To wait, or to take up a concrete offer?

[pangmao]

The next two weeks bring us approximately to the end of the "first-round offers," so to speak.

Let's suppose that someone had a concrete offer to a >safety-net school< but no offers to the school(s) of that person's deepest hankerings.

Would it be wise (and fair) to wait things out to the bitter last second (ie, April 15) in the hope of gaining a place declined by someone else, or would such behaviour be wishful thinking at best? Do all schools notify of wait-list status?

Would it be more prudent to cut one's losses and take up the offer at the safety-net school, or to get a job and try again next time applying to the dream school?

Any musings on these questions would be welcome!!

[jacib]

The next two weeks bring us approximately to the end of the "first-round offers," so to speak.

Let's suppose that someone had a concrete offer to a >safety-net school< but no offers to the school(s) of that person's deepest hankerings.

Would it be wise (and fair) to wait things out to the bitter last second (ie, April 15) in the hope of gaining a place declined by someone else, or would such behaviour be wishful thinking at best? Do all schools notify of wait-list status?

Would it be more prudent to cut one's losses and take up the offer at the safety-net school, or to get a job and try again next time applying to the dream school?

Any musings on these questions would be welcome!!

Judging from the results page, a lot of schools deal with their waitlists in mid-to-late March. You should feel free to contact the schools about waitlist status--how high you are on the waitlist, what the chances are of getting in, when can you expect to hear, are people accepted off the waitlist usually funded, etc. Different schools treat waitlists different. Some places only admit a few more than their desired cohort size (especially now, when schools are not sure of how the economy will affect acceptances) and then fill up from the waitlist. Some places have a waitlist divided up into subfields. At some places the waitlist is basically a thanks-for-trying gold star, and they basically mean "try again next year" (I think this last one is more common in the Humanities and especially for MFA degrees). Check the results page see if anyone got off the waitlist at any of your schools (an acceptance in, say, mid-to-late March, or really any time after the first batch of acceptances that year, would probably be someone off the waitlist). But really, ask the schools. Tell them you are very interested in their program and it might help you move up the waitlist. Who knows.

While people on the waitlist at the safety school would be happy if you made a decision early, it is your right to wait for however long you want, and you shouldn't feel rushed into a life changing decision. Notify the schools you know you definitely don't want to go to early, but if you actually are considering going to a school, don't eliminate it.

[pangmao]

Judging from the results page, a lot of schools deal with their waitlists in mid-to-late March. You should feel free to contact the schools about waitlist status--how high you are on the waitlist, what the chances are of getting in, when can you expect to hear, are people accepted off the waitlist usually funded, etc. Different schools treat waitlists different. Some places only admit a few more than their desired cohort size (especially now, when schools are not sure of how the economy will affect acceptances) and then fill up from the waitlist. Some places have a waitlist divided up into subfields. At some places the waitlist is basically a thanks-for-trying gold star, and they basically mean "try again next year" (I think this last one is more common in the Humanities and especially for MFA degrees). Check the results page see if anyone got off the waitlist at any of your schools (an acceptance in, say, mid-to-late March, or really any time after the first batch of acceptances that year, would probably be someone off the waitlist). But really, ask the schools. Tell them you are very interested in their program and it might help you move up the waitlist. Who knows.

While people on the waitlist at the safety school would be happy if you made a decision early, it is your right to wait for however long you want, and you shouldn't feel rushed into a life changing decision. Notify the schools you know you definitely don't want to go to early, but if you actually are considering going to a school, don't eliminate it.

thanks jacib. Sound advice.