When to Contact Professors re: results?

[lifetimestudent]

So we are getting towards the end of February. I have heard back from one school (positive - with funding!) which is fantastic but no one else has said a peep. I am in touch with my potential advisor at the school that let me in, but I'd like to have more info as to whether I'll get in anywhere else and what the other options are. At this point, if I email my potential advisors at other schools to say hello and find out when I'll hear about results from their program, will I sound too eager? I have been in touch with them over the past few months and so it won't be completely out of the blue. It's just my experience that any contact at all may end up having them spill the beans - at least informally - to let you know what is going on.

Any advice?

Edited February 22, 2010 by lifetimestudent

[chimerical]

Not everyone would react the same way so it's up to you to judge how welcome you think the inquiry would be for each contact. If you're not under any kind of time pressure regarding your oustanding offer then I'd leave it be, but that's just me.

Keep in mind that some faculty may not even be sure of when results will be out, especially if it's a large department and they're not on the smaller admissions committee. In that case you might have better luck with the department's grad secretary or admissions officer.

Edited February 22, 2010 by chimerical

[johndiligent]

Perhaps just me but I wouldn't bother. I doubt it's going to get the results to you any faster. Best case scenario, you get an e-mail that gives you a vague timeline, which I imagine would only increase your anxiety as that goes whizzing by!