Physics GRE Discussion Forums

Hi all, I got an interview from a top ivy university before 10 days. The prof was very happy with my application and said that I am a perfect match for the program. He said that i will hear back from the department around 20-25 this month about a decision on my application. he said that he will be in touch with me. I sent him an email after the interview telling him thanks for his time. I didnot get any reply back from him yet. Should I write back to him again since it has already been 10 days ? or should I just wait for him to get back to me ? If i should write how can i possibly start a conversation ?


Is it a negative thing when a prof says he will be in touch with me and if he is not ?

What does he need to get back to you for? You'll find out if you got in soon enough, he's probably fairly busy; there are other applicants, you know.

But, why would he say that he will be in touch with me ?

pingpong wrote:But, why would he say that he will be in touch with me ?

Maybe he wants to touch you.

-Riley

hahaha.

I think you should wait until he gets back to you.

pingpong wrote:But, why would he say that he will be in touch with me ?

Because he's interested in having you as a grad student. But unlike us of the hyperactive physicsgre.com checking ilk, a professor's idea of elapsed time in measured in weeks. HIS deadline, after all, is August when you report to campus.

EDIT: I think a reasonable guess when a professor spends time to contact you is that you have a very good shot of getting in. You don't need a long conversation before the admissions process--I'd only contact him again without him first instigating if you somehow end up seeing a rejection email in your inbox, to ask whether or not he's willing to speak to admissions on your behalf.

pingpong wrote:Hi all, I got an interview from a top ivy university before 10 days. The prof was very happy with my application and said that I am a perfect match for the program. He said that i will hear back from the department around 20-25 this month about a decision on my application. he said that he will be in touch with me. I sent him an email after the interview telling him thanks for his time. I didnot get any reply back from him yet. Should I write back to him again since it has already been 10 days ? or should I just wait for him to get back to me ? If i should write how can i possibly start a conversation ?


Is it a negative thing when a prof says he will be in touch with me and if he is not ?

I'm not sure if english is your first language and a few aspects of your OP lead me to believe you aren't, in which case I'd like to add one point to what others have said. In english, we use a number of common phrases and sentiments to indicate the end of a conversation in a friendly and positive manner and something like "I'll keep in touch" is one of those. These aren't typically regarded as a social obligation, just a pleasantry. Most likely what was meant by his statement was that they are interested in your application and so you should expect to receive an email/letter/phone call in the coming weeks (i.e. the standard month or so in which all of the universities are making these types of decisions) regarding your application and that this update may come from him, the application reviewers or the admissions department.

@ all, Thank you very much for your replies. @HappyQuark, Special thanks to you for clarifying things.