When silence is fantasized as a waitlist

[Yanaka]

@KTF87 initiated the idea of an imaginary waitlist, on which all of us lost in the dark are hoping that not knowing does not imply rejection. Rather, that it is a 1% chance of being on some sort of secret waitlist about which none of us have been told.

How many of you are in the same delusional darkness, and are still nurturing hope?

[KTF87]

thank you @Yanaka
you also earn the credit of naming the list as such.

are you going through this too? how many unis?

I know that 3 JHU acceptances were documented on GR, and 1 waitlist....no rejections yet

I am hoping I am on this imaginary waitlist...

who else??

[Yanaka]

4 hours ago, KTF87 said:

thank you @Yanaka
you also earn the credit of naming the list as such.

are you going through this too? how many unis?

I know that 3 JHU acceptances were documented on GR, and 1 waitlist....no rejections yet

I am hoping I am on this imaginary waitlist...

who else??

Looks like there are only the two of us weirdos  

Yes well the only "official unofficial rejection that I'd rather think is a waitlist and someone forgot to notify my and change my status" would be from UCLA. They've sent out a lot of acceptances for Comp Lit and they didn't seem to be particularly late. I know that no news is better than bad news, but I can't help half-think that it's a rejection.

 

[chellyfish_]

Aahhh this thread describes my life right now -- made worse by looking at past years results and seeing that some people who hadn't heard acceptances or rejections yet actually WERE waitlisted. THE STRESS!

[Yanaka]

14 minutes ago, eliza_winter said:

Aahhh this thread describes my life right now -- made worse by looking at past years results and seeing that some people who hadn't heard acceptances or rejections yet actually WERE waitlisted. THE STRESS!

Or knowing from GC that the later you hear, the baddest the news seem to get  

[what-the-what]

4 hours ago, eliza_winter said:

Aahhh this thread describes my life right now -- made worse by looking at past years results and seeing that some people who hadn't heard acceptances or rejections yet actually WERE waitlisted. THE STRESS!

I finally gave in and called one school where I'd been waiting since December, and I know they had already sent out acceptances and rejections last month, but also in past years sometimes had late decisions go out too (based on the results board). They were very nice, but it turns out they somehow lost my application in the system. I don't know if they did or didn't review it, or how it got missed or lost when it was "out to department" in the system, but I was not on their internal decision list as accept or reject. The poor woman in the department couldn't say anything but that she'd check with the chair and get back to me. But it sounds bad. 

I'm still hoping for secret wait list here (which is what I'd been hoping) but ... I think ... it's going to be bad news.

There's a point at which it's not a bad idea to call and check in if you haven't heard anything and it's clear decisions have gone out.

[chellyfish_]

3 hours ago, what-the-what said:

I finally gave in and called one school where I'd been waiting since December, and I know they had already sent out acceptances and rejections last month, but also in past years sometimes had late decisions go out too (based on the results board). They were very nice, but it turns out they somehow lost my application in the system. I don't know if they did or didn't review it, or how it got missed or lost when it was "out to department" in the system, but I was not on their internal decision list as accept or reject. The poor woman in the department couldn't say anything but that she'd check with the chair and get back to me. But it sounds bad. 

I'm still hoping for secret wait list here (which is what I'd been hoping) but ... I think ... it's going to be bad news.

There's a point at which it's not a bad idea to call and check in if you haven't heard anything and it's clear decisions have gone out.

What the what is right!! That is so horrible and strange! D:   I'm hoping the best for you, and that they at least give it proper consideration as they would have done normally! Goodness! 

[clinamen]

Emerging from the shadows here and finally going to post -- I've had a really rough admissions season so far with only rejections. Still have a few more schools to hear from but is it crazy to hope that I'm on some kind of waitlist for Brown? I looked at the results board and haven't seen any posted waitlists this season or any of the previous years.. So maybe they just don't notify people who are on the waitlist? Thoughts? 

[anxiousphd]

1 hour ago, clinamen said:

Emerging from the shadows here and finally going to post -- I've had a really rough admissions season so far with only rejections. Still have a few more schools to hear from but is it crazy to hope that I'm on some kind of waitlist for Brown? I looked at the results board and haven't seen any posted waitlists this season or any of the previous years.. So maybe they just don't notify people who are on the waitlist? Thoughts? 

It's possible! I am still holding out a little hope for Brown, too

 

[phoebusrising]

1 hour ago, clinamen said:

Emerging from the shadows here and finally going to post -- I've had a really rough admissions season so far with only rejections. Still have a few more schools to hear from but is it crazy to hope that I'm on some kind of waitlist for Brown? I looked at the results board and haven't seen any posted waitlists this season or any of the previous years.. So maybe they just don't notify people who are on the waitlist? Thoughts? 

It's possible. Until we know for sure I think we'll all be holding out that tiny bit of hope. But according to previous years timetables rejections should be going out any day now. 

[Yanaka]

Don't forget that not all applicants are on GC, guys! So because there are no notifications about being waitlisted, it doesn't mean that it's not being done  

[KTF87]

so a new description appeared on the JHU application portal saying: "APPLICANT COMPLETE"

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN????

[Dr. Old Bill]

I think you can safely let go of JHU. They're a small program to begin with, and given the number of acceptances they sent out a couple of weeks ago, it's highly unlikely that they'll be sending any more.

Just my two cents, of course, but sometimes holding on to faint hope is more psychologically damaging than just assuming a rejection!

[KTF87]

4 minutes ago, Wyatt's Terps said:

I think you can safely let go of JHU. They're a small program to begin with, and given the number of acceptances they sent out a couple of weeks ago, it's highly unlikely that they'll be sending any more.

