Physics GRE Discussion Forums

I am new, Is there such a thing as being waitlisted were they e-mail you and tell you are waitlisted like undergrad
or do they just not make a decision about a candidate until the very end hoping to fill spots from turned down offers with these students or do they do the latter and informed waitlisted students that they are waitlisted after most decisions have gone out? Is it the same for most schools

I have never heard of an official notification that you are waitlisted. I think the best way to judge this for your situation is to look at the profile thread and see what people have heard from the school in question. For example, a fair number of people heard back from U Washington awhile ago, while I have heard nothing, so I consider myself waitlisted from that school.

From what I've seen from past years on thegradcafe.com, it looks like the rejections really start flying at the beginning of march (aka next week). If, at that point, you haven't been accepted or rejected, then I think it makes sense to consider ones self waitlisted (so I think it only makes sense to talk about being waitlisted if the school in question has sent out both acceptances and rejections). At that point, it might make sense to contact the school and ask. Even if they don't notify you that you're waitlisted, waitlists certainly do exist as you described them.

I believe that some schools do tell you that you've been waitlisted, although I can't provide examples (I remember this from talking to seniors last year).

Yes, apparently some schools do let you know you are waitlisted - I just got an email from NMSU that I am on their short list. The rest just leave you hanging (well, you're still hanging with the waitlist notice too I suppose...).

We contact the domestic students on our waitlist and tell them. We don't tell foreign students unless they e-mail and ask, then we tell them...

@admissionprof

Ouch!!! I've been waiting all this while for the dept.'s to give me some info on where I stand. So I guess you would advice International students to shoot off a polite letter asking what the situation of their application is, correct?

Last time around, I got waitlisted at 6 or 7 schools (I forget). Most left me in the dark until I contacted them, and eventually U Chicago kept me up to date as I was next on the list.

My question is- how long are waitlists? How far do schools usually go onto them? I think I used up my getting in from the waitlist as an undergrad getting into MIT (but not going). That'll teach me to look a waitlisted acceptance in the face