All notifications from one school at the same time?

[crustee]

I found out today, using this site, that several people were sent admissions emails to my top choice school (a PsyD program), but I did not receive one.  Does that mean I haven't been accepted and I should be expecting a rejection letter in the mail?  Or do schools not always send out all of their acceptances at once?

[spacezeppelin]

Sometimes its staggered. I got an acceptance a week after a bunch of other people. Have all the admissions gone out in one day in past years?

[crustee]

spacezeppelin, you're a genius.  I just checked out the results search from last year, and it looks like acceptances came over the course of a week, not just one day.  So that, in addition to your experience, makes me feel a little better.

 

But my god does this waiting process suck.

[tommathon]

Related to this topic, I had a question that I'm looking for some insight on as well.  I've applied to a program that has sent out both rejections and acceptions this past Thursday/Friday.  I have yet to receive any form of notification via email, and my status page still reads "No Decision."  I have called the assistant dean of admissions and he confirmed that my name was on a list to be notified, yet I have received nothing.  Is it possible I may be waitlisted and they haven't told me?  This whole process has been nerve-wracking to say the least.  I feel like I've already been rejected and I'm just sitting around waiting for confirmation.  Anyone have any similar experience/insight/advice for this situation?

[ThousandsHardships]

I went to a recruitment event last week, me and seven other admitted students. At that event, they told us that we were the top candidates (hence the event to try to get us to come) but that they hadn't finished reviewing ALL the applications in detail. They say that they expect to make 15-25 offers total. This means that they accepted their best candidates first.

 

This is in part due to their strategy to get these students to come since they know that students tend get very excited about their first acceptance and begin committing mentally as they research more into the possibility. At least that was the case for me. In addition, they will send out their first acceptances early if they plan a large event like the one I went to. I'm guessing that they also feel better about waiting on the rest of their acceptances because they don't actually care as much if those students accept the offer. Or they may not nominate them for the same fellowships so there are no deadlines for them to try and meet. Being wait listed is another very real possibility. They may wait on their admitted students' decisions before making their next offers. After all, they don't want to accept a student and then have no room for them in the program if more than the expected number of students enroll. Similarly, they don't want to reject a bunch of students only to find that no one had accepted their offer. I'm sure you'd prefer knowing outright instead of having your program decide and then change their mind, which is bound to happen if they make all offers and rejections at the same time. I know someone who was rejected by a top school, subsequently committed to another, only to receive word from the first school that they changed their mind. It was a lot of hassle as she actually did want that first school and had to face tons of administrative difficulties to withdraw her initial commitment.

[tommathon]

I went to a recruitment event last week, me and seven other admitted students. At that event, they told us that we were the top candidates (hence the event to try to get us to come) but that they hadn't finished reviewing ALL the applications in detail. They say that they expect to make 15-25 offers total. This means that they accepted their best candidates first.

 

This is in part due to their strategy to get these students to come since they know that students tend get very excited about their first acceptance and begin committing mentally as they research more into the possibility. At least that was the case for me. In addition, they will send out their first acceptances early if they plan a large event like the one I went to. I'm guessing that they also feel better about waiting on the rest of their acceptances because they don't actually care as much if those students accept the offer. Or they may not nominate them for the same fellowships so there are no deadlines for them to try and meet. Being wait listed is another very real possibility. They may wait on their admitted students' decisions before making their next offers. After all, they don't want to accept a student and then have no room for them in the program if more than the expected number of students enroll. Similarly, they don't want to reject a bunch of students only to find that no one had accepted their offer. I'm sure you'd prefer knowing outright instead of having your program decide and then change their mind, which is bound to happen if they make all offers and rejections at the same time. I know someone who was rejected by a top school, subsequently committed to another, only to receive word from the first school that they changed their mind. It was a lot of hassle as she actually did want that first school and had to face tons of administrative difficulties to withdraw her initial commitment.

 

Thank you so much for replying, that definitely puts it in a better perspective!  After seeing other applicants post their admissions notifications on the results page my confidence has been a little shaken.  Hopefully I will have news one way or the other by the end of this coming week.