Alternate list...

[Ilikekitties]

I got on the alternate list for my top choice PhD program. Does anyone know what this means? Like, do I have an actual chance for acceptance, or does it depend on the program? I have no idea how many people are also on the alternate list. Is it good, bad, or neutral? I just don't wanna get my hopes up.

 

Edited February 13, 2017 by Peanut

[.letmeinplz//]

For wait listing they make their offers to admitted students and when admitted students reject acceptances they pass those slots onto those on the wait list. Your chance of making off the wait list depends on your rank on the list as well as how many reject their offer. Something I don't know (someone who has more experience with wait lists and admissions can probably speak better to it) is if the wait list is all prospective students beyond target seats or not. For example, a school who thinks they will get 50% of students to accept their acceptance might invite double the amount of seats (so 20 admits for 10 seats). Is the wait list composed of students 11-20 (and they are trying to prevent ever getting more than 10 students) or is it 21+ (in the event that the acceptance of offer rate is lower than 50%)?

You certainly have a chance though, otherwise they would have rejected you.

[Ilikekitties]

4 minutes ago, .letmeinplz// said:

For wait listing they make their offers to admitted students and when admitted students reject acceptances they pass those slots onto those on the wait list. Your chance of making off the wait list depends on your rank on the list as well as how many reject their offer. Something I don't know (someone who has more experience with wait lists and admissions can probably speak better to it) is if the wait list is all prospective students beyond target seats or not. For example, a school who thinks they will get 50% of students to accept their acceptance might invite double the amount of seats (so 20 admits for 10 seats). Is the wait list composed of students 11-20 (and they are trying to prevent ever getting more than 10 students) or is it 21+ (in the event that the acceptance of offer rate is lower than 50%)?

You certainly have a chance though, otherwise they would have rejected you.

Yeah, I guess it's all a number game now. Up to chance! It's not comforting. 

[farflung]

1 hour ago, Peanut said:

Yeah, I guess it's all a number game now. Up to chance! It's not comforting. 

Wait list is better than nothing! In my program, we usually accept around 12, hoping to get a cohort of 6-8. There are random years we get 10 who accept, and some where we get like 3-5 people who accept. During the latter scenario, we end up pulling a couple of people off the wait list. The wait list is ranked but not super large (our cohorts aren't very large to begin with so this makes sense). Later in the waiting period, you can and should re-contact the department to ask about your chances. If you're tactful in how you ask, they may be willing to share where on the wait list you are, and whether they anticipate pulling anyone off the wait list this cycle. But they're unlikely to know until after admitted students visit the campus in February/March and begin to make commitments. Do you know when the admitted students weekend is? Wait 2 weeks past then, then contact about your standing. 

[farflung]

Also, an encouraging note: PhD programs only put people on the wait list when they could actually envision that person attending and succeeding in their program. It means you were in the running-- and more than that-- several faculty likely pulled for your application during the admissions committee meeting. That's great news, especially if you end up applying to the program again next application season. 

[Ilikekitties]

8 hours ago, farflung said:

Wait list is better than nothing! In my program, we usually accept around 12, hoping to get a cohort of 6-8. There are random years we get 10 who accept, and some where we get like 3-5 people who accept. During the latter scenario, we end up pulling a couple of people off the wait list. The wait list is ranked but not super large (our cohorts aren't very large to begin with so this makes sense). Later in the waiting period, you can and should re-contact the department to ask about your chances. If you're tactful in how you ask, they may be willing to share where on the wait list you are, and whether they anticipate pulling anyone off the wait list this cycle. But they're unlikely to know until after admitted students visit the campus in February/March and begin to make commitments. Do you know when the admitted students weekend is? Wait 2 weeks past then, then contact about your standing. 

I don't know when the admitted students weekend is. I saw one online for the undergrads, but I didn't see anything for their anthropology dept. The email said that I should expect to receive a decision by early April.

[Ilikekitties]

8 hours ago, farflung said:

Also, an encouraging note: PhD programs only put people on the wait list when they could actually envision that person attending and succeeding in their program. It means you were in the running-- and more than that-- several faculty likely pulled for your application during the admissions committee meeting. That's great news, especially if you end up applying to the program again next application season. 

Their cultural anthro program does staggered admission, so I'd have to wait until Fall 2018 to apply again.

[farflung]

17 hours ago, .letmeinplz// said:

For wait listing they make their offers to admitted students and when admitted students reject acceptances they pass those slots onto those on the wait list. Your chance of making off the wait list depends on your rank on the list as well as how many reject their offer. Something I don't know (someone who has more experience with wait lists and admissions can probably speak better to it) is if the wait list is all prospective students beyond target seats or not. For example, a school who thinks they will get 50% of students to accept their acceptance might invite double the amount of seats (so 20 admits for 10 seats). Is the wait list composed of students 11-20 (and they are trying to prevent ever getting more than 10 students) or is it 21+ (in the event that the acceptance of offer rate is lower than 50%)?

You certainly have a chance though, otherwise they would have rejected you.

In your example, the wait list for my department would be students 21+ -- the third scenario. In other words, we do factor in that not all students will accept their admissions offers-- and we offer admission beyond the # we'd like to see actually attend. We use the wait list when our acceptance rate among admitted students is really low. 

[farflung]

8 hours ago, Peanut said:

Their cultural anthro program does staggered admission, so I'd have to wait until Fall 2018 to apply again.

ugh ugh ugh whyyyyyy! I've heard of programs doing this and it seems like such a terrible system (in comparison to just accepting very small cohorts every single year)! It does up the stakes of being on the wait list. 

[Ilikekitties]

Ikr! Like it just makes it harder for students who really want to go to this program (I do). For an idea of numbers, this program, in 2015 (their last admission cycle), there were 123 applicants and they accepted 21 of them. 10 applicants accepted the offer.

Edited February 14, 2017 by Peanut