CS Applicants: How many have yet to hear?

[VisionMachine]

With the increased frequencies of acceptances/rejections posted in the results forum for Computer Science PhD, I am kinda perplexed that I am yet to hear from any of the schools that I have applied to. I mean not even an email, or phone call, or a status update on the website (all my applications are complete though - I got that sure soon after the deadline), and I have applied to 6 of them.

Although statistically speaking (and after skimming this forum) I have figured that - 1 or 2 may never revert back, but a stony silence from all 6 of them?

Is it too early in the game? Or are they just biding their time (because sending a big batch of reject letters is probably logistically easy (for the mail merge program at least))? (Or is that my mind playing dirty tricks on me -- delay implies rejection?)

So how many of you are in this apparently shrinking pool of "ignored" applicants? -- "ignored" means really IGNORED.. no phone call, no titillating ambiguous emails, no interviews, no response... just "Under Review" or "Complete and Submitted" in the application forms?

Around what date do the schools finish sending out most acceptances and then just largely send out rejects? (I mean I can finally abandon my obsessiveness with this whole thing (yeah yeah, I know we're all the same!) and look forward...)

[joro]

What schools are you looking to hear back from?

[VisionMachine]

The usual list for someone in Northeast -- Brown, Harvard, Columbia, NYU, UPenn, and BU

[mallu]

The usual list for someone in Northeast -- Brown, Harvard, Columbia, NYU, UPenn, and BU

Brown sent one email to inform that the application is sent for review. They have not acknowledged the receipt of any documents.

Columbia has not communicated anything.

Edited February 10, 2010 by mallu

[OH YEAH]

I haven't heard from most of my programs Don't despair though--I got a mass e-mail from Yale after silence and I thought for sure I was rejected, but was pleasantly surprised... maybe the same will happen to you! (and me...)

Edited February 10, 2010 by OH YEAH

[VisionMachine]

Hmmm.... Oh well.

Seems like many have heard from at least one of their schools. But I am still stuck with nothing, nada. The only way I am cheering myself up is by repeating to myself -- "Hey, at least it's not a rejection yet!"

But to be honest, the best thing to do is to look at so many things you can thankful for around you. Sit down with a hot soothing cup of chamomile tea and try to keep up the mask of pleasant sanity.

I hope congress passes a law for Universities to mandatory reply a PAYING applicant enquiry within 24 hours of the DETAILED status of their application. But oh wait - they are busy right now demolishing health care reform for Americans.

Oh well.. Back to square one.

[grotesqueidols]

My boyfriend applied to 7 places and has only heard from one: a bit of a special case, very personal message, not one of the places that you applied to. That committee seemed to think he was one of the top applicants out there, yet nothing from anywhere else yet. Basically I am saying it isn't worth being worried yet

a PAYING applicant enquiry within 24 hours of the DETAILED status of their application.

Sigh sigh sigh sigh sigh! And you applied to BU too! DOUBLE sigh.

I used to work within an academic department at BU and dude, seriously, your application fee does not actually cover how much work goes into adequately dealing with your application.

Think this all the way through. Someone in the Graduate Admissions office has to spend time to individually gather your material as it comes in, note it in the database, make a number of certified copies of each, file everything properly, and send one complete package on to the department. If something is missing, the GRE scores maybe, they may spend time hunting them down or contacting you about it. Plus they have to answer the phone each time it rings to reassure worried applicants that everything is there OR to deal with problems. Within the department, an administrator receives the complete packet, reviews it again to make sure it is complete, logs the information into the department database and creates a paper file for you. Yes there is a paper file for everyone, of course. They certify any copies of anything that are made. That person has to take your frantic calls and deal with all of your problems as well.

This is all done so nothing is lost, accountability, paper trail and all that. Work study students cannot do any of this for confidentiality reasons. Next this all goes to the admissions committee within the department. Maybe this is three profs, maybe this is more...but each of them earns x amount of money and their time is money. Believe it or not they do spend time reviewing and discussing each application and make significant comments on it in written format, even for crappy applications. They go over them all multiple times. Following this, there is further admin work for both accepted and rejected applications.

Your $90 most likely does not cover the amount of time it takes across several offices to deal with your application. Depending on the seniority of the admission committee it probably doesn't even pay what their hourly rate divides out to. Now pay me in my job, the people in the grad offices...Heck, if you had a phone interview, that is even more time. Mix in how much time the person in the grad office and the admin in the department will spend answering emails and phone calls from angry people who did not get admitted (you can't imagine how horrible those people can be). You are getting more than your money's worth and you are the one who decided to apply!

Sorry to rant. In conclusion: if you are worried call the department admin. If they can tell you at what stage they are at, they will. Be nice though, the job sucks at this time of year and it isn't their fault.

[VisionMachine]

@grotesqueidols

I agree with all what you say.

My comments of course are purely tongue in cheek.

Most professors reviewing my application are probably paid 5 times as much for the same time spent as a consultant. So, I do know that the application fee only goes so far.

There are overworked admins (I see my own dept secretary laboriously sifting through piles!) and not to mention the tremendous amount of paperwork that needs to go through everywhere. I am always pleasant to admins in particular and will usually give them a small thank you card if they did something for me or some chocolates. Even if an admin is rude to me, I know it not to take it personally.

