The Waitlist Struggle

[MarineBluePsy]

@wootar  At least they're in touch with you!  Clearly they value you as a candidate and there is still time for things to change.  

[emhopefulme]

I emailed my POI a month ago to ask if offers were made and I was told that offers weren't made yet but it may take a few more weeks before I could receive a definite answer from POI. It's been a month... Should I email to check on my status again? I'm afraid I'll be seen as bugging for an answer if the POI hasn't make any decision yet....

 

[deadbeatstudent]

My school hadn't made decisions as of March first. My POI said they still had to determine how many spots were available. I was told that he would let me know when decisions had been made. So I'm still waiting. I know it's hard, but probably best to not email. Did your POI say he/she would let you know?

[wootar]

On 3/19/2016 at 6:05 PM, emhopefulme said:

I emailed my POI a month ago to ask if offers were made and I was told that offers weren't made yet but it may take a few more weeks before I could receive a definite answer from POI. It's been a month... Should I email to check on my status again? I'm afraid I'll be seen as bugging for an answer if the POI hasn't make any decision yet....

 

Yeah, that is tough....but if I were in your shoes, I'd probably hold off on e-mailing at least a little longer. Have you seen this school anywhere on the results page for acceptance/waitlist/rejections?

Also, just wanting to post because we've officially entered another week of this grueling application season....here's to hoping this week will bring good news for some!

[psychedout11]

On 3/19/2016 at 8:05 PM, emhopefulme said:

I emailed my POI a month ago to ask if offers were made and I was told that offers weren't made yet but it may take a few more weeks before I could receive a definite answer from POI. It's been a month... Should I email to check on my status again? I'm afraid I'll be seen as bugging for an answer if the POI hasn't make any decision yet....

 

You can email the graduate admissions coordinator - who is typically an admin assistant - usually they'll know if offers have been extended or not.

[psyched55]

My POI sent out his offer over a month ago and the student hasn't accepted or denied it.  What do y'all think the chances are of me getting off this waitlist? This is torture! 

[khunconan]

2 hours ago, psychedout11 said:

You can email the graduate admissions coordinator - who is typically an admin assistant - usually they'll know if offers have been extended or not.

I strongly recommend calling instead. If you email the admin, he/she may forward it to your POI. Some professors are offended by the fact that you cannot wait for his/her answer and switch to ask another person instead (it can also imply that you don't think he/she is reliable).  

[WillComeTrue]

42 minutes ago, psyched55 said:

My POI sent out his offer over a month ago and the student hasn't accepted or denied it.  What do y'all think the chances are of me getting off this waitlist? This is torture! 

Oh my gosh! What a stressful situation... The student who received the offer must be either waiting for an offer from their top choice or deciding which school to go if they had received more than one offer. At this point, there is no way of knowing what your chances would be, but if you are the first alternate that your POI has on his list then your chances may be a lot higher than one would think. In my case, I have been placed in the "pool" of candidates on the waitlist for my school as this program the department accepts a bunch of people and take people off the waitlist pool based on the number of declined offer from their initial offers. I know from having been communicating with other candidates who I met on the interview days, they have been put on the same waitlist and they received offers elsewhere and decided to attend those schools rather than waiting (this also happened to my friend last year who had applied to this particular school and she got an offer from this school so close to the 4/15 deadline but she had already committed to another school). For me, this is my first choice, so I decided to wait. I turned down all other offers I received (risky move, but I didn't want other people who are waiting for the offers to go through the same pain as I am going through, when I know I am not going to take those offers). Also I got so close to this opportunity, I thought I have a high chance of getting accepted off the waitlist from this school!

From what I hear from my current advisors, the waitlist works in various ways. It could be that they have a single waitlist for the department so the professors who get to pick more students (having a priority of choosing/getting students in that particular application year) may admit those people from the waitlist, although the candidate's overall "rank" on the waitlist may have been lower than some other people. Or, each professor may have their own list and they have the liberty of choosing whomever they wish to admit when the initial offer is declined. 

