Wait List Etiquette

[washdc]

I've been wait listed and I was wondering what I should do about it. I knew a girl who was once wait listed at Brown, and she sent in her volleyball shorts with a note saying she was looking forward to retrieving her shorts in person and playing for Brown in the Fall. She later got in.

Should I be pro-active or just sit here? I want to let them know I'm enthusiastic about their school without being annoying..

[ItsBrainScience]

when your on a wait list, they already have a pre-arranged order.

There is nothing you can do except wait. Letting them know your still interested and willing to submit additional materials does not help. Your on a wait list, you have a number, join the club.

Relax and don't send shorts or anything thing else embarrassing, it is more likely to hurt your chances in the end. IF you want to email your potential advisor, do so at your own discression, some may find this annoying, or forward it to the department head.

Good Luck.

[ElusiveMuse]

Not all wait lists are ranked. In some cases I would imagine that your chances of being accepted are dependent on who declines an offer. Meaning, for example if you are in English and you study Victorian literature, and another waitlisted person studies 20th century American literature, you would have more of a chance of being accepted if a Victorianist declines their offer, but the other person would have a better chance than you if an Americanist declines. Does that make sense?

Either way, I don't think sending your shorts would help your chances :wink:

[washdc]

Haha. I definitely DON'T want to send my shorts- that would be pretty awkward. But, for instance.. my GPA has gone up .1 since I applied, which is a pretty signifcant increase and I also applied to the State Department for an internship and got in. I just figured if I added those two bits of information with an email letting the school know that I'm still very enthusiastic about their graduate program, that drastically changes my profile as a candidate.

?

[teaganc]

Haha. I definitely DON'T want to send my shorts- that would be pretty awkward. But, for instance.. my GPA has gone up .1 since I applied, which is a pretty signifcant increase and I also applied to the State Department for an internship and got in. I just figured if I added those two bits of information with an email letting the school know that I'm still very enthusiastic about their graduate program, that drastically changes my profile as a candidate.

?

I don't think either of those represents a drastic change to your profile as a candidate, honestly. But if you want to email whoever the school has suggested you contact, let them know about your increased GPA and internship, and express that you are still very interested in their program, go ahead. Maybe it will help, maybe it won't, but a polite, short email probably won't hurt your chances.

But don't email them every week with new updates; you should probably send a single "update" email and be done with it.

[Aceflyer]

Not all wait lists are ranked. In some cases I would imagine that your chances of being accepted are dependent on who declines an offer. Meaning, for example if you are in English and you study Victorian literature, and another waitlisted person studies 20th century American literature, you would have more of a chance of being accepted if a Victorianist declines their offer, but the other person would have a better chance than you if an Americanist declines. Does that make sense?

Either way, I don't think sending your shorts would help your chances :wink:

I second this. Not all schools/programs have ranked wait-lists. It shouldn't hurt for the OP to send a brief 'update' email to the program indicating his new achievements and his continued interest in their program.

[Await]

Hi Whitneyy,

sorry you're joining our club. A lot of waitlist thoughts have been shared here: viewtopic.php?f=8&t=16564

In the end, I think it varies a lot by program (I have researched this all too much in the last 10 days). For example: Some programs have "silent waitlists", some programs require you to return paperwork accepting your spot, others are a mystery. However, I got a lot of information about how the waitlist works (at the one and only program I applied to) from emailing the graduate coordinator for my cohort. He was exceedingly nice and I felt empowered by my new knowledge. In my case the AdCom actually reconvenes in April to go over the waitlisted applications once again-- so if your program happens to work the same way, the kind of update you have could only help. It's a second chance.

Anyway, as you'll see from posts in the other thread, most people recommend expressing interest in the program-- and being polite, but not desperate!

[Victory]

I got off the waitlist at Cornell.

I expressed my enthusiasm for staying on the waitlist, I RSVP'd for the open house (and let multiple people know that I was coming to visit). I got accepted last week and the open house is on Friday, but I was planning on attending and taking notes on everything that I liked about Cornell and why it was a good fit. My advice is to express your enthusiasm AND show it...I suggest putting your money where your mouth is and scheduling a visit (even if you have already done this). Maybe RSVP for a conference or a talk that your department is hosting...etc.

[washdc]

Thanks Victory,

I'm finding it hard to sit still and not be proactive about being wait listed- even if the wait list is ranked.

[Victory]

By the way, there were 60 people on the waitlist I was on. You never know, good luck.