How much longer?

[Shawn3007+]

So this round of applications has been widely unsuccessful for me.I received 5/7 outright rejections. Was unofficially wait-listed (i think) at UC Davis, but rejected after the first week of April. My final hope is BU's MCBB program at which I am waitlisted. Even after the April 15th, according to admissions I am still on the waitlist and a decision has not been made on my application. They say they expect to make a decision in a week or two, but that's what they always seem to say and the drag is just becoming quite draining emotionally. I have already been making other plans, applying for RA jobs and contacting potential supervisors in Australia. (I'm an international student with a degree from the University of Sydney) However its quite difficult to make concrete plans until I know the final decision on my application. 

I would just like to know how long they can actually drag this out? Is there some sort of final date by which Universities need to finalize everything? 

[TakeruK]

No, there is no official due date in which they need to finalize everything. Some people might get a very last minute offer a week or two before the program starts! This happened to one of my friends and that short notice made it not possible to start in Fall of that year, so they started in the January semester instead.

I think you should go ahead and make other plans like applying for other jobs etc. When you get an offer from these other plans (which would likely come with a deadline), you should contact BU and get an update from them. If they still have no information, you should go ahead with your other plans. If you do get a last minute offer, then it's up to you to decide what to do. If the last minute offer comes after you already finalized everything with an RA job (or something similar) and you don't want to back out of your RA position, then maybe BU will allow you a deferral for a year (or a semester). 

It's normal and standard practice for people to apply to multiple things at the same time, so if you hear from BU within a few weeks, before the other opportunities make their decisions, it's fine to just withdraw your RA applications. And, if you do get a last minute admissions offer after you committed to a job, it's not ideal but also not unusual for someone to change their mind at the last minute because a better opportunity came up. This is why some schools won't officially reject you until the school year starts, because someone might just drop out at the last minute, and why many jobs either never tell you they hired someone else or wait until the new person starts before officially declining your application.

So, I would move ahead with other plans for now, and be prepared to change them if the offer from BU comes late (and if the offer is good enough for you). Good luck!!