If in your waitlist letters (emails), or any other sort of communication with the school, you were given a phone number to contact the program director, I would definitely recommend giving at least one phone call, as emails are very easy to look over and forget. Remember that the people in charge of the programs are most likely running their own lab in addition to the admissions stuff, so they are very busy and probably have an inbox full of emails. Also a typed and printed letter could be advantageous, because that is obviously a little more personal, and would very likely end up in your file. Whatever you do (unless you were specifically warned not to contact the school), don't just send one email, sit back and wait, as by expressing your interest and keeping up with it, you will make it look like you're serious about the school. I would tend to go with every other week, but if you're comfortable with every week than go for it, and judge the response you get to adjust from there. Keep in mind that secretarys do talk to their supervisors, so being courteous could go a long way, but if you can get higher up the chain then definitely try. Even if you hear a program has "filled up", unless you receive a rejection I would still express interest in attending, as something may happen to allow for you to get in. However, I like the idea of knowing what is going on with the schools you are looking at getting into, if for nothing else then to give you a little piece of mind. So either contacting people you've seen that are in the programs, got accepted, applied, or just posting the programs could be to your advantage. I would look at some other threads about this to get ideas of what to include in your letters/emails/calls. Some obvious things are what youve been doing, that you would accept in a heart beat, and why you would be such a great addition to their program (how great of a fit you are for them). With your two acceptances I would really take a second look at those schools. You may not think highly of them now, but that could be just because you havent looked into them enough, thinking you would not go there. Try not to judge a program based solely on a negative admissions experience, although it may help to keep it in mind because it could be an indicator of future issues. Even if they dont have something in your area of interest, I would see if they have some amazing potential PIs in similar areas that would at the very least train you to be a great researcher (which is one of the main points of doing a Ph.D. program). Who knows you may end up in a lab doing something that you love, but never even considered. Since you are on several waitlist I would tend to think your chances are fairly good of getting into one of your choice schools. In my opinion, humility is a great attribute, but people have to get beyond that Im not one of the superstars attitude, because if you got an interview it means you did some things right to get you there, so concentrate on those for now. If you cant make your stats look any better at this point, and even if you can, make sure that you stress how great of a fit you are for those programs. Best wishes, and congrats to everyone on getting this far. Try to not let the stress get to you, as this last little bit is nothing compared to what youve already accomplished.
