USC ASE

[fauxtog]

i just found out i've been accepted off of the wait list at USC!

i'm dying of joy!

[nenanubes]

i just found out i've been accepted off of the wait list at USC!

i'm dying of joy!

YES! Congratulations! I am soo happy for you!! I can't wait to hear about all the great things you do there!

Ok...now can the good energy keep flowing and get me off my waitlist?

Yaaay!

[fauxtog]

YES! Congratulations! I am soo happy for you!! I can't wait to hear about all the great things you do there!

Ok...now can the good energy keep flowing and get me off my waitlist?

Yaaay!

i'm sending those good vibes your way, nenanubes! and to everyone who is on a wait list somewhere: stay positive! anything is possible there are three long weeks left for decision makers to make their decisions. sit tight!!!

[Rat]

i'm sending those good vibes your way, nenanubes! and to everyone who is on a wait list somewhere: stay positive! anything is possible there are three long weeks left for decision makers to make their decisions. sit tight!!!

Fauxtog,

Is it a bad idea to contact schools to inquire about position on the waitlist? Did you inquire of USC or did you wait to hear from them? I didn't apply to USC but just wondering how you were informed.

[fauxtog]

Fauxtog,

Is it a bad idea to contact schools to inquire about position on the waitlist? Did you inquire of USC or did you wait to hear from them? I didn't apply to USC but just wondering how you were informed.

Hi Rat, these are important questions.

I was in touch with the faculty I was interested in working with well before application season began (late Spring 2009). So I have been on there radar for a while now.

As soon as I found out that I was wait listed I knew it was important to remind them how interested I am in their programs. I wrote brief, concise and honest messages to all of the adcomm faculty who had notified me, and was sure to thank them for the notification, as well as my other POIs. two adcomm faculty at the 3 schools I was/am wait listed at offered phone dates, which I gladly took them up on (oddly enough, USC was the only school I did not talk on the phone with after I expressed my interest in staying on the wait list, but I did exchange very nice emails with the DGS and another POI on the adcomm).

I made a note of a) expressing my interest in the program and was sure to be scpecific about why i wanted to attend the program (faculty, resources, etc) alerting them to my wait list status at the other schools (too make it seem like i'm desirable) and c) updating them on new revelations (that i had been invited to participate on a panel at an upcoming ethnic studies conference).

I did all of this without 1) sounding desperate or 2) being pushy. These emails were crafted, but not over thought. And during my phone conversations I stayed calm yet enthusiastic, and also gave them a better sense of who I am as a person (humor, outlook, spoken communication, etc). in many ways i feel as though these phone calls were just as much about them getting a read on me as i was in gleaning info on them. ya dig?

so, all that said, if you have not been in touch to reiterate your interest, you should do so ASAP.

as for asking where you stand on the wait list: i wasn't ashamed to ask this, because it's very important for you to know this, especially if you're weighing other offers. be sure to ask politely (i recommend phrasing it more as how the wait list functions, rather than "what are my chances, doc??!?!"). FYI, all three programs said the same thing: the wait list is not ranked, there are three people on the wait list, we have x number of spots and we admitted y. a little math and presto! you know what your chances are.

good luck to you! i know it sucks being wait listed, i was wait listed across the board (with one rejection). but just stay positive and do your homework and something should work out. if not, then definitely re-apply next year b/c your chances will be much, much better.

there, i've harangued you long enough. GOOD LUCK!

[Rat]

Hey thanks for your answer. I hope I don't have to apply to the 2011 year but who knows at this point. I'm really surprised that the wait-lists are so small. I thought that at least 10 people or more were on each list.

Edited March 24, 2010 by Rat

[fauxtog]

i think the size of the wait list depends on the program, as well as how many spots they have and how many people they originally admitted