Waiting List Acceptance Odds?

[peppermintgal]

I was waitlisted at my top choice and am anxiously waiting for April 15th to roll around so I will know if I am in or out. It is a small program with about 2-3 matriculates a year. Does anyone want to make an guess as to what the chances of me getting in at this point are? Do you think those accepted are planning on rejecting or accepting their offers this late in the game? What could this delay mean?

[ElusiveMuse]

I would say that in this economy all bets are off. I'm in the same position, so I feel your pain! I have a Plan B lined up and I have been psyching myself up for it.

[Stories]

It all really depends on whether or not the other folks that have been given acceptances enroll or not. If it's a school that is highly desired as a destination of study for folks and many folks end up enrolling that were accepted, then the chance that you get accepted is slim. But if it's a school that is not as well known as other schools, you might have a decent chance at winding up there.

There's no real science behind a wait list. It's simply up to the other folks who were accepted. So never lose hope!

[illinoisellie]

Well, the school with which I am now waitlisted - just about as much stress as an actual relationship - was supposedly getting a heck of alot of applicants. I just hope that all the applicants that got in were awesome, had a high-GPA and had been published at least 5 times (read: got into a better school that they will like more)

I'm not rooting against them - I'm rooting for them! (just as long as they don't want to enroll at my school )

But odds-wise? Probably not very good. I heard from my masters level program that many of the applicants should have gotten into a phd program, but instead had only gotten into that program and were enrolling there. So if you think about how few people have gotten into the PhD programs - surely they will accept their offers.

[Stories]

But odds-wise? Probably not very good. I heard from my masters level program that many of the applicants should have gotten into a phd program, but instead had only gotten into that program and were enrolling there. So if you think about how few people have gotten into the PhD programs - surely they will accept their offers.

That's a scary thought. I should be thankful I had as many offers as I got.

[iwantgradz]

i just met a few profs in the department where I've been waitlisted for a phd. the cohort is small (6-8) and it's an ivy. i met with the dept. chair and the DGS, who told me that this is the first year they've used a waitlist, due to lack of funding. my spot doesn't depend on one of the accepted students in the dept declining -- the dean of the graduate school will notify each department how many students they can take from the waitlist after april 15 when other students have responded to their offers. it may be the same in your case, i.e. your chance of getting off hte waitlist does not depend on one of those 2-3 students declining their offer.

[peppermintgal]

So, a couple days after posting that I was accepted to my top choice! Only 2 students were accepted for the program, so I am a lucky gal. I was waitlisted, so no one should give up hope if they are on a waiting list and have yet to hear anything - even if it is a tiny program at a top tier school.