KayOwd Posted April 6, 2009 Posted April 6, 2009 When I spoke to the graduate coordinator last, I told him that I needed a decision by April 13th (extended response deadline for my only acceptance). He said that successful applicants are required to respond by April 15th, but he "expects" that I should receive a response by April 13th. Well, today is April 6th and I still haven't heard anything. Should I send him one last email with the following questions? - How many applicants have yet to respond? - Historically, how many applicants from the waiting list are granted admission? - Can you please email me ASAP if every applicant has accepted their offer? On top of the other response deadline, I've been offered a 1 year contractual job that also depends on this decision. If I don't receive an answer soon, I can kiss that potential job goodbye. Someone please put me out of my misery! im in the same boat. 1 accept, two pending.. ARGHHH! i wrote to the program director and he said the adcomm was going through a SECOND review process. this was last friday. my one accept has given me until apr 15 to make a decision.. does UT conform to a solid deadline? or do they make these soft one's up (ie. april 3rd) to test my mental and emotional resilience?! when i wrote my potential super, i was told that scheduling meeting times for the adcomm may delay the decision process..
jferreir Posted April 6, 2009 Posted April 6, 2009 does UT conform to a solid deadline? or do they make these soft one's up (ie. april 3rd) to test my mental and emotional resilience?! I believe the April 15th deadline is firm. I actually received two responses from the DGS - the first was a response to my inquiry, the second was a formal waiting list notification. Concerning the first response, I was given my rank on the waiting list (#1) and told that a decision was likely to be made before my other response deadline (April 13th). In the second email, the generic message stated that successful applicants were required to respond by April 15th, but that they sometimes respond sooner. Of course, the generic message also indicated that my probability of acceptance was directly dependent on the decisions of other applicants. At this stage, though, I really can't imagine anyone rejecting their offer. It seems that most decisions have already been made, so if a successful applicant was going to pursue graduate studies elsewhere, then they would have probably rejected their offer by now (why wouldn't they?). To my knowledge, successful applicants were notified 1 or 2 weeks ago... I wish I had a contingency plan. :cry:
KayOwd Posted April 6, 2009 Posted April 6, 2009 I would understand if i was on a waiting list, but why would the dept. head say a second review process was underway? whatever, I guess if they have a solid apr. 15 deadline we'll see. maybe i will contact the DGS and see what is. Im also waiting on Mac and the grad coordinator said "it's way too early to know whether your application has failed".. i should be more greatful for the acceptance i have received, but i still feel like a carrot is dangling in front of my face. mocking me. waiting for me to formally accept.. then PLOP, there it is in my lap. :|
KayOwd Posted April 7, 2009 Posted April 7, 2009 I would understand if i was on a waiting list, but why would the dept. head say a second review process was underway? whatever, I guess if they have a solid apr. 15 deadline we'll see. maybe i will contact the DGS and see what is. Im also waiting on Mac and the grad coordinator said "it's way too early to know whether your application has failed".. i should be more greatful for the acceptance i have received, but i still feel like a carrot is dangling in front of my face. mocking me. waiting for me to formally accept.. then PLOP, there it is in my lap. :| received a congratulations email from program director today.. said i should be receiving an official acceptance letter in the mail soon. my guess is late this week or monday (13th). geez, i think all these endorphins are giving me a headache ..who cares though, my day has been MADE!
suedehead Posted April 7, 2009 Posted April 7, 2009 Congrats! I just called York admissions and they told me they are still waiting for the department to make decisions. Argh!
jferreir Posted April 7, 2009 Posted April 7, 2009 Totally envious... I'm waiting on UofT which probably won't get back to me until April 15th (which, of course, is the same day that I have to respond to my other offers). Joy!
jinyuan Posted April 8, 2009 Posted April 8, 2009 congrats to all who got in, I'm wondering, has anyone applying to poli sci at U of T heard anything yet? and another question, did anyone get a waiting list letter when the sgs website still said "under review". Also im curious, what did the acceptance/rejection letters look like for U of T? was it like under grad? small envelope = rejection/waiting list, big envelope = acceptance
jferreir Posted April 8, 2009 Posted April 8, 2009 congrats to all who got in, I'm wondering, has anyone applying to poli sci at U of T heard anything yet? and another question, did anyone get a waiting list letter when the sgs website still said "under review". Also im curious, what did the acceptance/rejection letters look like for U of T? was it like under grad? small envelope = rejection/waiting list, big envelope = acceptance I'm on a ranked waiting list at UofT, but I never received a formal letter (just an email from the DGS). I wouldn't expect your SGS status to change while you're on the waiting list; the only other status update will be "Decision Made", followed by a formal admissions letter. Also, I remember seeing a few political science posts in the "Results Search" section of this website, so you might want to give that a try. As for envelop size, one of my acceptances came in a deceptively small envelop. That said, I'm sure it varies by school. Best of luck!
ajesusj Posted April 10, 2009 Posted April 10, 2009 York sent out offers, rejections, and notified waitlist for most programs March 25th. I also heard from UofT March 24th. For those with offers from York, how long did they give you to reply?
anythingtwice Posted April 11, 2009 Posted April 11, 2009 Oh geez, York gave me like two weeks. It was irritating because I hadn't heard back from most places yet - but by the time the date came around I had, so it was okay.
