Waitlist Movement

[Joasia0429]

30 minutes ago, positivitize said:

Yeah, IU's Recruitment Day is today. I'm actually typing this from inside their grad student lounge. The campus is huge.

When it's all said and done give us the 411 on what it's like! (Also, what is your impression of Bloomington?)

[Sunsy]

I just turned down offers from Johns Hopkins and Notre Dame today. Hope that helps someone!

[piers_plowman]

At this point I've declined offers from UC Davis, UC Irvine, UNC Chapel Hill, Johns Hopkins, and Michigan - hope someone here benefits!

[Dr. Old Bill]

I don't think this will have much of an effect on anyone here, but I just removed myself from the Ph.D. waitlist at the U of A Hudson Strode Program in Medieval and Early Modern Studies. It's a fantastic program, and I'm sure there will be some lingering questions of "what if?" in the weeks and months to come, but since I won't have the opportunity to visit their campus and interact etc., whereas I have with my two other options, this just makes sense.

[mouthfulofstars]

Anyone have any news regarding the University of Miami's PhD program? I unexpectedly got waitlisted by them today and they're looking like my only (potential) option to go straight to a PhD.

Edited March 28, 2017 by mouthfulofstars

[Scarlet A+]

I've received a fully funded MA offer from University of Alabama and Purdue University, but I'm on the wait-list for Ole Miss admission and for Villanova funding. Can I use these offers to move up on wait-lists, and if so, how would I word the email? Trying really hard to stay professional, but I only have so much time before April 15th and I want to visit the campus before I accept, but in order to justify a visit, I need to be accepted. Help please. 

[ThousandsHardships]

22 minutes ago, Scarlet A+ said:

I've received a fully funded MA offer from University of Alabama and Purdue University, but I'm on the wait-list for Ole Miss admission and for Villanova funding. Can I use these offers to move up on wait-lists, and if so, how would I word the email? Trying really hard to stay professional, but I only have so much time before April 15th and I want to visit the campus before I accept, but in order to justify a visit, I need to be accepted. Help please. 

I would only do that with a university that you're nearly sure to attend if they agree to your request. Simply shoot them an email to tell them how much you love their school and program and what a great fit you think it is. Say that you've already been accepted by two programs with full funding, that you'd love to make a decision as soon as you can, but that you'd highly prefer their program instead. I don't think you need to be clear that you're trying to negotiate. By telling them these facts, you're already giving a hint. Personally, I doubt it'll work for admissions. If they're desperate to have you, they'd have admitted you already. It might work for funding though. This is only my guess. I have no personal experience in this area, unfortunately.

Edited March 28, 2017 by ThousandsHardships

[brontebitch]

I was on the waitlist for funding at Villanova, but I just officially declined my offer. There should be some movement on the waitlist, at least, but it sounds like most of the funding offers have already been accepted by incoming students. Good luck everyone!!!! 

[ratanegra19]

On 3/24/2017 at 6:54 AM, imogenshakes said:

I accepted my offer at Davis yesterday and sent out emails declining all of my other fully funded offers, so there should be some movement (hopefully) at Riverside, Madison, UGA, Iowa, and Santa Barbara. I also pulled my name off the waitlist at GWU (I was "very high" on it, apparently, whatever that means), so for what that's worth. I hope someone here gets one of these spots!

Sorry not to see you at UCSB in the Fall, but I'm sure you'll be super happy at Davis--it was great to meet you IRL!

On 3/24/2017 at 8:51 AM, Joasia0429 said:

When it's all said and done give us the 411 on what it's like! (Also, what is your impression of Bloomington?)

@Joasia0429, I was also at the Recruitment Day for IU. It was very big and impressive, and I actually really liked Bloomington. The cohort was great, and the faculty were solid. Like @positivitize said, it's actually a mind-bogglingly big school, too. However, I feel like my other choice (Santa Barbara) is a better fit for me overall, so I will be turning down my funded offer from IU today or tomorrow. IDK how their waitlist works (if it's in terms of strong candidates or if they're trying to maintain a certain field distribution--I'm 20th/21st century American, emphasis in cognitive approaches to literature), but I'm crossing my fingers that maybe you can receive my offer!