In any way, this process is stressful enough I think the best thing that we can do for now is try to think positively and wait patiently until they give an answer. 4/15 is the date our suffering shall end...!!! Ideally it would happen before this date, hopefully bearing good news.

Another week of agony begins, hold on tight my fellow waitlisters, we are going to make this happen:)

 

Edited March 21, 2016 by WillComeTrue

[psyched55]

9 minutes ago, WillComeTrue said:

Oh my gosh! What a stressful situation... The student who received the offer must be either waiting for an offer from their top choice or deciding which school to go if they had received more than one offer. At this point, there is no way of knowing what your chances would be, but if you are the first alternate that your POI has on his list then your chances may be a lot higher than one would think. In my case, I have been placed in the "pool" of candidates on the waitlist for my school as this program the department accepts a bunch of people and take people off the waitlist pool based on the number of declined offer from their initial offers. I know from having been communicating with other candidates who I met on the interview days, they have been put on the same waitlist and they received offers elsewhere and decided to attend those schools rather than waiting (this also happened to my friend last year who had applied to this particular school and she got an offer from this school so close to the 4/15 deadline but she had already committed to another school). For me, this is my first choice, so I decided to wait. I turned down all other offers I received (risky move, but I didn't want other people who are waiting for the offers to go through the same pain as I am going through, when I know I am not going to take those offers). Also I got so close to this opportunity, I thought I have a high chance of getting accepted off the waitlist from this school!

From what I hear from my current advisors, the waitlist works in various ways. It could be that they have a single waitlist for the department so the professors who get to pick more students (having a priority of choosing/getting students in that particular application year) may admit those people from the waitlist, although the candidate's overall "rank" on the waitlist may have been lower than some other people. Or, each professor may have their own list and they have the liberty of choosing whomever they wish to admit when the initial offer is declined. 

In any way, this process is stressful enough I think the best thing that we can do for now is try to think positively and wait patiently until they give an answer. 4/15 is the date our suffering shall end...!!! Ideally it would happen before this date, hopefully bearing good news.

Another week of agony begins, hold on tight my fellow waitlisters, we are going to make this happen:)

 

Thanks. I hope the person isn't holding a lot of offers.  From what I've seen in the results thread, multiple people have been asking about if the top candidate will accept the offer! I just want to know, this wait is agony. April 15th can't come fast enough! 

[mind_reader]

54 minutes ago, psyched55 said:

My POI sent out his offer over a month ago and the student hasn't accepted or denied it.  What do y'all think the chances are of me getting off this waitlist? This is torture! 

Ahhh I'm in pretty much the same situation. POI told me I was "high on wait list" about a month ago and I still haven't heard back! My state of mind keeps swinging between "I've been on the wait list so long, there is no way I'm going to get an offer" and "I've been on the wait list so long, I bet I have a chance at getting an offer!" maybe spending so much time in grad school limbo, like, builds character or something?   ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  

congrats to all those who have gotten good news !!!

[WillComeTrue]

2 minutes ago, psyched55 said:

Thanks. I hope the person isn't holding a lot of offers.  From what I've seen in the results thread, multiple people have been asking about if the top candidate will accept the offer! I just want to know, this wait is agony. April 15th can't come fast enough! 

I can completely relate to your anxiety and agony. I have not seen anything posted from the results page for my school after people posted about the interview invites. I am not sure what this means, but I can't really say much about the results page for its nature of being anonymous. Anyhow, best of luck with your program. You have come so far, and I am sure you deserve an offer!!! It appears that people who receive one offer (particularly the "initial" offers from the schools) are likely to receive multiple offers, so hopefully the person received a better offer elsewhere and decides to go there. The fact that the person hasn't responded to the offer may indicate that the place isn't that person's first choice. There's still hope!!!

[aebh615]

Another wait list success story here!!

I was actually pretty pleased with being wait listed by my top program after a less-than-impressive application cycle and hearing that the program had only offered three acceptances this year. I emailed after being wait listed just to say that it was still my top choice and I wouldn't make a decision until hearing from them. My POI contacted me to schedule a call about a week later, and offered me a spot while we were on the phone. I got an amazing fellowship offer a few days later.

