Waitlist Thread

[Glasperlenspieler]

Got a waitlist from BU today. It was solicited. That's my last school to hear back from. 0a/2w/8r out of 10

[Platonist]

If you're referring to my earlier post, then it certainly was not a typo! Wisconsin notified me today that I am in the top 15 on the wait list.

Thanks for the info. I think they should have written it as a 5, instead of 15 --I think they had 15 people on the initial wait list.  Also, some people did receive the notification of being taken off the wait list, according to the results page. Hope that person will claim it and thus clarify the myth. 

[TheVineyard]

If you're referring to my earlier post, then it certainly was not a typo! Wisconsin notified me today that I am in the top 15 on the wait list.

 

He's saying that he thinks it was a typo in the email...I'm not sure I think so, considering how important of a number that was.

However, the fact that they said it was an unordered waitlist is completely incompatible with them saying to some that they are top 5 and some they are top 15.

Here's a way to eliminate the possibility of a typo. What time did we each get our emails? If the 5s came before the 15s, then we know it wasn't a typo. If the 15s came before the 5s, then perhaps they made a typo and fixed it?

[jmccrar]

(I actually just heard from a very reliable source that only three of the seven students at Tufts who applied this year got in anywhere and that no one there got into a top-15 school.)

Correction: I misspoke and stated this fact backwards. This is what I should have said: three of the seven didn't get in anywhere, while four did. Sorry about that. And I don't want to persuade anyone from declining an offer to Tufts; that even may be where I wind up.

[PhiPhiPhi]

He's saying that he thinks it was a typo in the email...I'm not sure I think so, considering how important of a number that was.

However, the fact that they said it was an unordered waitlist is completely incompatible with them saying to some that they are top 5 and some they are top 15.

Here's a way to eliminate the possibility of a typo. What time did we each get our emails? If the 5s came before the 15s, then we know it wasn't a typo. If the 15s came before the 5s, then perhaps they made a typo and fixed it?

They could be grouped in unordered quintuples, i.e. top 5, then next top 5, then next top 5.

[Platonist]

He's saying that he thinks it was a typo in the email...I'm not sure I think so, considering how important of a number that was.

However, the fact that they said it was an unordered waitlist is completely incompatible with them saying to some that they are top 5 and some they are top 15.

Here's a way to eliminate the possibility of a typo. What time did we each get our emails? If the 5s came before the 15s, then we know it wasn't a typo. If the 15s came before the 5s, then perhaps they made a typo and fixed it?

 

Thanks, Vineyard. I think that number is correct: they do keep 15 people on the wait list. But it seems that they did pick 5 people out of the 15 as their top choices. But the people in each of the two groups are not ranked. 

 

Edit: Yes, Phiphiphi might be right too. 

 

But I am really confused why they run such a long wait list. They have presumably 5 spots or so to fill in.  

Edited March 20, 2014 by Platonist

[PhiPhiPhi]

But I am really confused why they run such a long wait list. They have presumably 5 spots or so to fill in.  

Madison used to have huge classes, e.g. 10. Is that still the case?

[Structural_Realist]

I don't think it's difficult to account for all of our observational content (this is mostly a synthesis of what others have written):

 

(1) There are at least 15 people on the wait list (but we don't have any evidence that the wait list has only 15 people on it).

 

(2) 5 applicants are more special than all the others on the wait list, but there is no ranking among the top 5.

 

(2.5) It's possible that 10 or 12 applicants are more special than all the others.

 

(3) It's not the case that each applicant has been assigned a number from 1-15, such that this number corresponds how special that applicant is (the wording of the email did not warrant a stronger reading that would deny 2.5; all mine said was that "there is not a ranked order to the list").

 

Let's assume that Madison is aiming for an incoming class of 5. The large wait list might sound gratuitous, but it may be quite reasonable. Madison is #22 on the gourmet report, so there are 105 positions at schools that are ranked better than Madison (assuming that each school wants 5 applicants). If a school's gourmet report ranking is somewhat positively correlated with its desirability to applicants, and if the same applicants are often attractive to the same schools, then it makes sense for Madison to have a large wait list.

 

[perpetuavix]

Got a waitlist from BU today. It was solicited. That's my last school to hear back from. 0a/2w/8r out of 10

BU is the only school I haven't heard from because I was assuming rejections... did they say anything about why you weren't in the first round of waitlists? They definitely sent some notifications after their admits. 

[ianfaircloud]

If you're referring to my earlier post, then it certainly was not a typo! Wisconsin notified me today that I am in the top 15 on the wait list.

 

First of all, thanks for letting us know. I received a message in private about this, but because it's now public, I will congratulate those who survived the cut.

 

Unless there's been some mistake, I'm probably now eliminated from consideration in philosophy -- shut out, as it were. The irony! I'd be glad to share my writing sample with people, now that I'm out of philosophy. (I'll do this only privately-- please email me at ianfaircloud at gmail dot com. I don't expect that many will want to see it, but perhaps a few will.) I'm curious what others would think of the sample. If it's a good sample, and I think it is, then let my experience be an example of someone who seemed to check off all the boxes and yet utterly failed in admissions.

 

Of course, people should keep in mind that I applied only to the top-20, plus a few strong programs in the 21-30. Hardly anyone does that, and rightfully so -- if philosophy is your only path, then you should entertain offers from lower-ranked programs. (In fact, even if philosophy isn't your only path, you may want to do so! There are plenty of great programs not high in the rankings!)

