Waiting to Exhale (the wait list thread)

[postwarfever]

I made it off the wait-list at Indiana with full-funding, wait-listed for a fellowship. I'm guessing others will be hearing similar responses from other schools soon, as I hear this week and the next is when most people begin turning down offers.

[__________________________]

Congrats to Ramus and postwarfever!  Really awesome programs.

[1Q84]

Inquired about wait list at Toronto. I think there were one or two of us here on TGC so I thought I'd share:

 

 

 

Our first round offers are still out, and not due till 1 April with most of them now extended to 6 April, so that is when we will make decisions for the second round. We do not have a long waitlist (less than ten), and we do seriously expect to make offers after 6 April. I know that this is not as helpful an answer as you would like to hear at this point. I'd say the chances of an offer into our program are now about 50/50.

 

Welp! Bring on April.

[InHacSpeVivo]

Congrats to Ramus and postwarfever!  Really awesome programs.

 

Second this. 

[squankabonk]

Have a funny visit story for one of my waitlist schools. Was only able to be in town for a few hours today, so I was scheduled to meet with DGS, chat with a grad student, and attend class with one of my POIs (the other two are on leave, so I couldn't meet them). Meetings went well enough, but when I showed up to the class (which I had arranged to visit in advance), the classroom was empty. I waited a few minutes. Nobody showed up. I made sure I was in the right room, then the right building (after all, I'm not familiar with the campus). I was. The class just...wasn't happening. I went to the office of the DGS, but she had gone home for the day. She was my only point-person. 

 

Actually it isn't that funny of a story. I am now at the airport. I came to town specifically to visit campus, and I didn't get to meet a single faculty member in my area. Writing this was cathartic, though. I'm sure it was just a mixup, but it was pretty annoying.

[forever_jung]

Not sure if this has been addressed already, but I couldn't find anything in my browsing. 

 

As April 15 draws closer, I haven't had any movement on my wait lists. Meanwhile, I have been accepted at several places, and I have one that I am about 90% sure that I will be attending in the fall. However, the only thing that might disrupt this is if I get accepted at one of my wait listed schools. So, what do I do if I sign a contract by April 15 at a school, and then get an amazing offer off the wait list at another? Can I even consider these wait listed offers if I have signed contracts?  Is it frowned upon to possibly accept a wait listed offer after signing with another school? This is honestly the only thing that is holding me back from signing with my 90% school.

 

Ugh. This is hard. Any thoughts? 

[Appppplication]

When I signed my phd contract a couple weeks ago it had a paragraph devoted to this. It said something like you can rescind your acceptance until April 15th with no big deal, but after April 15th you have to write a formal letter explaining the circumstances. It made it seem like not a big deal, but from what I've heard it is looked down upon and is bad form. Every school that goes by the April 15th rule expects that you may wait until April 15th to let them know. At a visiting day one prof even mentioned that they will most likely not know who their cohort is until April 15th.

 

If I were you I would let your DGS at the 90% school know that you are very very seriously considering attending but you are still waiting on some notifications that may take up to April 15th. I'm sure you wish it would arrive sooner, but it is beyond your control.

[InHacSpeVivo]

Not sure if this has been addressed already, but I couldn't find anything in my browsing. 

 

As April 15 draws closer, I haven't had any movement on my wait lists. Meanwhile, I have been accepted at several places, and I have one that I am about 90% sure that I will be attending in the fall. However, the only thing that might disrupt this is if I get accepted at one of my wait listed schools. So, what do I do if I sign a contract by April 15 at a school, and then get an amazing offer off the wait list at another? Can I even consider these wait listed offers if I have signed contracts?  Is it frowned upon to possibly accept a wait listed offer after signing with another school? This is honestly the only thing that is holding me back from signing with my 90% school.

 

Ugh. This is hard. Any thoughts?