Like I said, I didn't feel so great about my chances this year, and was beginning to consider back up plans before getting off this wait list (my only other acceptance provided a generous first year fellowship, but it wouldn't have covered the full cost of living, and funding for subsequent years wasn't guaranteed). This totally feels like a one in a million chance that is the result of finding a really close research match and someone else happening to decline. PhD apps are SUCH a crapshoot!

[emhopefulme]

update: I just received an email from the program coordinator about me being in the top tier waitlist. Finally after two months since the interview. I really hope whoever is before me do not take up the offer. Continue to wait patiently and congrats to all who have received good news thus far!  

[WillComeTrue]

17 minutes ago, emhopefulme said:

update: I just received an email from the program coordinator about me being in the top tier waitlist. Finally after two months since the interview. I really hope whoever is before me do not take up the offer. Continue to wait patiently and congrats to all who have received good news thus far!  

Congrats!!! Don't lose hope, waitlists can lead to offers!!! I don't know how long the waitlist is for your school, but being in the top tier is certainly wonderful!!!

[FeelTheBern]

@WillComeTrue@psyched55@mindreader@aebh615@emhopefulme

I just wanted to let all of you know that reading this conversation exchange and seeing all of the up-vote support for one another made me really happy! You guys are all wonderful, supportive people and I think the good vibes that you guys are spreading on this thread are awesome. Anyway, just wanted to drop in to say keep it up, and that you are all super deserving of the good karma that is hopefully coming your way

Edited March 22, 2016 by FeelTheBern

[WillComeTrue]

47 minutes ago, FeelTheBern said:

@WillComeTrue@psyched55@mindreader@aebh615@emhopefulme

I just wanted to let all of you know that reading this conversation exchange and seeing all of the up-vote support for one another made me really happy! You guys are all wonderful, supportive people and I think the good vibes that you guys are spreading on this thread are awesome. Anyway, just wanted to drop in to say keep it up, and that you are all super deserving of the good karma that is hopefully coming your way

That is a wonderful thing you said, @FeelTheBern. Thank you. I really do hope that everyone on this thread make it to their waitlisted schools, because it is so close we can almost taste it...!!! And so the support and healing for each other goes on until everyone makes it! We are almost there, aspiring psychologists! Hope we all hear back our good news soon. I can't wait to hear everyone's well-deserving, wonderful "successful waitlist story".

[emhopefulme]

Thank you @WillComeTrue!!! 

Keep the encouragements coming. I'm really grateful for this space because I know that I'm not alone. 

Really looking forward to hear more waitlist stories! 

Hang in thereeee! 

[hd397]

I also wanted to chime in and say this thread has been super encouraging! My coworkers try to empathize, but I feel like they don't really get it, so reading posts from people who are in the same boat as me is really helping me get through to April 15th. You're all great and I hope we all get off the waitlist and into great programs!

[Plasticity]

I was wait listed over a month for the clinical neuropsych PhD program I will be attending next year. It is quite the anxiety-invoking process but don't give up until you get the rejection letter. I was certain I would not get in. 

[psyched55]

15 hours ago, FeelTheBern said:

@WillComeTrue@psyched55@mindreader@aebh615@emhopefulme

I just wanted to let all of you know that reading this conversation exchange and seeing all of the up-vote support for one another made me really happy! You guys are all wonderful, supportive people and I think the good vibes that you guys are spreading on this thread are awesome. Anyway, just wanted to drop in to say keep it up, and that you are all super deserving of the good karma that is hopefully coming your way

Thanks! This was MUCH NEEDED TODAY! 

I woke up to an email that my top choice POI's offer to another student has been accepted. I still have another option that doesn't look too promising. ??

(I may have ugly cried)

Does anyone know when schools have to send out offers? Can they send them out after April 15th if a student declines an offer on the 15th? 

Thanks!

[WillComeTrue]

10 minutes ago, psyched55 said:

Thanks! This was MUCH NEEDED TODAY! 

I woke up to an email that my top choice POI's offer to another student has been accepted. I still have another option that doesn't look too promising. ??

