Hi everyone,

I submitted a covering letter and C.V. directly to the supervisor for a PhD with a deadline two days ago. I was just wondering whether anyone had any guidelines on how long this interminable wait for a response, (i.e. shortlisted/not shortlisted) is expected to last...

Frustrating, I know. Wait a week and then send a polite email asking if it was received. Good luck.

I've applied for several, and it's varied a lot - one got back to me the next day, one I heard nothing from for over a month (I'd assumed I hadn't been shortlisted given the long silence, but then I got the email inviting me to interview). I'd agree with waiting at least a week before asking, especially if you're dealing with the supervisor directly and not an administrator.

I submitted my formal application (after being accepted informally following outline proposal and meeting with supervisor) and heard nothing - eventually my supervisor contacted me to say I needed to submit my formal application.  Needless to say it had gone missing in central administration and turned up (following chasing my post-grad administrator) the day after I re-sent it.

Thanks for that everyone - I'll try and keep my impatience under control!