The waiting game begins.. but no idea on when it will end!

[lemma]

I submitted an application for my top choice PhD program a couple of weeks ago, so the waiting game has officially begun! One thing I'm struggling with mentally though is that my prospective program doesn't have a date by which they have to let you know - I have no idea whether I'll be waiting three weeks or three (or more) months (and to complicate things further, I'm required to give notice at my job if I leave). Does anyone have any good tips about how to get distracted during all of this? Or even any tips about how to make things work if I get accepted late to the program, maybe to the extent that I have less time than my notice period at work allows?

Does anyone also have any recommendations about how to stay in touch for the program? If I'm going to be waiting indefinitely, I'd like to know what my status is, but I also don't want to annoy the program coordinator when I know she has a lot on her plate. 

[fuzzylogician]

Good luck! If you were in touch with anyone at the program, you could use this opportunity to write them to say you've submitted your application and ask if they know what the expected timeline for decisions will be. This may or may not get you a satisfying answer, but is worth a try.

While you wait, the best thing to do, if you can help it, is find ways to occupy yourself. Work, read, exercise, travel, do your coursework/research, etc. Do NOT check your email or the Results board obsessively -- that is a good way to drive yourself crazy but not to actually speed up any answers. I often find that the best way to wait for something important is to literally forget about it until a set reminder pings to tell me to check if anything has changed (I routinely wait for multiple important things these days years, so continually checking wikis or the rumor mill would have driven me insane by now. I had to learn to stop doing that!). I just do my best to keep my daily routine, and I'm busy enough that it's not hard to put it out of my mind (until someone remind me!). It's a learned skill, though. The first few times I waited for something important (like grad school apps) I did sort of drive myself crazy refreshing my inbox. I think I can reliably say that it in fact did not make admissions decisions arrive any earlier... 

As for the notice issue, work out when is the latest point at which you can give notice and start the program on time. I think it's fair to write the coordinator a couple of weeks ahead of that date and say something like "I'm writing to express my continued interest in your program and to ask if there is any update as to when I might expect a decision on my application. The reason I ask is that I would have to give notice at my job by Date to be able to start the program at Later Date. Your program is my top choice and I'd be very excited to attend. Please let me know if there is any information I can provide to assist the admissions committee in making its decision" (or similar). What is sometimes annoying is what people bug profs for no reason other than they're anxious, especially if they do it too often, but if they have a good reason,  they will understand.

[lemma]

Still waiting to hear on admission! Which is supposed to happen now ish, with funding to come or not in December. I'm so nervous! 

Edited November 14, 2017 by lemma