How late is too late?

[Falcore]

So I've received three rejections over the last three week-days (one a day), and I'm starting to feel quite pessimistic about my chances at the other programs. I'm still waiting on six others, but as it gets later, and I continue to get rejects from other programs, I can't help but feel like the chances of getting an acceptance have dissipated completely.

This post isn't meant to inspire sympathy; I'm just wondering if anyone knows whether or not my suspicions are accurate. Are the chances of getting an acceptance significantly lower? Has anyone who's applied before know how likely it is to get an acceptance this late in the game? It's just really difficult to read the situation with so little information, and the waiting is killing me. 

[fuzzylogician]

It's still early in the game for many fields. The best way for you to answer your question is to go on the Results survey and search for the schools you've applied to. If others have posted acceptances or interview invites and you haven't heard anything, that's probably not good news. If there haven't been any updates this year, then you are still in the running, and you have no reason to be anything but hopeful. You can also use the results survey to get a sense for when you might expect to hear news, based on updates from previous years. For me, at this stage of my own application season, in mid-February I had answers from probably about half of my schools, but not my top choice (which I also ended up attending). It's nerve-wracking, but these things take time. 

[rising_star]

Some schools just take longer to make decisions, as fuzzylogician said above. The PhD program I went to had a mid-January deadline and didn't send out their first round of acceptances until almost St. Patrick's Day most years. So, not having heard from them in mid-February wouldn't mean anything.

[TakeruK]

I don't think this is "too late" yet. Everything depends on what is typical for the specific set of schools you applied to, so I'd second fuzzy's suggestion to look at the Results Survey.

But if you like sweeping generalizations, I'd say:

1. The longer it is since the typical notification date (see Results Survey), the less likely you will get into that particular school.

2. The more competitive schools tend to make decisions faster than the less competitive schools.

So, if you applied to a range of schools, then I would say it's actually quite normal for the typical applicant to get a bunch of rejections first (from the schools that they applied to as "reaches") followed by acceptances from other schools later.

But again, these are very broad generalizations and I would really recommend finding out what's typical for the schools you applied to and comparing to that instead.

[Falcore]

Thanks for the great responses! Most of the schools I applied to a fairly competitive, but several of them haven't been posted for on the results database, so maybe there's still a chance. 

[soupman]

schools are also sending out acceptances to their top choices with deadlines. if you haven't heard an explicit 'no', you might be in the next group that they extend offers to if/when their top choices accept elsewhere. 

with that said, i know a lot of programs don't do 'rounds' of offers - they accept who they do and then that's it for the year. 

e: also - i feel for you - this process can be very stressful. i hope that you get in to a program soon!

Edited February 16, 2016 by soupman

[Neist]

1 hour ago, soupman said:

schools are also sending out acceptances to their top choices with deadlines. if you haven't heard an explicit 'no', you might be in the next group that they extend offers to if/when their top choices accept elsewhere. 

I have a lingering suspicion that this is often the case. One of my programs have sent out acceptances, but no rejections. I'm curious if they are holding off in case their offers attend elsewhere.

[Falcore]

One other question I had, which some of you might be able to answer; I got an email about two weeks ago from a program asking me to fill out FAFSA. It was actually written and sent by someone associated with the department (not a robot email), and I was wondering if this was an indicator of good news. I know it's likely just standard practice, but the thought occurred that they wouldn't bother asking for FAFSA registration if it were a straight rejection.

 

[MaytheSchwartzBeWithYou]

I also think we should mention here that different fields vary in their timing in terms of application cycles (for instance, many of the sciences have application deadlines in October/November, so applicants tend to hear earlier, while the humanities lean toward December/January deadlines). I'm in art history and haven't heard from a majority of my schools yet; however, I'm not TOO concerned because results history shows most notifications go out for my programs in late February/March, most of which without interviews. As you are in film studies, I imagine you're in a similar boat. :-)

i think notification times are fairly field-specific, even school-specific.

[artsy16]

2 hours ago, Neist said:

I have a lingering suspicion that this is often the case. One of my programs have sent out acceptances, but no rejections. I'm curious if they are holding off in case their offers attend elsewhere.

I agree. I have 3 waitlists, and each time I've had to contact the schools to ask my status (since I knew acceptances were sent out). I got similar replies from each, saying "you have a good chance of getting an offer, we just can't extend you one quite yet". So I feel that they may have been holding off on telling applicants they're waitlisted, and instead waiting (a reasonable amount of time) and extending them an offer as soon as the first accepted applicants turn them down. 

To OP: being accepted or rejected from one school has no bearing on your chances of getting into another. 

Edited February 16, 2016 by artsy16

[Falcore]

3 hours ago, artsy16 said:

being accepted or rejected from one school has no bearing on your chances of getting into another. 

Yeah, that's what I have been told, but after 4 rejections in a row, you start to feel pretty pessimistic. 

[Need Coffee in an IV]

I would feel pessimistic as well. Usually having a Plan B and a Plan C makes me feel better. I haven't heard from any of my schools yet but I've already decided I would try to get a job and reapply for next year if this year is a bust. 

[Falcore]

29 minutes ago, Need Coffee in an IV said:

 I would try to get a job and reapply for next year if this year is a bust. 

That's what I'll likely do as well, but it's not over til it's over!

[Need Coffee in an IV]

1 minute ago, Falcore said:

That's what I'll likely do as well, but it's not over til it's over!

Exactly! I'm hoping that i won't have to use plan b because I know I need that MA for what I want to do. Or I could use all my rejection emails/letters as material and open an etsy store. Maybe I could earn enough money to recoup one application fee.

[artsy16]

1 hour ago, Falcore said:

Yeah, that's what I have been told, but after 4 rejections in a row, you start to feel pretty pessimistic. 

Understandable to feel that way, but it's the answer to your question. Would you feel differently if the answer was "Yes, you're likely to get rejected from everywhere based on those 4 rejections?" This process is really tough/sucks, and there's not much we as applicants can do about it besides put ourselves out there and hope for the best. Good luck.

[Falcore]

9 hours ago, artsy16 said:

Understandable to feel that way, but it's the answer to your question. 

Oh yeah, of course. And you are right. I'm just speaking my mind is all. 

[Need Coffee in an IV]

I think its more than ok to feel pessimistic, its realistic. Thats why I know I could never be a flight attendant, all that smiling would kill me. But maybe try to check portals instead of waiting on emails? Thats how I found out my acceptance to Oregon. Plus I've waited for over a month before I got any news.