Waitlist - now what

[clinicalsyke]

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Hey,

So I'm in my first cycle, just finished my first interview, and found out that I was waitlisted. I still have three more interviews to go, but what's general procedure for waitlists?

Couple questions:
- Do people get taken off the waitlist much?
- Do waitlist people get notified if the first person takes the offer?
- Is it appropriate to email your waitlist school if they're your number one choice and you've received another offer?
- What happens if the first person declines the offer?

Any info related to these questions/your own waitlist experiences would be super helpful.

 

[PhDMiss2014]

Hey,

So I'm in my first cycle, just finished my first interview, and found out that I was waitlisted. I still have three more interviews to go, but what's general procedure for waitlists?

Couple questions:
- Do people get taken off the waitlist much?
- Do waitlist people get notified if the first person takes the offer?
- Is it appropriate to email your waitlist school if they're your number one choice and you've received another offer?
- What happens if the first person declines the offer?

Any info related to these questions/your own waitlist experiences would be super helpful.

I applied in 2007 and was wait listed at two schools. I was told I was high on one wait list and told I was first on the other wait list. A few weeks after interviews were done I was told I was no longer under consideration at school 1, everyone had accepted offers. So yes I was notified, don't know if that is always the case. School number two offered me the spot towards the end of March, more than a month after I interviewed with them. I would believe it to be appropriate to contact them if you receive another offer while waitlisted.

 

[psychpro]

Do you mind sharing where you are wait-listed? The name of the school, type of program, when you interviewed and when you were notified you had been placed on the wait list.

 

[Gully376]

I was accepted for 2011-2012 off of a waitlist so it definitely happens somewhat frequently. It is definitely okay to email the school if you are waitlisted and and ask where you stand. They probably wont tell you a number that you are but they were able to tell me that they held me very high on the waitlist. I checked in for updates periodically but I didn't get accepted until the last day (april 15th) because the person held the offer until the final moments. So if a person declines an offer and you are next they will obviously offer it to you. If the offer is accepted they will notify you that an offer was accepted and you are no longer being considered. Hope this helps good luck

 

[cara susanna]

There are a bunch of "Waitlist Blues" threads from the previous application years that you can search for. I started the first one because I was waitlisted at my top choice. 🙂 I actually was in the process of scheduling interviews for RA jobs when I got notified of my acceptance off of the waitlist.

 

[Doctor Eliza]

Wait lists are a very active part of the grad school process. You are much more likely to get in off of the grad school wait list than an UG one. If a school has 5 slots, they will accept 5 students and wait list a few more (not like in UG where they accept more students than they want in a class). Keep in mind, many of the first offers from schools go out to the same super stars. The super stars can only go to one school each, so many of those first offers will be turned down.

The waiting game isn't any fun, but you should feel good about those wait list spots. There is a very good chance that they will turn into an offer.


Dr. E

 

[snowcherries]

When I was waitlisted at my top choice last year, I sent them an email saying that while I had other offers, School X was my top choice, and I would remain on the waitlist as long as needed. They responded by letting me know that I was first on the waitlist, and I got in a few days later once someone declined an offer. So yes, I'd say that it's definitely appropriate to give a school positive conformation that you'd like to stay on their list and you're interested in the program.

Another thing to remember is that people will likely not only decline offers but will drop off the waitlist itself--I was waitlisted at a few programs that weren't a good fit, and I pulled myself off those waitlists pretty quickly since I had an offer I liked better. Good luck!

 

[dumbledoresgirl]

I was waitlisted at one of the schools when I interviewed (last year); I was told that I was very high on the waitlist and that I would hear back as soon as the other person accepted/declined their offer. Meanwhile, I went to my next interview and got an offer from that school. I e-mailed the waitlist school to let them know that I had received another offer and wanted to know whether anything had changed on their end; I was accepted at the waitlist school the next day. That may have been a coincidence, but either way, getting in off the waitlist is definitely doable. I ended up declining the offer from the waitlist school, so the person on the list after me also got an offer--that's at least two people getting in off the waitlist, and that's just in one professor's lab 🙂