Just my two cents, of course, but sometimes holding on to faint hope is more psychologically damaging than just assuming a rejection!

hehehe yes yes, your two cents are a fortune; it is a rejection, i am sure of it!!

and what do u think of NYU? do i let go? hehe

[Dr. Old Bill]

Just now, KTF87 said:

hehehe yes yes, your two cents are a fortune; it is a rejection, i am sure of it!!

and what do u think of NYU? do i let go? hehe

Two more cents: I'd probably let go of NYU, but I'm less certain about that one because it's a larger program and their decisions only just went out. That being said, if others have already been accepted and waitlisted, it's probably a no-go as well, so temper your expectations...

 

[what-the-what]

14 hours ago, eliza_winter said:

What the what is right!! That is so horrible and strange! D:   I'm hoping the best for you, and that they at least give it proper consideration as they would have done normally! Goodness! 

Thank you, that's kind. :-) Unfortunately, given that they've already sent acceptances and so many schools have limited slots, I think best case scenario is a wait list at this point, but most likely just a rejection. I've had a weird season this year, between this "lost" application, and then getting the wrong funding offer from another school and having them take it back. Makes me appreciate the organized ones!

[chellyfish_]

Also I forgot to mention this yesterday -- not sure if this will be damaging or bolstering to y'all (bolstering, I hope), but my silence actually WAS! A! WAITLIST! There's hope! 

[theburiedgirl815]

I'm feeling this right now. I haven't heard anything from any of my programs and I'm getting more anxious by the day. I'm letting go of Emory because I wasn't contacted for an interview, so that's an implied rejection. I know NYU has been delayed with notifications, but I've seen a couple of acceptances popping up in results so I'm assuming the rejections and waitlist notifs are going to come early next week. Not much from Brown yet (at least on GC) but I will be absolutely shocked if I manage to get waitlisted because that program was a bit of a stretch for me.

I have my fingers crossed for the NYU waitlist at this point. I just want to hear any news, honestly. I'M DYING HERE.

[Captain Cabinets]

9 minutes ago, theburiedgirl815 said:

I have my fingers crossed for the NYU waitlist at this point. I just want to hear any news, honestly. I'M DYING HERE.

Same here, and I'm also still hoping against hope for Columbia. Considering the lack of interview, though, I should probably just accept it for what it is...

[clinamen]

1 hour ago, Captain Cabinets said:

Same here, and I'm also still hoping against hope for Columbia. Considering the lack of interview, though, I should probably just accept it for what it is...

I too am not completely writing off Columbia; the speculation on GC forums about subfields either interviewing or not interviewing has instilled in me a (very) tentative hopefulness..  

[ThousandsHardships]

There are four schools I haven't heard from. I cracked about a week ago and emailed a professor from my alma mater about my status. He hasn't written back and I'm not sure what to make of it. I'm comforting myself by thinking that if they do reject me, it will make my choice much easier. I've been getting pretty excited about the one program I have been accepted to, but I know that if my alma mater accepts me, there's very little chance I'd be able to turn it down.

Other than that...I've heard through the grapevine that the other three schools have already conducted interviews and/or decided who to invite for campus visits, so those are very likely to be rejects, but yeah, that silent hope for a waitlist still exists no matter how little the chances are. I just wish I'd know already.

Then there's a school that I actually am on the waitlist for...and top of the waitlist, so I'm told...of course, it does take more than one accepted candidate to reject his/her offer for the waitlist to move, but this is truly a game of chance, and I'm not sure I can wait until this is finalized. I think once I know the results of the other four schools, I'm just going to have to consult with faculty to see if this is something worth waiting for.

Edited February 19, 2017 by ThousandsHardships

[Yanaka]

On 2/18/2017 at 3:01 PM, Wyatt's Terps said:

Two more cents: I'd probably let go of NYU, but I'm less certain about that one because it's a larger program and their decisions only just went out. That being said, if others have already been accepted and waitlisted, it's probably a no-go as well, so temper your expectations...

 

Booo I don't want to let go of NYU either! I'm sad this season was so bad. I know it was the first etc etc but ugh.

[ThousandsHardships]

5 hours ago, Yanaka said:

Booo I don't want to let go of NYU either! I'm sad this season was so bad. I know it was the first etc etc but ugh.

I'm not convinced you (or any other applicant) is actually going to give up hope, nor should you. There's always a part of us that hopes for a miracle, no matter what the improbabilities, and this attitude has gotten humankind far. There are so many things that we consider normal today that would have been considered miracles only a couple of centuries ago. As far as your application is concerned, by all means have backup plans, act upon them, and accept them. But that's it. There's no need to entirely let this go, not yet.

I'd also like to point out that none of the posters in this thread are from comparative literature. Grad school isn't like undergrad, where all acceptances and rejections roll out at the same time. In grad school, the department and program admit students, not the school as a whole. One program's timeline is not going to match that of the others. I do not see any acceptances for your program posted in the results section of this site, and so there is every possibility that your program has not notified students yet. 

[Yanaka]

Pas faux, @ThousandsHardships. I noticed Comp Lit programs notify a few days after English, which explains why I'm so deeply affected by English results  

But you're right, I'm not giving hope until I see the "NAH". It's indeed psychologically impossible.

[KTF87]

6 hours ago, Yanaka said:

Booo I don't want to let go of NYU either! I'm sad this season was so bad. I know it was the first etc etc but ugh.

were the Comp Lit results out?!  i hope it works for you!

as for English (what I'm applying to), I am hoping 3 acceptances and 1 waitlist on GC are actually the only ones so far, even outside GC! hahaha too ambitious