[KikiDelivery]

I just turned down CU-Boulder and Iowa, as I will be attending the University of Pittsburgh in the fall of 2017. I am sad I had to turn these amazing programs down, but I hope that someone else is able to join them!

[loganondorf]

I turned down a lit position at Pittsburgh. Hope this helps someone!

[Joasia0429]

16 hours ago, ratanegra19 said:

Sorry not to see you at UCSB in the Fall, but I'm sure you'll be super happy at Davis--it was great to meet you IRL!

@Joasia0429, I was also at the Recruitment Day for IU. It was very big and impressive, and I actually really liked Bloomington. The cohort was great, and the faculty were solid. Like @positivitize said, it's actually a mind-bogglingly big school, too. However, I feel like my other choice (Santa Barbara) is a better fit for me overall, so I will be turning down my funded offer from IU today or tomorrow. IDK how their waitlist works (if it's in terms of strong candidates or if they're trying to maintain a certain field distribution--I'm 20th/21st century American, emphasis in cognitive approaches to literature), but I'm crossing my fingers that maybe you can receive my offer!

 

Wow! Thank you for the info @ratanegra19. It was good to hear your feedback on both the school and the city. I went to a large state school myself, and I find the size of a campus like that really energizes me! If somehow I could be slotted for your spot/offer, that would be amazing...  

Regardless of what happens, glad to hear that you found the right fit for you and your pursuits! 

[ratanegra19]

23 hours ago, Joasia0429 said:

Wow! Thank you for the info @ratanegra19. It was good to hear your feedback on both the school and the city. I went to a large state school myself, and I find the size of a campus like that really energizes me! If somehow I could be slotted for your spot/offer, that would be amazing...  

Regardless of what happens, glad to hear that you found the right fit for you and your pursuits! 

Thanks, same to you!

[positivitize]

I just did the unthinkable and turned down a funded/fellowship position from Indiana-Bloomington's PhD program in favor of a Masters at Syracuse. Hopefully I did it early enough for someone from here to take my spot. Good luck @Joasia0429!

[steve3020]

I wanna ask for people's opinions. So I emailed a graduate assistant at one university and got a reply that I'm on the waitlist and I should contact him again by the end of April. I asked him about my place on the waitlist but he doesn't have information. The question is: would it be annoying if I email the DGS and ask about how the waitlist works, what are my chances, etc.? I'm a bit hesitant because they didn't send out an official waitlist email or anything through the DGS, so it seems a bit too forward...yet I'm really eager to know what the chances are since this is one of my top choices. Any thoughts? 

[engphiledu]

13 hours ago, steve3020 said:

I wanna ask for people's opinions. So I emailed a graduate assistant at one university and got a reply that I'm on the waitlist and I should contact him again by the end of April. I asked him about my place on the waitlist but he doesn't have information. The question is: would it be annoying if I email the DGS and ask about how the waitlist works, what are my chances, etc.? I'm a bit hesitant because they didn't send out an official waitlist email or anything through the DGS, so it seems a bit too forward...yet I'm really eager to know what the chances are since this is one of my top choices. Any thoughts? 

Email/Call the DGS. I hope that grad student didn't mean end of April - it's a bit late if that's when they're hoping to get responses out, especially if you have schools who have the deadline of April 15.  You can explain that you'd like to know your chances since they are one of your top choices. Likely, if it's an unranked list, the best they'll be able to tell you is to wait until April 15. If you have to wait until the 15th, then you may have to make a difficult decision to accept your guaranteed offer before hearing back. Sometimes you can ask for a decision deadline extension from a program, but not always.

[steve3020]

8 hours ago, engphiledu said:

Email/Call the DGS. I hope that grad student didn't mean end of April - it's a bit late if that's when they're hoping to get responses out, especially if you have schools who have the deadline of April 15.  You can explain that you'd like to know your chances since they are one of your top choices. Likely, if it's an unranked list, the best they'll be able to tell you is to wait until April 15. If you have to wait until the 15th, then you may have to make a difficult decision to accept your guaranteed offer before hearing back. Sometimes you can ask for a decision deadline extension from a program, but not always.