(I may have ugly cried)

Does anyone know when schools have to send out offers? Can they send them out after April 15th if a student declines an offer on the 15th? 

Thanks!

Hey @psyched55, as a person who experienced a rejection after an interview (which seemed to have gone flawlessly, and I appeared to have a high chance of acceptance as I was called in after a phone interview AND the whole department only had 5 candidates for several faculty...), I can wholeheartedly identify with your disappointment. It is so upsetting to lose something that came so close. Although you may feel that your other option isn't so promising (probably your outlook for this option has been darkened by your recent rejection...), it may still turn out wonderfully.

From what I've seen, people usually extend offers to the waitlisted people around 4/15. One of my friends received an offer from a school in the first week of April, and another one said she got an offer 4/11 after being waitlisted. So I gather they at least let you know generally before or by 4/15. Also I have seen some posts regarding waitlists here on gradcafe, that schools can contact people after the 4/15 deadline, in certain circumstances such as a student who had accepted the offer initially and paid the deposit suddenly decides not to attend. I assume these cases are rare, but I feel like nothing is impossible for these strange processes of graduate school application/admission.

I hope your other option works out well.

[wootar]

35 minutes ago, psyched55 said:

Thanks! This was MUCH NEEDED TODAY! 

I woke up to an email that my top choice POI's offer to another student has been accepted. I still have another option that doesn't look too promising. ??

(I may have ugly cried)

Does anyone know when schools have to send out offers? Can they send them out after April 15th if a student declines an offer on the 15th? 

Thanks!

Sorry to hear that . You do still have one more though! From the looks of what I've seen on here, and other conversations....there are a lot of people who have gotten off a waitlist somewhere that they felt like they didn't even have a chance. It is sooo hard to guess and get a feel for what is happening on the other side of things. The advice from @WillComeTrue is also really good to hear, knowing that other people definitely have gotten in at the very end.

April 15 is just over three weeks away, which is so exciting and scary at the same time. I'm having a hard time with just being frustrated at other people for not making their decisions already! I'm sure it can be a really tough decision, and I am trying to understand that and feel for the people making these decisions, but it sure is grueling for those of us on the other side of this.

[mind_reader]

Hey guys, I have another success story to report to you all. After being rejected from two of three programs I interviewed at, and being wait listed at my favorite program for a month, I was accepted off the wait list last night! Hopefully this brings a little encouragement to you all. Full disclosure: this was my second year applying, I have a good GPA but okay-to-low GRE scores. I'm so happy for everyone else who has been accepted so far and I'm keeping my hopes up for the rest of my fellow waitlisters. It's been so nice having this place to commiserate with people who truly know what it's like!! 

[wootar]

38 minutes ago, mind_reader said:

Hey guys, I have another success story to report to you all. After being rejected from two of three programs I interviewed at, and being wait listed at my favorite program for a month, I was accepted off the wait list last night! Hopefully this brings a little encouragement to you all. Full disclosure: this was my second year applying, I have a good GPA but okay-to-low GRE scores. I'm so happy for everyone else who has been accepted so far and I'm keeping my hopes up for the rest of my fellow waitlisters. It's been so nice having this place to commiserate with people who truly know what it's like!! 

Congratulations!!!! That is truly exciting, and each story like this gives everyone else a little more hope. So glad the wait, and re-applying, paid off for you  

[WillComeTrue]

3 hours ago, mind_reader said:

Hey guys, I have another success story to report to you all. After being rejected from two of three programs I interviewed at, and being wait listed at my favorite program for a month, I was accepted off the wait list last night! Hopefully this brings a little encouragement to you all. Full disclosure: this was my second year applying, I have a good GPA but okay-to-low GRE scores. I'm so happy for everyone else who has been accepted so far and I'm keeping my hopes up for the rest of my fellow waitlisters. It's been so nice having this place to commiserate with people who truly know what it's like!! 

Wow, that is great news! Congratulations!!! It is certainly encouraging, and brings hope to everyone on the waitlists. It is wonderful to hear that waitlists are constantly getting shorter, and leading to admissions. Hope that we all hear back good news soon and can share success stories here on this waitlist post. I look forward to that day!!!