 

I'm not quite as disappointed as I expected I would be. I just have to look at this as a difficult decision between law school and graduate programs in philosophy that I now needn't make. I'll be happy studying law and perhaps teaching law or practicing law. If I apply to philosophy programs a third time, it will be as a candidate for JD-PhD (and only at the school at which I study law).

[Glasperlenspieler]

BU is the only school I haven't heard from because I was assuming rejections... did they say anything about why you weren't in the first round of waitlists? They definitely sent some notifications after their admits. 

 

If I remember correctly, everyone on these boards who got a BU wait list solicited a response, but I could be mistaken.  I emailed them back to see where on the wait list I am, but I haven't heard anything back yet.  If I were you, I'd go ahead and email the director of graduate admissions. I got a pretty quick response when I did that.

 

Good luck!

[Dabaliga]

Can anyone claim the waitlist notification for the U of Iowa that was posted on the results page?

[Hopephily]

Can anyone claim the waitlist notification for the U of Iowa that was posted on the results page?

 

A friend of mine was wait listed at Iowa (yesterday I think). He/she knew their rank on this list, so it must be a ranked list. 

[perpetuavix]

If I remember correctly, everyone on these boards who got a BU wait list solicited a response, but I could be mistaken.  I emailed them back to see where on the wait list I am, but I haven't heard anything back yet.  If I were you, I'd go ahead and email the director of graduate admissions. I got a pretty quick response when I did that.

 

Good luck!

Ok, thanks for the info! 

[TheVineyard]

First of all, thanks for letting us know. I received a message in private about this, but because it's now public, I will congratulate those who survived the cut.

 

Unless there's been some mistake, I'm probably now eliminated from consideration in philosophy -- shut out, as it were. The irony! I'd be glad to share my writing sample with people, now that I'm out of philosophy. (I'll do this only privately-- please email me at ianfaircloud at gmail dot com. I don't expect that many will want to see it, but perhaps a few will.) I'm curious what others would think of the sample. If it's a good sample, and I think it is, then let my experience be an example of someone who seemed to check off all the boxes and yet utterly failed in admissions.

 

Of course, people should keep in mind that I applied only to the top-20, plus a few strong programs in the 21-30. Hardly anyone does that, and rightfully so -- if philosophy is your only path, then you should entertain offers from lower-ranked programs. (In fact, even if philosophy isn't your only path, you may want to do so! There are plenty of great programs not high in the rankings!)

 

I'm not quite as disappointed as I expected I would be. I just have to look at this as a difficult decision between law school and graduate programs in philosophy that I now needn't make. I'll be happy studying law and perhaps teaching law or practicing law. If I apply to philosophy programs a third time, it will be as a candidate for JD-PhD (and only at the school at which I study law).

 

The part about Wisconsin confuses me, can you elaborate?

Also, I sure wouldn't be too upset about your application season...you're in at an Ivy and UCLA for JD...that's awesome, you're well set-up. Do you think that your situation serves as confirming evidence for the idea that philosophy admissions are harder than law school admissions?

[wandajune]

This might be useful for those of you confused about class size and the number of admits to UW-Madison: http://www.grad.wisc.edu/education/academicprograms/profiles/765.pdf

[TheVineyard]

This might be useful for those of you confused about class size and the number of admits to UW-Madison: http://www.grad.wisc.edu/education/academicprograms/profiles/765.pdf

 

So the idea is that only the top 5 waitlists will get in, because they already accepted 10?

[ianfaircloud]

The part about Wisconsin confuses me, can you elaborate?

Also, I sure wouldn't be too upset about your application season...you're in at an Ivy and UCLA for JD...that's awesome, you're well set-up. Do you think that your situation serves as confirming evidence for the idea that philosophy admissions are harder than law school admissions?

 

Thanks for the message. I hear that Wisconsin has reduced the wait-list to 15. It's hard to believe it was ever longer than 15! If you were wait-listed and did not receive the email telling you that you are among these 15, then you presumably are rejected.

 

Thanks for the positive comment! 

 

Which is easier? Actually, that question is more difficult to answer than I once thought. LAW is much easier (in my view) than philosophy admissions for me. It's much easier for people who do well on the LSAT. If you're someone who can't do well on the LSAT, then law admissions becomes perhaps tougher than philosophy admissions, depending on how you look at it.

 

Philosophy admissions is difficult with any numbers, because the numbers just don't matter as much. It becomes easier with strong letters of recommendation, a nice academic pedigree. 

[Zukunftsmusik]

FWIW, I've declined an offer from Boston U and removed myself from the waitlist at UC-Riverside as of 3/21.

[hopefulpessimiste]

Adding my info to the Madison speculation: I received an email on March 18 saying that I was in the top 10 on the waitlist, but there was no ranking within the ten. So, clearly the 15 was not a typo, and they are grouping things in fives. Within the groups of five, they might be organized by AOI so they might not be ranked.

 

My AOI is ethics, so I'm a bit freaked out. At least I have another offer I'm super happy about.

[wildc4t]

Just solicited Ohio State. Apparently I'm on the waitlist.

 

Edit: I'll also add that my writing sample to Ohio State had some serious typos in it.

Edited March 25, 2014 by wildc4t

[Cottagecheeseman]

Anyone want to comment on the Rochester waitlist? Man its super late for stuff like that. GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER SCHOOLS!

[CarlsonRJ87]

Anybody who was accepted to Loyola Chicago planning on declining their offer?

[Cottagecheeseman]

Wait-list Hell right now:

[logos0516]

Anybody know if anything is going on with the University of Virginia waitlists yet/how many were waitlisted? Anybody plan on/has already taken themselves off the waitlist?