Question from the waitlisted folks to the accepted folks

[minichka2004]

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Guys, those of you who have had several offers...

How many offers have you had? What will be (or already are) the reasons for your final choice?

Ranking, theoretical orientation, match, faculty, students, location, etc?

I am the 2nd alternate and my program accepts 8 applicants. I am just figuring my chances to be accepted. My program is off the beaten path, and this is why I like it. It is not included into the list of the most highly ranked programs...

There are many of us, who are waitlisted, so I guess, I am not the only one who is interested to know...

Thanks a lot for answering!🙂

 

[cara susanna]

Thanks for posting this. As another wait listed person, I too would like to hear these answers. Mine is a small program, also not ranked extremely highly, and in a very cold location. 😀

 

[minichka2004]

Thanks for posting this. As another wait listed person, I too would like to hear these answers. Mine is a small program, also not ranked extremely highly, and in a very cold location. 😀

😀 And mine is famous for exotic "tornado weather"!😀

 

[FreudianSlip7]

Guys, those of you who have had several offers...

How many offers have you had? What will be (or already are) the reasons for your final choice?

Ranking, theoretical orientation, match, faculty, students, location, etc?

I am the 2nd alternate and my program accepts 8 applicants. I am just figuring my chances to be accepted. My program is off the beaten path, and this is why I like it. It is not included into the list of the most highly ranked programs...

There are many of us, who are waitlisted, so I guess, I am not the only one who is interested to know...

Thanks a lot for answering!🙂

Great question! I was accepted at 3 programs waitlisted at 1 and rejected at another (after interview).

I ultimately chose to accept at a big university and it has good ranking. I tried to not let weather or things along those lines be the reason why I would choose or not choose a school. What is the point of sunny weather if you hate the program you're in? lol. The schools I got accepted into were all well ranked and had good reputations and internship placement rates, and all were funded and slightly or significantly more researched focused (Ph.D.), all had slighty more CB theoretically oriented faculty members.

So what it boiled to for me was how I felt after leaving each interview (relieved, excited, stress, etc.), and then really my POI-the key to a successful career I think. I chose this school because I not only liked my mentor, but I liked and enjoyed the conversations of everyone I interviewed with (which NEVER happened at the other schools), and they all actually knew something about me beforehand (which NEVER happened anywhere else), and they were all doing something that they felt I could collaborate on. That's another thing I liked, is that they tend to colloborate across the faculty and even in the experimental programs which is great, and translates into alot of great reseach opportunities.

They were genuinely excited about showing me how I would fit in the program; they made me feel like I was there to contribute and not there to prove anything. All of the students seemed happy, and again, my POI sealed the deal for me. I felt like I would fit best under her style of mentoring and research.

 

[minichka2004]

Great question! I was accepted at 3 programs waitlisted at 1 and rejected at another (after interview).

I ultimately chose to accept at a big university and it has good ranking. I tried to not let weather or things along those lines be the reason why I would choose or not choose a school. What is the point of sunny weather if you hate the program you're in? lol. The schools I got accepted into were all well ranked and had good reputations and internship placement rates, and all were funded and slightly or significantly more researched focused (Ph.D.), all had slighty more CB theoretically oriented faculty members.

So what it boiled to for me was how I felt after leaving each interview (relieved, excited, stress, etc.), and then really my POI-the key to a successful career I think. I chose this school because I not only liked my mentor, but I liked and enjoyed the conversations of everyone I interviewed with (which NEVER happened at the other schools), and they all actually knew something about me beforehand (which NEVER happened anywhere else), and they were all doing something that they felt I could collaborate on. That's another thing I liked, is that they tend to colloborate across the faculty and even in the experimental programs which is great, and translates into alot of great reseach opportunities.

They were genuinely excited about showing me how I would fit in the program; they made me feel like I was there to contribute and not there to prove anything. All of the students seemed happy, and again, my POI sealed the deal for me. I felt like I would fit best under her style of mentoring and research.

FreudianSlip7, thank you! 🙂 Wonderful insight! I wish you best luck with your studies. I also believe in "perfect" match! I know that it is either there, or it isn't. This is how I felt about the program where I am waitlisted: I felt excited and I loved everything, I enjoyed the conversations, I was sad that I was time limited and couldn't talk to them more. The majority of professors told me that my interests coincide with theirs. I liked students too, they were very open, and very caring and genuine. I only was ruminating a bit afterwards, thinking about what I said and how I could be better, but this is my normal reaction of being self critical.

 

[minichka2004]

What I mean is that I trust my intuition, and I feel that the program I have in mind is my perfect match. I only don't know how other applicants who were interviewed felt.... Maybe for some of them it was not their perfect match. People are different, their interests and preferences also vary.....

 

[cara susanna]

minichka, I had the same thing happen. :/

 

[minichka2004]

minichka, I had the same thing happen. :/

Cara Susanna, I know! 🙂 It feels good to have people here who have similar experience and similar way of thinking and feeling! I wish us both (of course other waitlisted people also!) best luck because we seem really to like the programs we are waitlisted!

 

[FreudianSlip7]

FreudianSlip7, thank you! 🙂 Wonderful insight! I wish you best luck with your studies. I also believe in "perfect" match! I know that it is either there, or it isn't. This is how I felt about the program where I am waitlisted: I felt excited and I loved everything, I enjoyed the conversations, I was sad that I was time limited and couldn't talk to them more. The majority of professors told me that my interests coincide with theirs. I liked students too, they were very open, and very caring and genuine. I only was ruminating a bit afterwards, thinking about what I said and how I could be better, but this is my normal reaction of being self critical.

No problem, thanks for the well wishes! I understand about being self-critical, I think this happens to most of us. Even now, instead of focusing on being happy with getting in, now I'm worried about how effective i will be at staying in lol....it's a never ending cycle of ovethinking. I wish you the best as well, I hope it works out for you!

 

[thewesternsky]

I was accepted to four programs and withdrew my applications to two after interviews. Two of those acceptances were very recent and I'm still waiting for the official paperwork and funding details before I make my final decision. My decisions so far have been based on research match, my interview weekend experience (advisor personality and my general impression of student life) and (at the two schools where basically everything is equivalent, IDEK!) a bunch of tiny factors like location and funding.

Hope this helps, and good luck!

 

[jennigold]

I received interviews at 6 schools, and got accepted at 4 (I turned down one interview due to cost of travel). Right now it's down to 2 amazing programs, and its going to come down to research match (really amazing faculty) v. emotional experience (really amazing students). i haven't decided what is more important to me and am having a really hard time evaluating. It's def not always an easy decision, sometime I wish I didn't have more than one option! Hope that helps! and as a sidenote this is my second year applying, so it does eventually happen!

 

[minichka2004]

FreudianSlip7, thewesternsky, and jennigold, thanks a lot for your answers!