got to believe they aren't the only ones who operate like this.

 

Applicants are generally sorted into tiers. Tier 1 applicants are those with STELLAR credentials, like, 4.0 GPAs from Harvard, perfect GRE scores, etc. They get their acceptance letters first, and fastest. Then there is a lull. The admissions office waits to hear back from those before offering or denying anyone else. If they get a lot of Tier 1-ers to accept their offers, then only a very limited Tier 2 applicants are accepted. Conversely, if half of Tier 1-ers decline admission, that leaves room for plenty-- if not all-- of the Tier 2 applicants. Rinse and repeat this process for Tier 2 versus Tier 3, until eventually all open spots are filled.

 

Basically, they prioritize applicants, giving the best first chance to decline/accept and working their way down. Obviously if you have a 2.0 GPA you're simply rejected outright. There are, of course, universal standards. But assuming you're a semi-decent candidate, the above explanation is how it works.

 

So if you haven't heard anything yet, that isn't a good OR bad thing. What it means, in my (limited) experience, is that you have not been rejected outright. Which is good. You must have decent credentials. But it also means you haven't been accepted outright along with the Tier 1 applicants, either. It's entirely probable you're in Tier 2 or something and your fate will depend, at least partly, on how many Tier 1 applicants accept.

 

I hope this was coherent. Try not to stress over it, in either case-- you'll be all right no matter what happens, as there's always next year if the worst transpires, and that one year can make a huge difference. You've done all you could for now.

 

Very best of luck, my friend!

[ak48]

Hey Pope, thanks for the insightful information. It won't stop me from freaking out tho haha.

 

Incidentally, are you stepping down from your post as well?

[Seeking]

As a form of self-punishment, I log on to the results search everyday and see the acceptances roll in at my top programs while my mailbox remains empty. Reading the tea leaves, this is probably a bad sign. Then again, I haven't recieved a rejection from anywhere yet....

 

My question is 2 parts:

 

1. Is there a specific saint to pray to in instances such as these? Being a non-believer, would this prayer even work?

 

2. Do rejections come later in the application season? Do acceptances? Is there any good or bad way to read this situation?

 

Not that anything anyone would say in answer to this idiotic line of reasoning would at all clarify my situation. Nonetheless, typing this silly missive on a chat forum seems better than whatever anxiety ridden self-destructive behavior (chain smoking, compulsive gambling, discover card) I might take up to deflect my anxiety.

 

Thank you chat forum.

 

St. Ambrose seems to come closest - 

 

http://www.catholic-saints.info/patron-saints/list-of-patron-saints-patronage.htm

 

As for being a non-believer, the way it works is not so much by faith, but by entering into a business contract with the Saint. That is, you promise to donate money, study seriously for a year, not trouble your POI for a semester etc if your petition is accepted by the Saint.

 

If the Saint wants to enter into this kind of contract and do business with you, they'll process your petition, regardless of faith(-lessness). 

Edited February 13, 2013 by Seeking

[lifesgood]

St. Thomas Aquinas is the patron saint of students, but it can't hurt to ask more than one saint to help out! 

[bateauivre]

I'm not sure that this answers anything for you, but I'll share a bit of insight gleaned from a close friend of mine who works in Georgetown's admissions office. Bear in mind this is only guaranteed true in Georgetown's case, but I've got to believe they aren't the only ones who operate like this.

 

Applicants are generally sorted into tiers. Tier 1 applicants are those with STELLAR credentials, like, 4.0 GPAs from Harvard, perfect GRE scores, etc. They get their acceptance letters first, and fastest. Then there is a lull. The admissions office waits to hear back from those before offering or denying anyone else. If they get a lot of Tier 1-ers to accept their offers, then only a very limited Tier 2 applicants are accepted. Conversely, if half of Tier 1-ers decline admission, that leaves room for plenty-- if not all-- of the Tier 2 applicants. Rinse and repeat this process for Tier 2 versus Tier 3, until eventually all open spots are filled.

 

Basically, they prioritize applicants, giving the best first chance to decline/accept and working their way down. Obviously if you have a 2.0 GPA you're simply rejected outright. There are, of course, universal standards. But assuming you're a semi-decent candidate, the above explanation is how it works.

 

So if you haven't heard anything yet, that isn't a good OR bad thing. What it means, in my (limited) experience, is that you have not been rejected outright. Which is good. You must have decent credentials. But it also means you haven't been accepted outright along with the Tier 1 applicants, either. It's entirely probable you're in Tier 2 or something and your fate will depend, at least partly, on how many Tier 1 applicants accept.

 

I hope this was coherent. Try not to stress over it, in either case-- you'll be all right no matter what happens, as there's always next year if the worst transpires, and that one year can make a huge difference. You've done all you could for now.

 

Very best of luck, my friend!