I'm in a somewhat similar situation, so I've been asking around. If the waitlist offer comes before April 15 you can get out of the contract by just letting the program know. Personally, I've held off on accepting anything in event there's a last minute change just to avoid any potential awkwardness or ill feeling that could result from retracting an acceptance. As for after the deadline, per the graduate council resolution, you can get out of a contract signed by April 15 with the written consent of the school that has you under contract. I've heard anecdotally of this happening when someone in my program a few years back accepted an offer then got into their dream program off the WL. From what I understand there was no ill will because they were going from a school in the US News 75-100 range to the 20-30 range.

I hope this helps. As I mention, this is mostly hearsay so I'm hoping others will have more substantial answers.

[Appppplication]

If you have to get a letter from one program to write and give to the other program showing that you're free, that sounds like a huge hassle not worth signing a couple weeks early over, IMO.

Edited March 27, 2015 by Appppplication

[empress-marmot]

I don't know if there are any examples on GradCafe with Lit/Rhet/Comp students, but I'm sure I remember reading topics from students who had already committed then received offers. There were a wide range of responses, and I have no idea what I would do if that happened to me. 

 

If I were you I would let your DGS at the 90% school know that you are very very seriously considering attending but you are still waiting on some notifications that may take up to April 15th. I'm sure you wish it would arrive sooner, but it is beyond your control.

 

Good advice! 

[fancypants09]

This so perfectly captures my feelings right now! Would love some certainty in my life...

[fancypants09]

I'm in a somewhat similar situation, so I've been asking around. If the waitlist offer comes before April 15 you can get out of the contract by just letting the program know. Personally, I've held off on accepting anything in event there's a last minute change just to avoid any potential awkwardness or ill feeling that could result from retracting an acceptance. As for after the deadline, per the graduate council resolution, you can get out of a contract signed by April 15 with the written consent of the school that has you under contract. I've heard anecdotally of this happening when someone in my program a few years back accepted an offer then got into their dream program off the WL. From what I understand there was no ill will because they were going from a school in the US News 75-100 range to the 20-30 range.

I hope this helps. As I mention, this is mostly hearsay so I'm hoping others will have more substantial answers.

Taking the same approach of not committing until all results are in. Actually, my POI (who also happens to be DGS at the program I got into at UCLA) told me to take all the time I needed to wait and think about my final decision before committing, so I understood from his comments that I should wait and only accept once I have made my firm and final decision. YMMV.

[TeaOverCoffee]

I've heard that you should wait and not accept anything until you know for sure. You don't want to burn any bridges, especially if you are considering a teaching position at that university upon graduation.

[allplaideverything]

Took myself off the waitlist at CUNY, where I was #4.

[1Q84]

Taking the same approach of not committing until all results are in.

 

This is one thing I'm maybe not grasping fully. So everyone has until April 15 to make a decision. What happens after that day? 

 

Obviously some of us may be waiting for offers that will only come after people receive all of their offers, which means we will for certainly be waiting until after April 15.

 

How the heck am I supposed to navigate this messy confluence of dates? How late do some offers come after the 15th? 

 

Ack!

[thepriorwalter]

Obviously some of us may be waiting for offers that will only come after people receive all of their offers, which means we will for certainly be waiting until after April 15.

The programs to which I was accepted made it clear that without a decision by 5 PM (3 PM in one case) on the 15th, they couldn't hold my seat in the program. I was under the impression not much action happens after the 15th.

[goldfinch1880]

I honestly don't understand why people who aren't on waitlists haven't made final decisions yet. (I'm not saying that to complain---I genuinely don't know what the hold-up is.) The only reason I can't make a decision is because I'm on 2 waitlists---I feel so bad keeping my acceptances hanging. If I had all of my acceptances and rejections in hand, I would decide immediately for everyone's sake.

 

I know some schools had their visiting weekends last weekend---maybe that's why? do we know of any others yet to happen? At that point maybe people can make up their minds.... My husband is trying to look for a teaching job in 3 different areas of the country at once because we don't know where we're going to be. :/

[1Q84]

The programs to which I was accepted made it clear that without a decision by 5 PM (3 PM in one case) on the 15th, they couldn't hold my seat in the program. I was under the impression not much action happens after the 15th.

