When do you get notified of interviews/acceptances?

[nts19]

I'm applying to upcoming cycle and trying to get an idea of when I'll know for sure if I'm accepted or not so I can figure out jobs, housing, back up plans, etc. If I apply by mid-May, when will I start finding out if I get an interview or get rejected or any kind of decision? I'm applying to most schools in the Philadelphia area if that helps.

 

[MT2PA]

You could find out any time after submitting your app all the way until the programs start in 2020.  Seriously.

The majority of interviews happen in the late late summer, fall, with some occurring next spring.  Acceptances vary by program, rolling admission or not, and then depends on how strong of a candidate you are (i.e are you good enough to get an outright acceptance or bad enough to be immediately rejected or will you sit on the waitlist (they have those for interview spots or acceptances) until the class is full).

Your best bet is to go to the program specific pages from previous years and see when interview invites started rolling in and when acceptances were announced.  Some programs will post on their site when their interview dates are - you can usually expect an interview offer anywhere from 1 day to several weeks prior to the date.

Do some leg work, you can find these answers all over the forum.

[aba51]

Good idea with planning to apply early! I would definitely apply to programs that are rolling admissions since they will review applications as they get them. The earlier you apply, the better chance at an interview because you're in a small pool with less comparisons with other applicants (vs a larger pool with more comparisons). It also depends on your credentials; if your grades/GPA are above average or at least above their set requirements + stellar personal statement and LORs, you're golden for the most part. Other programs have their set deadline and actually won't start reviewing until after it.

 

I submitted my applications at the start of August and didn't hear back about interviews till mid October. My interviews were in November and heard about acceptances within a few days to 3 weeks. If you didn't do great on your interview, you can hear back about a decision from weeks to a few weeks before the program begins. For my straight up denials, I didn't hear back about anything until like 5-7 months later. It's dependent on a lot of factors from being selected to interview and gaining admission. It's good that you're already planning your back-ups. Best of luck!