 

I went to Princeton last week for the Recruitment Weekend, so apparently I am Tier 1 for them. BUT at the same time I am not Tier 1 for NYU, Yale, Columbia, CUNY, and Rutgers???

[jmu]

I also haven't heard anything but only one person has posted anything about any of my schools in the results, and that was done today (in the last few hours.) So, while not a totally analogous situation, I feel your pain.

[bamafan]

I'm not sure that this answers anything for you, but I'll share a bit of insight gleaned from a close friend of mine who works in Georgetown's admissions office. Bear in mind this is only guaranteed true in Georgetown's case, but I've got to believe they aren't the only ones who operate like this.

 

Applicants are generally sorted into tiers. Tier 1 applicants are those with STELLAR credentials, like, 4.0 GPAs from Harvard, perfect GRE scores, etc. They get their acceptance letters first, and fastest. Then there is a lull. The admissions office waits to hear back from those before offering or denying anyone else. If they get a lot of Tier 1-ers to accept their offers, then only a very limited Tier 2 applicants are accepted. Conversely, if half of Tier 1-ers decline admission, that leaves room for plenty-- if not all-- of the Tier 2 applicants. Rinse and repeat this process for Tier 2 versus Tier 3, until eventually all open spots are filled.

 

Basically, they prioritize applicants, giving the best first chance to decline/accept and working their way down. Obviously if you have a 2.0 GPA you're simply rejected outright. There are, of course, universal standards. But assuming you're a semi-decent candidate, the above explanation is how it works.

 

So if you haven't heard anything yet, that isn't a good OR bad thing. What it means, in my (limited) experience, is that you have not been rejected outright. Which is good. You must have decent credentials. But it also means you haven't been accepted outright along with the Tier 1 applicants, either. It's entirely probable you're in Tier 2 or something and your fate will depend, at least partly, on how many Tier 1 applicants accept.

 

I hope this was coherent. Try not to stress over it, in either case-- you'll be all right no matter what happens, as there's always next year if the worst transpires, and that one year can make a huge difference. You've done all you could for now.

 

Very best of luck, my friend!

 

I want to note that tier 1 applicants do not necessarily have stellar credentials. Any number of factors combined could bring together an applicant to be tier 1, so having deficiencies in some things is not a disqualifier (for instance, I have an abysmal GPA).

[bamafan]

I went to Princeton last week for the Recruitment Weekend, so apparently I am Tier 1 for them. BUT at the same time I am not Tier 1 for NYU, Yale, Columbia, CUNY, and Rutgers???

 

This should not surprise anyone. At quality schools, there is a surplus of qualified applicants and it can be the luck of the draw. Ironically, the supply of qualified graduate students is actually << the spots available, but during application season, people tend to cross-apply and be cross-admitted.

[Usmivka]

This should not surprise anyone. At quality schools, there is a surplus of qualified applicants and it can be the luck of the draw. Ironically, the supply of qualified graduate students is actually << the spots available, but during application season, people tend to cross-apply and be cross-admitted.

Isn't that true. Whenever we have visiting students they've all applied to the same 3-4 places, and they usually just came from some other recruitment weekend where they were all present together! Sometimes it seems like whole groups go to one school because they became friends during the many shared recruiting visits, and all decided on a  place together!

Edited February 13, 2013 by Usmivka

[MarkR]

I also haven't heard ANYTHING from either of my schools. I was talking about it with my boss today on our way into work and his guess was, for my field at least, no news is exactly that: no news. He said if I was applying to med schools or law schools I should be worried now, but in the geosciences at least it likely means they're still deciding and I just need to try to be patient.

 

If you have any tips on HOW to be patient, that'd be great. I'm all out of ideas and seriously stressing as well. Good luck to you!

[echlori]

I also haven't heard ANYTHING from either of my schools. I was talking about it with my boss today on our way into work and his guess was, for my field at least, no news is exactly that: no news. He said if I was applying to med schools or law schools I should be worried now, but in the geosciences at least it likely means they're still deciding and I just need to try to be patient.

 

If you have any tips on HOW to be patient, that'd be great. I'm all out of ideas and seriously stressing as well. Good luck to you!

 

Working probably helps. I think I feel better working than waiting around at home.

[scofield24]

I'm not sure that this answers anything for you, but I'll share a bit of insight gleaned from a close friend of mine who works in Georgetown's admissions office. Bear in mind this is only guaranteed true in Georgetown's case, but I've got to believe they aren't the only ones who operate like this.

 

Applicants are generally sorted into tiers. Tier 1 applicants are those with STELLAR credentials, like, 4.0 GPAs from Harvard, perfect GRE scores, etc. They get their acceptance letters first, and fastest. Then there is a lull. The admissions office waits to hear back from those before offering or denying anyone else. If they get a lot of Tier 1-ers to accept their offers, then only a very limited Tier 2 applicants are accepted. Conversely, if half of Tier 1-ers decline admission, that leaves room for plenty-- if not all-- of the Tier 2 applicants. Rinse and repeat this process for Tier 2 versus Tier 3, until eventually all open spots are filled.

