Mongoose Posted March 29 Posted March 29 40 minutes ago, startz said: It is okay to accept another offer. The rules have changed on this in the last few years. Just decline the first offer VERY politely. @startz Thank you. So is it okay to accept an offer, withdraw any pending/IRs, withdraw non-dominating offers, and stay on a waitlist elsewhere? Quote
bladableebla Posted March 29 Posted March 29 48 minutes ago, Mongoose said: @startz Thank you. So is it okay to accept an offer, withdraw any pending/IRs, withdraw non-dominating offers, and stay on a waitlist elsewhere? You can accept then withdraw if its before april 15th. But thats just an informal rule. So yes, stay on the waitlist. But then why accept already now? Quote
startz Posted March 29 Posted March 29 1 hour ago, Mongoose said: @startz Thank you. So is it okay to accept an offer, withdraw any pending/IRs, withdraw non-dominating offers, and stay on a waitlist elsewhere? The traditional practice has been that you only accept an offer when you mean to go. The traditional practice has broken down somewhat. So what you say is okay. 1 Quote
startz Posted March 29 Posted March 29 17 minutes ago, bladableebla said: You can accept then withdraw if its before april 15th. But thats just an informal rule. So yes, stay on the waitlist. But then why accept already now? This advice is consistent with standard practice. And accepting and then declining an offer may get people a little annoyed, although mostly not. However, unfortunately last year one program withdrew offers that had not been accepted. Very embarrassing and not likely to be repeated, but not impossible. 1 Quote
tiredofallthis Posted March 30 Posted March 30 I’ve been thinking about all the complaints we make about universities — long waitlists, yield emails, vague timelines, and the general lack of transparency. And it’s true: universities often handle things poorly. But at the same time, some of these dynamics are reinforced by applicants too, and it becomes a bit of a vicious circle. We get frustrated when schools keep us in limbo, yet many applicants also hold multiple offers “just in case,” delay decisions, or accept an offer only to withdraw it later when something “better” appears. And when a school admits you from the waitlist, they’ve already decided they only want you if someone they prefer declines — so in a way, you’re also the second choice. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it does put the whole “better offer” idea into perspective. Personally, I feel the process would be cleaner if we accepted the offer from the place that has actually committed to us, and released the spot from the place that only considers us if others turn them down. Not as a moral rule — just as a way to make the whole system feel a bit more straightforward and respectful on both sides. Both universities and applicants contribute to the messiness, and maybe the best we can do is try to act with the transparency we wish the system had. 4 Quote
dedekind Posted April 1 Posted April 1 Some Penn decisions are out. I didn't receive an email but checked portal and the update was there. Quote
tsktsk Posted April 2 Posted April 2 Have any waitlists moved? I am waitlisted at UCR, Houston. Wanted to know if there are any updates. Is this year's cycle any better than last year's? apparently there was little movement in the waitlists last year. So, just wanted to know if anyone has any information. Quote
tsktsk Posted April 2 Posted April 2 37 minutes ago, mitski said: UC Irvine rejections (officially) out I didn’t get an update. No acceptance, no waitlist, no rejection. 2 Quote
staggeredphd Posted April 3 Posted April 3 (edited) Does anyone have any update on the movements of waitlists? I've been waitlisted at Duke in February, but haven't heard from them since then. Also, how much do waitlists typically move at UBC? Edited April 3 by staggeredphd Quote
boolean_bark Posted April 5 Posted April 5 On 4/4/2026 at 12:33 AM, staggeredphd said: Does anyone have any update on the movements of waitlists? I've been waitlisted at Duke in February, but haven't heard from them since then. Also, how much do waitlists typically move at UBC? The only relevant thing that I can say is that I declined my UBC offer a couple of days ago. 1 Quote
dedekind Posted Sunday at 08:14 PM Posted Sunday at 08:14 PM On 4/3/2026 at 5:33 PM, staggeredphd said: Does anyone have any update on the movements of waitlists? I've been waitlisted at Duke in February, but haven't heard from them since then. Also, how much do waitlists typically move at UBC? Wondering the same, especially abt Duke. Quote
startz Posted Tuesday at 04:52 PM Posted Tuesday at 04:52 PM A quick reminder: When you are SURE you are not going to attend a program where you have been accepted, please let the program know. The program will appreciate it because it helps them plan. Folks here will benefit because it can help waitlists to move more quickly. 4 5 Quote
mgeconll Posted Wednesday at 12:40 AM Posted Wednesday at 12:40 AM Anyone still waiting for UCL? Quote
LYX Posted Wednesday at 12:51 AM Posted Wednesday at 12:51 AM 7 minutes ago, mgeconll said: Anyone still waiting for UCL? +1 My portal hasn't changed since January. Also havent heard anything from Wisconsin-Madison Quote
Nonseparable Model Posted Wednesday at 04:54 PM Posted Wednesday at 04:54 PM 16 hours ago, LYX said: +1 My portal hasn't changed since January. Also havent heard anything from Wisconsin-Madison Were you interviewed by UW Madison? I just received an email from them saying that I am waitlisted. Quote
mitski Posted Wednesday at 04:59 PM Posted Wednesday at 04:59 PM 16 hours ago, LYX said: +1 My portal hasn't changed since January. Also havent heard anything from Wisconsin-Madison Also, I haven't heard anything from Madison (I was not interviewed). Also, no updates at all on Warwick and British Columbia. Does anyone know something about those? Quote
Aronxiao Posted Wednesday at 05:02 PM Posted Wednesday at 05:02 PM 6 minutes ago, Nonseparable Model said: Were you interviewed by UW Madison? I just received an email from them saying that I am waitlisted. So you were interviewed and got waitlisted today? Thanks for letting me know. Quote
LYX Posted Wednesday at 05:17 PM Posted Wednesday at 05:17 PM 19 minutes ago, Nonseparable Model said: Were you interviewed by UW Madison? I just received an email from them saying that I am waitlisted. No, I wasn’t interviewed. They’ve been completely silent the whole time 1 Quote
staggeredphd Posted Wednesday at 05:48 PM Posted Wednesday at 05:48 PM 48 minutes ago, mitski said: Also, I haven't heard anything from Madison (I was not interviewed). Also, no updates at all on Warwick and British Columbia. Does anyone know something about those? My last update from UBC was a waitlist letter on march 17. 1 Quote
Nonseparable Model Posted Wednesday at 06:30 PM Posted Wednesday at 06:30 PM 1 hour ago, Aronxiao said: So you were interviewed and got waitlisted today? Thanks for letting me know. Exactly. They sent: "We wanted to provide an update regarding your economics PhD application with UW-Madison. Our admission process has been a bit slower this year and we wanted to let you know that you are currently on our waitlist." Quote
Crazy_Rich_Economist Posted Wednesday at 08:43 PM Posted Wednesday at 08:43 PM What is happening on the waitlists? Moving at all? Quote
dedekind Posted Thursday at 03:37 PM Posted Thursday at 03:37 PM 18 hours ago, Crazy_Rich_Economist said: What is happening on the waitlists? Moving at all? Duke waitlist rej out Quote
bb123 Posted Thursday at 07:55 PM Posted Thursday at 07:55 PM Any news on Berkeley ARE waitlists? I tried reaching out but have been ghosted a couple of times now. Quote
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