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2015 Waitlist Thread


Ansight

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Looks like it's actually going to come down to the 15th for me.... Scary!

 

I decided if I haven't heard from my wait lists by noon on Wednesday I will turn them all down and accept the MA offer.

I know that I saw on the boards last year there were just a few acceptances off the waitlist AFTER the 15th- how is that permissible? 

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Looks like it's actually going to come down to the 15th for me.... Scary!

 

I decided if I haven't heard from my wait lists by noon on Wednesday I will turn them all down and accept the MA offer.

 

You should accept your MA offer but not turn down your PhD waitlists.

 

I know that can be viewed as a jerk move, but don't sacrifice what's good for your future/career. If you hear back from a PhD program on the 16th, then just call back the MA program and turn them down then. It sucks, but that's how the system works and that's not your fault.

Edited by herenowagain
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I agree with herenowagain. 

 

It makes me think that there should be a deadline for accepting PhD offers and then a deadline a week later for accepting MA offers. I guess that assumes that one values PhD offers over MA ones, which might not hold in every particular case.

Edited by sidebysondheim
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I've been told by all the schools I'm still waiting on that it will come down to the 15th. I got more insider info on Notre Dame - apparently 2 have accepted, and there are six open spots left. There are also 6 offers out that have not been responded to. If all of them accept, then obviously none of us off the waitlist will be admitted. Not sure if anyone else on here is curious about ND. Hoping someone turns down their offer soon. :-/

University of Virginia sent out an email a few days ago making it sound like things would be wrapping up there soon, but I haven't heard anything since then, so who knows. And I've pretty much decided UWisc Madison isn't happening, considering like 10% of the earth's population is on their waitlist. These last two days require lots of wine.

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You should accept your MA offer but not turn down your PhD waitlists.

 

I know that can be viewed as a jerk move, but don't sacrifice what's good for your future/career. If you hear back from a PhD program on the 16th, then just call back the MA program and turn them down then. It sucks, but that's how the system works and that's not your fault.

Or rather... If you hear back from a PhD on the 16th, tell them you are interested and that you need to get release from your MA. Contact the MA and ask if they will release you, since you are contractually obligated on the basis of accepting the offer.

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I heard at the University of Miami that there are two spots left, and two offers still outstanding. So whether or not they go to their wait list depends on whether the last two applicants left to reply accept their offers or not.

 

As far as UW-Madison, don't forget that quite a few people have declined a spot on their waitlist, so if the list was originally around, say, 30 people, it's probably down to ~20 now.

 

I emailed someone on the admissions committee at CUNY over the weeked. He said the wait list hasn't budged yet, but he was "sure" there would be news on Monday. Does that mean I should feel free to email him and ask for another update? Or is it best to just leave him alone for now?

Edited by riverstyx
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Some info on Notre Dame - I'm leaning towards accepting an offer at Notre Dame. But I'm also waiting to hear from Cornell (I'm on the waiting list). If offered a spot at Cornell, I am not certain if I will take it over Notre Dame at this point.

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You should accept your MA offer but not turn down your PhD waitlists.

I know that can be viewed as a jerk move, but don't sacrifice what's good for your future/career. If you hear back from a PhD program on the 16th, then just call back the MA program and turn them down then. It sucks, but that's how the system works and that's not your fault.

I would feel this way if I was wait listed at one of my top choice programs or not happy with the MA offer, but neither of these conditions obtains. I understand your perspective but I think it's circumstantial. In my situation I've even considered denying a PhD offer that comes through in favor of the MA program. That would be a risk, to be sure, but there are some specifics to my situation that make me believe the MA is not automatically inferior to going straight into PhD....

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I agree with herenowagain. 

 

It makes me think that there should be a deadline for accepting PhD offers and then a deadline a week later for accepting PhD offers. I guess that assumes that one values PhD offers over MA ones, which might not hold in every particular case.

Assuming the bold was supposed to say MA offers, I am tempted to agree.