 

Basically, they prioritize applicants, giving the best first chance to decline/accept and working their way down. Obviously if you have a 2.0 GPA you're simply rejected outright. There are, of course, universal standards. But assuming you're a semi-decent candidate, the above explanation is how it works.

 

So if you haven't heard anything yet, that isn't a good OR bad thing. What it means, in my (limited) experience, is that you have not been rejected outright. Which is good. You must have decent credentials. But it also means you haven't been accepted outright along with the Tier 1 applicants, either. It's entirely probable you're in Tier 2 or something and your fate will depend, at least partly, on how many Tier 1 applicants accept.

 

I hope this was coherent. Try not to stress over it, in either case-- you'll be all right no matter what happens, as there's always next year if the worst transpires, and that one year can make a huge difference. You've done all you could for now.

 

Very best of luck, my friend!

I have a question. So what if I got my acceptance from a very good school very early ( January), however it is unofficial and I am waiting on official document. Does this mean I am in tier 1 or tier 2 for that school? They do gave full funding.

[Ariy]

I haven't heard anything yet either.  Meh.  Here's a little humor from the results search though: http://thegradcafe.com/survey/index.php?q=hogwarts

[St Andrews Lynx]

I went to Princeton last week for the Recruitment Weekend, so apparently I am Tier 1 for them. BUT at the same time I am not Tier 1 for NYU, Yale, Columbia, CUNY, and Rutgers???

Each school (and Ad Comm) weigh up applications slightly differently. Some put a lot of weight on research experience and are prepared to ignore lower GPA/GRE scores. Others order candidates by their GPA/GREs first and then look at research. Or else someone on Princeton's Ad Comm is good friends with one of your letter writers, etc...

[Ohm]

Hey Pope, thanks for the insightful information. It won't stop me from freaking out tho haha.

 

Incidentally, are you stepping down from your post as well?

 

Ok, Hilarious! :D 

 

And regarding what ThePope said (God, that statement sounds so tacky!), I've heard the same thing from many others. Personally, from what I experienced last year, if you don't hear back till the first 2 weeks of March, be happy cause you're certainly not rejected. But if it goes into the end of March and then April, then be worried. The first mails that are sent out are the rejects, so don't worry. You're name is still on the 'Under Consideration' pile! The ones who already have got their admits needn't necessarily be tier-I students. They can be students whose research work EXACTLY matches that of their POI, or students who've already contacted their POI beforehand and discussed possible studentship. Others are considered after their places have been filled.

 

Bottomline: It's not yet time to worry

[MarkR]

Bottomline: It's not yet time to worry

GOOD!! 

[pureoneness]

I'm just glad that i'm not the only one freaking out because of no news.

[regina_apis]

I've been lurking here for a few months and registered today just so I can say thank you. Maybe it seems like a small thing but it's nice to know I'm not the only person slowly losing my mind over the silence. I haven't had a lot of guidance through the whole application process and didn't know what to expect. I certainly expected an answer (ANY ANSWER) before now, and I'm relieved to know I'm not totally alone.

[DarlingNikki]

I'm just glad that i'm not the only one freaking out because of no news.

 

You're definitely not the only one. My earliest deadline was December 1st and my latest was February 15th. I had my last application completed by the end of January and have not heard a thing from any of my schools including the earliest deadline location. This is beyond frustrating! I'm not sure what I'll do in the meantime... go bald maybe?!! 

[panda7488]

As of yet, I've only heard from one of the five schools I applied to and it was a rejection. Not really sure what to make of all of it, but my patience is wearing thin.

[DarlingNikki]

As of yet, I've only heard from one of the five schools I applied to and it was a rejection. Not really sure what to make of all of it, but my patience is wearing thin.

After I made that post I got my first response, and it was a rejection. So, I understand. Its already frustrating to wait, but even more so when you've heard disappointing news to start.

[sansao]

I also haven't heard ANYTHING from either of my schools. I was talking about it with my boss today on our way into work and his guess was, for my field at least, no news is exactly that: no news. He said if I was applying to med schools or law schools I should be worried now, but in the geosciences at least it likely means they're still deciding and I just need to try to be patient.   If you have any tips on HOW to be patient, that'd be great. I'm all out of ideas and seriously stressing as well. Good luck to you!

Last year, Geoscience programs took forever (except UW). Several people I know didn't get their answers, positive or negative, until well into June. One POI told me they had >400 applications and were accustomed to ~50. It seems better this year, but just a heads up that strange things have been afoot at the Geoscience Circle K, lol.