Hi, thanks for reply. I think I didn't' make myself clear. The person whom I've been in touch with is the graduate administrator, not a graduate student. So he is the right person to go to about these questions. That's why I'm wondering if it's appropriate to go to the DGS when he says he doesn't have info about my position in the waitlist. 

And it's a Canadian university so they don't follow the 15 April thing I think... 

[engphiledu]

7 hours ago, steve3020 said:

Hi, thanks for reply. I think I didn't' make myself clear. The person whom I've been in touch with is the graduate administrator, not a graduate student. So he is the right person to go to about these questions. That's why I'm wondering if it's appropriate to go to the DGS when he says he doesn't have info about my position in the waitlist. 

And it's a Canadian university so they don't follow the 15 April thing I think... 

Ah! My apologies. Do you have any schools that you're looking to accept which follow the April 15 deadline? If so, that could be an explanation as to why you would need the information sooner.

If the graduate assistant is the person who's the primary contact during this process, then perhaps they don't have a ranked waitlist. If they don't have a ranked waitlist, then it would be more difficult for him or anyone else in the department to give you a clearer idea. 

My best advice would be to just wait it out, then, but only if you don't have any schools on your list that you're really interested in which follow the April 15 deadline. If you do have schools with that deadline that you would accept pending the waitlist doesn't convert, then you should probably go forward with making contact. You don't want to miss an opportunity to attend a program if you're waiting on a non-guaranteed option.

Sorry for all the confusion of my earlier response!

[steve3020]

10 minutes ago, engphiledu said:

Ah! My apologies. Do you have any schools that you're looking to accept which follow the April 15 deadline? If so, that could be an explanation as to why you would need the information sooner.

If the graduate assistant is the person who's the primary contact during this process, then perhaps they don't have a ranked waitlist. If they don't have a ranked waitlist, then it would be more difficult for him or anyone else in the department to give you a clearer idea. 

My best advice would be to just wait it out, then, but only if you don't have any schools on your list that you're really interested in which follow the April 15 deadline. If you do have schools with that deadline that you would accept pending the waitlist doesn't convert, then you should probably go forward with making contact. You don't want to miss an opportunity to attend a program if you're waiting on a non-guaranteed option.

Sorry for all the confusion of my earlier response!

Thanks again. I went ahead with asking the DGS politely for more information. Hopefully they'll let me know! 

[ratanegra19]

Does anyone have info on UCLA?

I emailed the DGS last week, but all he could tell me is that there are 12 people on the waitlist, that the waitlist works in terms of maintaining field distribution rather than a ranked list, and that very few people have made a decision one way or another at this point.

I'm pretty much sold on Santa Barbara, but turning down a funded offer from UCLA (if I end up getting it) would truly be madness. 

[Chburdick]

I just turned down my offer at the University of Minnesota, if that helps anyone!

[steve3020]

13 hours ago, ratanegra19 said:

Does anyone have info on UCLA?

I emailed the DGS last week, but all he could tell me is that there are 12 people on the waitlist, that the waitlist works in terms of maintaining field distribution rather than a ranked list, and that very few people have made a decision one way or another at this point.

I'm pretty much sold on Santa Barbara, but turning down a funded offer from UCLA (if I end up getting it) would truly be madness. 

I was reading the waitlist thread of 2015 and two people got in off the waitlist at UCLA at the last minute. Sorry I don't have any info on this year, but perhaps this may cheer you up. 

[ratanegra19]

8 hours ago, steve3020 said:

I was reading the waitlist thread of 2015 and two people got in off the waitlist at UCLA at the last minute. Sorry I don't have any info on this year, but perhaps this may cheer you up. 

Hey, where there's precedent there's hope! Thanks, Steve  

[cookiepolice]

I'm currently waitlisted for Berkeley's Rhetoric program. Anyone else on the waitlist or choosing between Rhetoric and another program? 

[claritus]

Officially declined PhD offers from JHU and Brown yesterday, as well as an MA offer from UBC. Hope this helps someone!