Calling Schools

[Xero735]

I have been accepted to one school, rejected from two, but still am waiting on seven.

Is it advisable to call schools to find out? Or does this hurt your chances?

Also, I have read decisions need to be made before April 15th, whats so special about April 15?

[liszt85]

Calling schools is perfectly okay as long as they have not explicitly instructed you not to do so.

April 15th seems to be some kind of a date agreed upon by schools all over the country. So most graduate schools in the US would require you to inform them of a decision by this date.

[advice]

I wouldn't call, just wait it out. Be patient.

[teaganc]

I called one of my schools and got an unofficial answer over a month ago, and I still haven't been officially notified, so for me, calling was a good decision.

[tegan.deanna]

I'm in the same boat, applied to five and only heard back from three. My husband applied to four and has only heard from two. I'm not sure if I should try calling (or emailing) or not. I certainly don't want to be rude, but I'm dying to know so I can start weighing my options and make a timely decision.

[chi0]

I have been accepted to one school, rejected from two, but still am waiting on seven.

Is it advisable to call schools to find out? Or does this hurt your chances?

Also, I have read decisions need to be made before April 15th, whats so special about April 15?

If you are within the timeframe that the school has said you should hear (ie., "late March") then there's no way it should affect the review of your application if you call to inquire about the status (as long as you are polite and professional).

You should contact the graduate studies coordinator - this person likely has an administrative role that has no impact on the decisions other than to collect info from the faculty and process the notifications. If you're worried about sounding desparate/pushy/impatient, don't give your name - just ask generally about the timeframe for admissions notifications. Maybe you'll get hung up on, but at least they won't know who it was that called.

(source: I recently contacted the student services office of one of my schools and received my result over the phone, no problem)

[fuzzylogician]

I like chi0's advice. Call and inquire generally without giving your name, unless they offer to tell you your results .

Anyway, even if you did give your name, I doubt it could hurt you this late in the game.