KayOwd Posted April 13, 2009 Posted April 13, 2009 even though i've received an unofficial accept from the program director, i had also sent the SGS an email a full week ago about my status and this is what they replied with: Hi, The admission decisions vary by department, and are usually affected by the number of applications received (i.e., volume of work). Some early offers of admission have been sent out in January or February; however, the majority of offers would come in March or April. SGS generally advises applicants to expect a response by late April, although decisions continue to be made after this point. The University of Toronto requires that all applicants receive a written response to their application, whether that response is a refusal or an offer of admission. The decision will come from the department you have applied to. "Under review" means that there is no decision made yet; your file is being reviewed. SGS Admissions might be old news, but hopefully it clarifies their position for some. "late April" is pretty crushing to some with other offers and decision deadlines...
jferreir Posted April 13, 2009 Posted April 13, 2009 even though i've received an unofficial accept from the program director, i had also sent the SGS an email a full week ago about my status and this is what they replied with: Hi, The admission decisions vary by department, and are usually affected by the number of applications received (i.e., volume of work). Some early offers of admission have been sent out in January or February; however, the majority of offers would come in March or April. SGS generally advises applicants to expect a response by late April, although decisions continue to be made after this point. The University of Toronto requires that all applicants receive a written response to their application, whether that response is a refusal or an offer of admission. The decision will come from the department you have applied to. "Under review" means that there is no decision made yet; your file is being reviewed. SGS Admissions might be old news, but hopefully it clarifies their position for some. "late April" is pretty crushing to some with other offers and decision deadlines... Actually, they copied/pasted that explanation from the FAQ section of the SGS website. Generally speaking, if you want a concrete answer, you should always contact the DGS in your department. In fact, it is not uncommon for a successful applicant to hear of the decision before SGS, as departments sometime notify individuals while the offer is pending approval from graduate studies. So, while it was a nice gesture, I don't think that information will be very useful. I'm still waiting to hear back from U of T, but with the way things are shaping up, I think I'm going to be the first loser (#1 on the waiting list). EDIT: I forgot to mention that the "March to late-April" time frame is extremely misleading. Since notification dates will vary by department, I think it's reasonable to assume that SGS's time frame is somewhat 'broad/generalized' to include scenarios in which some departments have very few applications, while others have many. In my case, the department received an unusually high number of applications, but unsuccessful applicants were notified in late-March while waitlisted applicants (such as myself), were promised a decision by April 15th.
KayOwd Posted April 13, 2009 Posted April 13, 2009 ^ hmm, didn't realize it was posted on their website. in any case, it seems you have options. good luck.
jferreir Posted April 13, 2009 Posted April 13, 2009 ^ hmm, didn't realize it was posted on their website. in any case, it seems you have options. good luck. Thanks. I need all the luck I can get... Out of curiosity, is it common for someone to receive an offer of acceptance on April 15th?
ajesusj Posted April 15, 2009 Posted April 15, 2009 Thanks. I need all the luck I can get... Out of curiosity, is it common for someone to receive an offer of acceptance on April 15th? I am still waiting on a waitlist at York, no decision on the website and not indication that the 15th was any deadline for anyone at all in Canada.
jferreir Posted April 23, 2009 Posted April 23, 2009 On April 15th, I received an informal email from the DGS stating that I had secured an offer of admission. I quickly replied to accept the offer, but I have had no communication since then. I'm not sure if this is a cause for concern, but the SGS website still lists my application status as "under review"... Does it usually take this long for graduate studies to approve an offer of admission? I was under the impression that once a department recommends an applicant for admission, the people at graduate studies merely sign on the dotted line. Now I'm starting to worry that my email didn't go through (a totally irrational fear). Normally, I would just email the DGS and request confirmation, but I'm not sure if my concern is even warranted (and I've already pestered him enough). Can anyone offer any insight? Thanks!
ajesusj Posted April 23, 2009 Posted April 23, 2009 On April 15th, I received an informal email from the DGS stating that I had secured an offer of admission. I quickly replied to accept the offer, but I have had no communication since then. I'm not sure if this is a cause for concern, but the SGS website still lists my application status as "under review"... Does it usually take this long for graduate studies to approve an offer of admission? I was under the impression that once a department recommends an applicant for admission, the people at graduate studies merely sign on the dotted line. Now I'm starting to worry that my email didn't go through (a totally irrational fear). Normally, I would just email the DGS and request confirmation, but I'm not sure if my concern is even warranted (and I've already pestered him enough). Can anyone offer any insight? Thanks! Did they ask you for a deposit? Did you pay it yet?
jferreir Posted April 23, 2009 Posted April 23, 2009 Did they ask you for a deposit? Did you pay it yet? Nope... Like I said, all communication ceased after I emailed the DGS with my decision. Roughly, here is how it went: - I received an email stating that I had been offered admission and that details would follow. - I received a second email which broke down the funding package based on OGS, SSHRC, etc. - I replied and said that I would accept the offer. The End. I haven't received anything in the mail and SGS still shows my status as "under review".
KayOwd Posted April 23, 2009 Posted April 23, 2009 Nope... Like I said, all communication ceased after I emailed the DGS with my decision. Roughly, here is how it went: - I received an email stating that I had been offered admission and that details would follow. - I received a second email which broke down the funding package based on OGS, SSHRC, etc. - I replied and said that I would accept the offer. The End. I haven't received anything in the mail and SGS still shows my status as "under review". I think you're alright. my informal email from the director was dated Apr. 7. Email from SGS came the following week. My letter was dated Apr. 8. Didn't get my letter until the 20th. had to sign and fax in a formal acceptance form. I think my account still reads UNDER REVIEW. they are slow, but i would call the grad dept and talk to someone. you should be fine though. congrats!
jferreir Posted April 23, 2009 Posted April 23, 2009 I think you're alright. my informal email from the director was dated Apr. 7. Email from SGS came the following week. My letter was dated Apr. 8. Didn't get my letter until the 20th. had to sign and fax in a formal acceptance form. I think my account still reads UNDER REVIEW. they are slow, but i would call the grad dept and talk to someone. you should be fine though. congrats! Phew, good to know! Thanks for the help and congratulations to you also!
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