The Waiting Game

[hotRNA]

What's everyone's opinion about contacting a school post-interview? (a few months post-interview). Does it help to show interest in that school's program? Or does it irritate administrators who are very busy? I've heard both as justifications to either contact or not contact.

Thanx, hotRNA

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[Cal_Irish04]

I don't think they mind the calls so much and I don't think it'll affect your application either way. The information that they give out on the phone is pretty limited anyways. Usually they give you one of two responses..."your application is under review" or "you have been placed on hold." I don't think anyone will give you an admissions decision over the phone.

But yeah...the waiting game sucks!

 

[coldchemist]

I always figure that there's enough people calling the school to piss off the administrators, so I'm not going to push my luck! Who knows, though...my not calling them probably serves the same purpose as keeping my fingers crossed or refusing to walk under a ladder!

Look at me...I'm ending all of my sentences with exclamation points! I think it's the MD/PhD application process that keeps the makers of Valium and Xanax in business!!!

 

[Neuronix]

Originally posted by coldchemist
Imy not calling them probably serves the same purpose as keeping my fingers crossed or refusing to walk under a ladder!

You got it. You're talking to some office staff who probably have no input as to your application. As long as you don't give them some reason to remember you, they're not going to.

Edit: I was addressing the concept that you'll piss them off simply because you called. That's so ridiculous to me that I can never understand why applicants have that fear. As for showing interest, it definately helps! On the other hand, if you only call to ask app status, nobody is going to think twice about it.

 

[Maebea]

I believe you should contact the program you are interested in and let them know of your interest. Here's why this might help you: Many programs are statistics conscious. All things being equal, they would prefer to offer a position to someone likely to accept as opposed to someone likely to turn them down. The fewer offers they have to make to fill their class, the better their statistics are. For most programs, the pool of interviewed candidates consist of three levels: on the top, the must haves (everybody accepts these candidates, and the yield is fairly low); at the bottom, the marginal applicants; and in the middle, the acceptable applicants. This middle section is very large, and it is where you find applicants who were accepted by 30-50% of the schools they applied to. Programs look at many different factors in deciding who to admit, and for those in the middle one consideration is the probability that they will accept a program's offer.

I suggest a direct communication to the director or someone in authority you really connected with would be most helpful. You should be careful not to become a nuisance, however. You should not focus on what your chances are for getting admitted, but tell them that you are interested in the program and why you would be a good fit for them.

 

[coldchemist]

This is something I've seen debated over and over again. I understand the rationale...schools want to keep there acceptance rates as low as possible to make them look more selective. But does anyone really know for sure that this happens? I mean, it's hard for me to imagine a school rejecting a great applicant simply because their worried that the applicant will not attend their school.

 

[Habari]

I mean, it's hard for me to imagine a school rejecting a great applicant simply because their worried that the applicant will not attend their school.

it definately does happen. think about it in a more blatant form: when you show very little interest in a school at the interview. chances are someone will pick up on that and make sure you aren't accepted. some schools like washU may not even grant interviews if you look disinclined to end up in st. louis [though sustained interest can counter that].

it follows that this definately works to some extent for acceptances, especially since groups of schools are competing for the same applicants