oilandvinegar

If you've not heard back yet, I would echo others and say look for work/research experiences that will make you a stronger applicant in the next round. As to why you may have not been successful this cycle, you're definitely a strong applicant, so my first thought would be fit, fit, fit. Were there multiple faculty at each program with whom your research interests aligned? Did your application materials clearly articulate why you were a strong match for the program? Next though would be weak LORs or a weak SOP. You mentioned to us that you're involved in many extracurriculars - did you mention this in your SOP? My general understanding is that programs care very little (if any) about extracurriculars. It's fine to have them on your resume but generally should not be mentioned in your SOP. Colleges may be looking for "well-rounded" applicants but graduate programs really don't care about that stuff. Your SOP should primarily be about your scholarly development, your research interests, and why the program is a strong fit for your future studies. Finding out whether LORs were weak is a bit more challenging, but it's worth considering if there are little other explanations, since if you end up reapplying, you'll want to make sure these are even stronger. I sent my SOP to my recommenders so they could expound on and highlight relevant experiences in their letters. I asked for their feedback on my letter and I also explained how I thought my work with each of them came together to make me a strong applicant (my sitch was a bit unique, I was not a soc major and had one letter from a prof in my major field, one from a soc prof I took many classes with, and one from my current employer). It's hard, but we have to remember that many, many applicants have high GPAs, high GRE scores, and research experience. Those just get us into the review pile. They don't earn us an admissions offer.

I think everything I say is absolutely awesome. I blow myself away.

Found out I'm on such a list for UPenn! Was thinking they had forgotten about me...

While I was visiting schools, I met a number of people leaving or considering leaving their current PhD program because the faculty member or advisor they were working with leaving. Some were following the faculty member, some were reevaluating as their interests had changed since they started their program. One was following a faculty member to whom their funding was tied (this person was not their advisor). I am sure there are people who continue their current program as well. I definitely think you have options, and I would also recommend speaking candidly with your current advisor about your decision. My sympathies for your situation, though. That is rough.

Officially decided and it feels so good - headed to the University of Michigan this fall!

Declined my UMass Amherst offer today. I know they have some awesome waitlisters, so good luck!

This is helpful information, SocingHxC, thank you! Although I am moving forward with the information I have and will accept an offer prior to April 15th, I still haven't heard from one school and was wondering about the probability of hearing after the deadline.

I've contacted the department and still haven't heard back. They've also sent out acceptances and rejections. I don't know at this point whether I'll hear before the 15th. This particular school sent out acceptances in early April last year and the year before. Pretty sure it's a no, but also considering the possibility of never hearing...

I doubt you'll be able to get them to reconsider your application, but you could ask for more information about why your application was rejected and/or what you could do to make your application stronger for next year. It sounds like you received a decision pretty quickly after the deadline, so I suspect their decision might be a GPA or GRE score cut-off thing. Good luck!

Another week goes by... nothing.

I will try to reign in my jealousy of those of you exploring this thing called summer break.

I definitely agree that waitlist and accepted experiences are probably different. It stinks that waitlisted students don't get to have those positive interactions, though, because many programs will end pulling a person or two up from the waitlist and if very little has been done to make that student feel engaged, it's pretty hard to compare to an initial offer with all those positive interactions to a waitlisted one with almost no engagement. I know some programs include waitlisted students in the visit days, and some don't, though I'm sure this is function of funds available. As for me, I'm not on the funding waitlist anymore; I rejected my offer last week. Sounds like Rutgers did a good job of recruiting the students they offered funding to, so hopefully they get the cohort they're looking for! Have fun in Albany, and cheers to everyone knowing where they're going soon!

Anyone hear of someone not hearing back from a program? Either wait-listed and never told that a spot would not be available or simply not given a response at all?

Even as a waitlister Brandeis has been so nice to me. I know they only have a couple of spots, but I got the exact same vibe you did: faculty seemed incredibly engaged with students, they knew my application up and down, and honestly, it's hard to imagine not being able to do amazing work in Boston. I'm feeling somewhat confident I'll go with my first offer (from a top 5 program that I loved on visit days), but getting off the waitlist at Brandeis would make my decision much harder. They're that awesome. I was offered admission but waitlisted for funding at Rutgers and I have to tell you, it was not an awesome feeling. No faculty reached out to me after the offer was made, I wasn't able to visit, I had a weird phone interview... Anyhow, if in an alternate universe I was looking at only those two schools and I got off the waitlist at Brandeis and off the funding waitlist at Rutgers, I'd choose Brandeis based on my interactions with those two programs.

Okay, so my two thoughts are: Have you considered taking a prep course for the GRE? If you can find the money, I really feel that they're worth it. If you've done the prep-books consistently and thoroughly, this may not matter as much, but I liked the flow and discipline of a course. It was very much worth it for me. It was online and $400. I ended up with a 165 on the quantitative and a 168 on the verbal. And a lot of the courses have money back guarantees so it might be worth considering one in between tests if you're 100% set on taking two. My second thought is about leaving the tri-state area: The number one factor in admissions is fit. Yes, GRE scores matter and the adcomm forum has more information on this, but the primary factor is fit. So I wouldn't apply to a school just because it's in the geographic region you're interested. You'll need to be able to demonstrate that your interests align with faculties' and the program's strengths. I wouldn't say that not leaving the tri-state area is immature, as I know people who have left programs because the location simply didn't work - they really hated the location (primarily politics or weather), their partner/spouse was somewhere else, they needed to be close to family for one reason or another. If you think your reason really would make you unhappy or unsuccessful elsewhere, then don't ignore it. That being said, I'd think carefully about why you don't want to leave the tri-state area. You'll miss out applying to some really great programs that could be a perfect fit if you have really strict geographic requirements.