Should I be worried that I haven't heard ANYTHING?

[hlsny]

I'm applying for physics PhD programs and haven't heard a peep from any of the schools I applied to. One, I know for sure emails all decisions in March, but that's it. I'm really worried that I haven't heard from any of them. I see other people already getting in. I have this horrible feeling that February will pass and I won't hear anything, which will surely mean I've been rejected, and then I'll have to wait some MORE for the inevitable rejection email. At this point, should I be assuming that's just what's going to happen? Should I contact the departments about my application status?

[redikulus]

No.

But in my shoes, I've seen acceptances posted and I've heard nothing, so that's worse. All that's left is a rejection. Or maybe I'm waitlisted and they don't want to tell me. Or maybe I'm in that last pile of "not as desirable" applicants.

Also, a lot of people don't do interviews or only interview the one's they aren't 100% about. Then again, some schools only interview the people they are 99% sure about, just to double-check they aren't psychos in person. Ugh. It's non-uniform. You can't tell anything from not having heard anything yet.

[TakeruK]

No information is only bad if you know for sure that the school typically only makes one round of admissions. But even if this is typical, things might be different this year. There is a lot more uncertainty in the future of government funding for science etc. this year than in other years. I guess one other bad sign is that if the school has scheduled a visit weekend and that date has passed without you hearing something, then it's more likely to be a rejection than an acceptance.

It's still pretty early. You will likely hear a lot in the next 2 weeks. Even if the school has already accepted some people, they might send out more offers later. Some schools may choose to admit the top students right away because they are sure about those and then send more admissions later on as they get a better sense of who is going to be accepting their offers.