 

 

That's what I don't get. There will undoubtedly be folks who wait until 3 or 5pm the day of to make their final decisions. What happen to all the schools that they turn down? There must be some shuffling/batch of acceptance offers sent out after April 15, no? Does this not mean that a bunch of us will have to roll the dice and wait for an offer that may not come all while giving up the certainty of our actual admissions offers? If so, how is this the system we're working with? It seems unnecessarily cruel! 

Edited March 30, 2015 by 1Q84

[Wonton Soup]

I imagine that some number of cohorts don't get fully formed until after April 15th. But for the sake of everyone involved, it's better if there's the pressure of a deadline. 

 

Edit: if you do have a certain offer (and assuming the program isn't playing shenanigans and trying to set a deadline before April 15th) then you should not pass it up in hopes that some movement will happen after the 15th. I can only foresee bad things happening =(

Edited March 30, 2015 by Wonton Soup

[kurayamino]

I honestly don't understand why people who aren't on waitlists haven't made final decisions yet. (I'm not saying that to complain---I genuinely don't know what the hold-up is.) The only reason I can't make a decision is because I'm on 2 waitlists---I feel so bad keeping my acceptances hanging. If I had all of my acceptances and rejections in hand, I would decide immediately for everyone's sake.

 

I know some schools had their visiting weekends last weekend---maybe that's why? do we know of any others yet to happen? At that point maybe people can make up their minds.... My husband is trying to look for a teaching job in 3 different areas of the country at once because we don't know where we're going to be. :/

I know my own personal delay in deciding is that both programs are great fits and that my visit to one of them just ended on Wednesday. I'm still trying to process the huge amount of information presented from both schools so I can make a good decision. I suspect that this week and the next week are when things really start shuffling, but I do know that a friend who got into a school last year received a phone call at 5pm on April 15th to bring him/her in off the waitlist. For my own part... it's pretty agonizing to be in limbo like this. I'm looking at what a life would be like in two very different cities. I have a meeting with my advisor on Tuesday and suspect I'll make my own final decision at the end of next week.

[fancypants09]

I don't get the 15th business as well. I think the schools could have a better way of handling this issue---perhaps shifting to rolling admissions as the professional schools have done. I do agree with kurayamino that many people are most likely trying to finalize decisions in the next week or so since many visitation days happened last week. I mean I seriously should not complain about being waitlisted, but for the love of humanity I would like some certainty in my life...

[1Q84]

I don't get the 15th business as well. I think the schools could have a better way of handling this issue---perhaps shifting to rolling admissions as the professional schools have done. 

 

Either that or have a "soft" deadline for decisions (that's actually somewhat hard) on, say, April 10. Then, the next five days can be for shuffling around and finalizing a cohort.

 

Hrmm. I guess I'll have to stay in extra close contact with the DGSes of my schools of interest. 

[CarolineNC]

Austin's visiting day isn't till this Friday, so this is why I haven't made my decision yet. Also, I will echo Kurayamino and say that I'm going to need some time to process. I was SO overwhelmed at Chapel Hill's recruitment, and they've been calling me today pressuring me. I just need to let it marinate. 

Edited March 30, 2015 by CarolineKS

[goldfinch1880]

I think it would make more sense if acceptances for people with no waitlists had a deadline of April 1, which would give 2 weeks for everything to filter down before the waitlisters had to commit by the 15th. Once everyone has all of the information (and supposedly people have had almost all of the information about programs for the better part of a year at least, otherwise they wouldn't have applied to the program and been able to target their SOP), there's really very little reason to wait 'til the last minute to commit.

[Wonton Soup]

As someone on four waitlists, I think the waiting aspect of it all sucks. Still, the April 15th hard deadline seems reasonable to me. Who's to say an earlier or "soft" deadline wouldn't just become the next April 15th, or that the 15th as is isn't already kind of a soft deadline? 

 

Anyway I'm infinitely glad that my one acceptance isn't pressuring me to decide early. I've heard that sometimes that happens. I would be PISSED.