Wait list response question

[eadwacer]

So I'm trying to figure out whether, etiquette-wise, I'm supposed to respond to an email informing me I'm on a wait list or not. The email only explicitly says to respond if you have another offer, it doesn't mention people still in limbo at all, but I've also read some recommendations from various other internet places that I should politely reply and gather information about the timeline of their wait list process. I'm not sure how helpful that would even be, since I'm sure it varies by area of specialty, but at the same time, I always feel like it's more polite to say thank you and ask a question than to just ignore an email. Any thoughts or recommendations for how I am actually, practically supposed to reply, or even if I am?

Tl;dr I don't know how to do basic social interaction, help me be polite to the admissions people.

[engphiledu]

My thoughts (and I, by no means, am an expert on this, so feel free to ignore), would be to respond to the email, thanking them for the opportunity, your excitement at being considered, etc., and then assure them that if you decide to accept another offer, you'll be prompt with your notification. Generally, when it comes to the waiting list, they're still on the same deadline as everyone else (April 15). That means, they'll be waiting for people to accept/decline the wait list offer for several more months since some programs will notify much later.

However, I have also found that generally they don't expect a response, and that they assume you'll notify them if your status changes. During this busy season, sending an email won't hurt, but they also will be prioritizing emails. That means that although most people I am sure would be happy to answer any questions you may have, I wouldn't necessarily email them about their waitlist timeline/process. 

I hope that makes some sense. Congrats, by the way, on your waitlist! I know it doesn't feel as good as an outright acceptance, but you should still feel very pleased at having been placed on a waitlist. 

[Ramus]

1 hour ago, engphiledu said:

My thoughts (and I, by no means, am an expert on this, so feel free to ignore), would be to respond to the email, thanking them for the opportunity, your excitement at being considered, etc., and then assure them that if you decide to accept another offer, you'll be prompt with your notification. 

Frankly, @eadwacer,  I don't think they care much at this point if you respond or not -- they're too busy to sit there tallying which applicants send nice emails and which don't. But I still agree with @engphiledu. Niceties never hurt. Send a brief and polite email saying more or less what engphiledu said. You don't need to bother asking about timelines, since you can safely assume you'll know something in advance of April 15th. 

Edited January 28, 2017 by Ramus

[eadwacer]

I thought I replied to this last week, but apparently not. Thank you for your advice, both of you.