About April 15

[wrappedupinbooks]

Does anyone know if there is a time for the April 15 deadline? Like, by midnight? As for anyone who did it last year, is it like this...?

Someone could pass up a position at 10am and then at 11 they email the next person and invite them. And then someone else sits around until 6pm waiting to hear from his waitlists until deciding which of his schools to pass on?

Is it an email checking frenzy and does it have a time limit?

[booksareneat]

I've been told by several professors that it may be something like April 20-5th before I get in off a waitlist. I wouldn't look to that day as D-Day, but more like that week. Maybe someone can speak to previous years' experience, though.

[disjecta]

I personally know a PhD candidate who got off the waitlist in August. AUGUST!!! Can you imagine?! Ugh, I swear there is no rhyme or reason. It seems as though you get an offer ONLY after a space becomes available.

[Spritely]

I don't know if it says anything in the agreement that stipulates April 15 to begin with, but I always assume it to mean "end of business day." My one prior wait list experience ended when I received a call around 9 AM on the morning of April 15 offering me admission, which I accepted (and at that time declined two other offers I had received, meaning they went to their wait lists early on April 15 as well). While there are some extraordinary cases--I have one as well, where a friend of mine who wasn't even on a wait list but was one of the better qualified people who was rejected was ultimately admitted to the Master's program a month before it started when someone else dropped out--I would say the vast majority of wait listing probably sorts itself out immediately before or on April 15. Of course, I find myself in the same situation this time around as I am waiting on two schools I am very excited about. If either of them offers me admission before or on April 15, I will probably accept. Otherwise, I will go with the best offer I have so far.

Good luck!

[Jack Cade]

Correct me if I am wrong or overlooked something, but the deadline is only really for us.

It is a concrete point at which we applicants are supposed to say, ok I am done, I am going to Y University. There is some legal hocus pocus about a contract to scare us into compliance, but I find it somewhat flimsy, contracts like that tend to be extremely difficult and expensive to enforce.

Although, to my knowledge--limited and anecdotal--no one every gets sued or anything. Imagine the bad press for rich University X to be suing poor graduate student B. Its just not worth it.

So, in theory, one accepts by the 15th, and doesn't entertain more offers. Of course, folks do. Depending on the size of the game your in though, you might make enemies.

For departments the deadline only means that they can start counting their incomings with some confidence.

Since many schools make offers after the deadline, then everyone must expect and accept that the whole thing is a bit... fuzzy...

[theory_junky]

i am on a waiting list, and my univ notified me that i may not hear of a status update until may 31. MAY 31!!!!!!! for the love of god.

[Jack Cade]

i am on a waiting list, and my univ notified me that i may not hear of a status update until may 31. MAY 31!!!!!!! for the love of god.

As your attorney I recommend repeated viewings of the movies Trainspotting, Factotum, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vagas, and then just let your life go from there.

(I have never been to law school.)