 

Though I will say some MA programs actually let you reply back by April 17th (not a week later, but definitely after the craziness of the 15th). For example, Western Michigan University.

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Assuming the bold was supposed to say MA offers, I am tempted to agree.

 

Though I will say some MA programs actually let you reply back by April 17th (not a week later, but definitely after the craziness of the 15th). For example, Western Michigan University.

 

Definitely what I meant.

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If my tracking of acceptances/offers is accurate, as of today there are 3 spots still open at Maryland and 3 people with offers ahead of me. So I just need one of them to turn down UMD's offer. 

 

I'm on pins and needles.

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I'm trying to make my decision on UConn. It's such a great program but I keep going back and forth in my head. I will do my best to figure it out today overoverover. Rooting for you.

Thanks! Obviously, I want you to make the best decision you can!

 

 

This is one of the reasons I love this board

Agreed.

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I'm trying to make my decision on UConn. It's such a great program but I keep going back and forth in my head. I will do my best to figure it out today overoverover. Rooting for you.

what have you narrowed it down to?! Are you still waiting on any schools yourself?

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what have you narrowed it down to?! Are you still waiting on any schools yourself?

 

 

I'm still wait listed at UW Madison and CU Boulder! I contacted Madison and they said I'm with a group of people at the top of the waitlist.

 

 

I'm deciding whether in my situation it might be useful to pursue an MA first at GSU. It's hard because UConn is excellent for what I want to do and has such great placement. GSU is also great for what I want to do but obviously I want a PhD eventually. But there's a tiny part of me that likes the idea of having an open future after 2 years where I can apply again to PhD's in Philosophy, perhaps I will decide to also apply to PhD's in Psychology or Neuroscience too since i find myself at the intersection between the disciplines mostly. Then I flip around and think if I just go straight into PhD I will be done more quickly, or if I decide I hate it (very unlikely) could always get the MA on the way and transfer out, etc etc. All my weighted decision tables come out exactly equal +/- 0.02 utility points and so I'm asking my "gut" for help but it's being conveniently silent.

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I'm still wait listed at UW Madison and CU Boulder! I contacted Madison and they said I'm with a group of people at the top of the waitlist.

 

 

I'm deciding whether in my situation it might be useful to pursue an MA first at GSU. It's hard because UConn is excellent for what I want to do and has such great placement. GSU is also great for what I want to do but obviously I want a PhD eventually. But there's a tiny part of me that likes the idea of having an open future after 2 years where I can apply again to PhD's in Philosophy, perhaps I will decide to also apply to PhD's in Psychology or Neuroscience too since i find myself at the intersection between the disciplines mostly. Then I flip around and think if I just go straight into PhD I will be done more quickly, or if I decide I hate it (very unlikely) could always get the MA on the way and transfer out, etc etc. All my weighted decision tables come out exactly equal +/- 0.02 utility points and so I'm asking my "gut" for help but it's being conveniently silent.

It is really tough call, I can understand. (I am -somewhat- in a similar situation considering the indecision. I was accepted to the MA program at OU and I guess I decided to accept their offer. (and hopefully I will not reverse my decision :)

However since I will be 29 this fall I am beginning to worry if it is too late to do a second M.A.(my previous degree is in another discipline, and this worry makes me think on the other choice: going back to my home country, and beginning directly my Ph.D. study at my undergrad school which has a quite high ranking and well-known internationally. 

 

anyway...

 

good luck everyone for tomorrow !!

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I emailed UW-Madison and specifically asked for my rank on the wait list, but the only thing the admissions person told me was that they were waiting for some of their initial admitted offers to make their decisions, which they would do by April 15th. That's it. So I take that to mean I am not highly ranked on the wait list. Someone at CUNY told me my admissions chances were "pretty good" and that "it is looking good" and so I hope I will be able to go there next year! I am admitted to Syracuse but wait-listed for funding there.

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