I had 3 interviews last month and currently have had one replies stating that I am on the reserve list, promptly followed by an offer to be put on another shortlist.

I am sweating over the other places - UCL and Babraham, I hate clinging on waiting for something to happen, I have another interview next week, I feel its going to be a do or die interview.

Is anyone else in the same position, anyone willing to share experiences?

Because I have just shaken the 8 ball in my head and its come up with:

"Outlook is bleak"

ah, the trusty '8 ball in head' technique! sitting and waiting for things is the worst feeling, so try and do something to take your mind off interviews for a while. and think positive!

What is an eight ball in your head??? I've never heard that term before.

I found that if they definitely didn't want you they told you within days. 'Reserve list' suggests to me that they've offered it to another candidate and are waiting for an acceptance/rejection before they offer it to you. So you're at the mercy of the decision making abilities of another student unfortunately!

I found that my interviews skills got better as I went along and so too did my success rate - first one was an outright rejection, second I'm pretty sure was shortlisted (they never said that officially, but it took them a while to get back to me and I felt that it had gone well) and then I got lucky with the third one. So just be patient with your outstanding offers, look on it as learning experience, and focus on the next interview. If the shortlisted places ultimately reject you, ask for feedback to see whether there is anything you could have done differently to make yourself the first choice candidate.

Good luck! :-)

re: the 8 ball thing

there are these toys called 'magic 8 balls' (as in an 8 ball from a game of snooker), and you ask it a question, shake it, and it gives you an answer such as 'outlook is bleak', 'ask again later', etc (as featured heavily in the toy story films :) )

Thanks Smoobles :-)

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============= Edited by a Moderator =============
Content removed - irrelevant & advertising.

what's this post below?

Probably just a bit of old spam, Bug. It disappeared so quickly, before it could even be mildly entertaining...

hehe it was something like

nice paragraph...good work for today


nice zone...


i did good work today


buy a used car or something LOL

totally crap!

I quite like the way they pretend to write a proper post, trying to infiltrate us and lure us into unwittingly buying whatever (they hope)!!! That one sounds a bit half hearted though - the MBA man was the most entertaining one so far!:-)

ahh the james guy who wanted us to believe that buying essays off internet shelves was the same as writing one yourself or having intellectual conversations about one with teachers/peers?

Hmmm...yeah he was the best!

Yes, he gets a gold star from me for persistence and an imaginative approach to spamming. I wonder if it's a job for some people? Like poking endless quantities of leaflets for takeaway food through people's letterboxes.

Hey Thanks for your advice,

Turns out I got rejected from my first two interviews and landed the third. You were absolutely right - going to more and more interviews builds confidence and improves your technique.

I am so happy about this I had everything riding on this one.

Cheers

======= Date Modified 05 May 2009 17:13:05 =======
Hmm.. similar topic so I thought I'd post here rather than starting a new one unnecessarily. The last I heard from a PhD application was "I will contact you about interviews." but I've not heard anything since. I know its just after the easter holiday but I'm starting to wonder if the supervisors have changed their minds. How long is too long to wait? For jobs, I assume that after a month of silence, they're not interested but what about PhDs?