My whole point in all of this is that I am merely playing out a parody of a desperate waiting applicant. When I am just sitting there twiddling my thumbs (and procrastinating by the way on work to be done!), thoughts -- evil thoughts, fantastical thoughts play out in my mind. And the stony silence from the application process does not help.

To be honest -- most of us are like that youtube girlfriend hounding her boyfriend who is unavailable due to his phone failing, you know -- "Where are you?" "Why aren't you answering my calls?" "If you don't call me back soon, our relationship is over" "I am sorry honey, please call me back..." "Oh my god... what did I do wrong?"...

:-)

P.S: Thank you for all the work you did at BU for which you were not acknowledged!

[grotesqueidols]

Eep now I feel like a doof! So many people on this forum seem to have a serious amount of bile uncontrollably spewing from their orifices over the application fee and I've been getting more and more pouty about it. I took your words to be sincere: I'm sorry to lump you in with them!

Again, you can't imagine how horrible some people are over the phone right now, I took my past out on you! One applicant would call me every single day asking if a particular rec had arrived...seeming to blame me (??) for its absence. When it DID arrive the professor had written "I recommend so and so for admittance." That was it. Suffice to say that person did not make the cut. I can remember every detail of the ensuing post-rejection phone call to this day. The prevailing theme was always "waste of money," "didn't get money's worth," etc. The lead up to the application deadline was "it costs too much," "can you waive the fee," and the ol' "this is my profile and I don't want to pay money unless I will get in, do YOU think I will get in?"

I left that job to go get a phd, so go figure A phd that I am supposed to be writing right now, yet I am typing on a forum. Come on section 2.2.4!

But for real, my boyfriend has a single acceptance which is seemingly the only acceptance this school has sent out. There is a particular person he would like to work with there and he had his application in obscenely early. Nothing from anywhere else.

[thisAintNoGame]

With the increased frequencies of acceptances/rejections posted in the results forum for Computer Science PhD, I am kinda perplexed that I am yet to hear from any of the schools that I have applied to. I mean not even an email, or phone call, or a status update on the website (all my applications are complete though - I got that sure soon after the deadline), and I have applied to 6 of them.

Although statistically speaking (and after skimming this forum) I have figured that - 1 or 2 may never revert back, but a stony silence from all 6 of them?

Is it too early in the game? Or are they just biding their time (because sending a big batch of reject letters is probably logistically easy (for the mail merge program at least))? (Or is that my mind playing dirty tricks on me -- delay implies rejection?)

So how many of you are in this apparently shrinking pool of "ignored" applicants? -- "ignored" means really IGNORED.. no phone call, no titillating ambiguous emails, no interviews, no response... just "Under Review" or "Complete and Submitted" in the application forms?

Around what date do the schools finish sending out most acceptances and then just largely send out rejects? (I mean I can finally abandon my obsessiveness with this whole thing (yeah yeah, I know we're all the same!) and look forward...)

Well I am not quite in the same boat as you since I have heard from 5 out of the 14 schools that I applied to but I can relate a little. The silence is deafening from a few of the schools that I really want to get into.

Also, more waiting does not necessarily mean rejected. Most departments give offers in rounds; they send out offers to their first round candidates and then when some of those students decline, they move onto the second round, etc. So not hearing could mean that you (you meaning anybody, not specifically you) could be a second round candidate and stand a non-zero chance of acceptance.

There are other schools that do admissions by professor. So if the professor who is put in charge of your application (maybe because you identified that professor specifically or because he handles all students with similar research interests to his) is a little bit bad with doing work on time, it will take longer.

Hope is not lost until you actually get the rejection notice. That being said, waiting does suck tremendously.

[2nd_season]

This is very surprising and testing - I have applied to 11 PhD programs and haven't heard back from ANY!!! No communication whatsoever after my application materials reached except for the odd e-mail acknowledging that my application is 'under review'. I'm assuming a reject from CMU. Still hopeful on the others.

[mandar]

I too am yet to hear from CMU (CS/ML) and UMass (CS/ML). I believe UMass has a rolling admission, i.e., sends out in batches till April; but the silence from CMU indicates that I am heading for a reject letter from them.

Any guys who got in CMU (CS/ML)? Any idea what their intake is (typically) for machine learning?

[fall2010]

me too..even i have not yet received any updates from any of the universities that ive applied to..pray for me evry one..

Applied to :-TAMU,Duke,Penn State(University Park),University of Virginia,Northeastern University..

Wishing to get an admit from at least one..

[grotesqueidols]

me too..even i have not yet received any updates from any of the universities that ive applied to..pray for me evry one..

Applied to :-TAMU,Duke,Penn State(University Park),University of Virginia,Northeastern University..

Wishing to get an admit from at least one..

Are you a PhD or a Masters applicant? I cant speak for the other universities but with regards to Northeastern's PhD program you may want to find out if you are on a waiting list or something. As far as I know the accept notifications and the funding package information have been sent out, even to international applicants. The open house is next week.

[fall2010]

Are you a PhD or a Masters applicant? I cant speak for the other universities but with regards to Northeastern's PhD program you may want to find out if you are on a waiting list or something. As far as I know the accept notifications and the funding package information have been sent out, even to international applicants. The open house is next week.

For NEU I have applied for the MS program..any news regarding that..Thanks

[phantom23]

...and try to keep up the mask of pleasant sanity.

So true. I realized it this morning when biking to work!