Recently, I had a Skype interview with a professor several weeks ago, and professor also promised me the PhD offer. My GPA is not high enough to meet the requirement of Department, but she said she would argue for me. After that, I also sent an email to professor and tried to talk about two academic questions, but no reply had been received. Recently, I checked my Skype and found professor has already delete the contact with me. And after I submitted the application, I also sent an email to inform the professor, no reply has been received either. So can I think it as a rejection?
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8Professors do weird stuff. I'd say not really a rejection, but it is a bit subjective.– Fábio DiasCommented Dec 20, 2015 at 3:25
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1@FZW1224 My testimony is anecdotal... I have had this happen twice. I received a job offer twice. I have done this to a student myself (deleted their skype id after meeting). It makes me wonder if I should have!– dearNCommented Dec 20, 2015 at 4:01
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2@FZW1224 A formal acceptance counts. It is also true at times that some faculty don't respond to all applicants unless that applicant is being hired for that position.. So I don't think it hurts to check with him/her about the status of your application. You are looking for opportunities and it isn't fair for you to wait for an unreasonable time beyond any particular due date of announcement of a final decision.– dearNCommented Dec 20, 2015 at 4:26
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10Have you considered the possibility that she simply doesn't want to keep you as a Skype contact? I have been in several organizations so far where everyone would be using Skype in one way or another (and primarily lots of informal stuff, such as making the daily lunch call), but people of different "rank" would rarely add each other into their contact lists.– O. R. MapperCommented Dec 20, 2015 at 9:37
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4It sounds to me like you're very anxious about the position, and you have unrealistic expectations about how much she wants to communicate with you at this stage. Your anxiety is not her anxiety. Pestering her repeatedly is not appropriate. She doesn't know whether the department is going to waive the GPA requirement for you.– user1482Commented Dec 20, 2015 at 15:40
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4 Answers
No. I don't think you should assume that this is a rejection.
- Deleting you from Skype does not sound unusual. If they added you for a specific purpose and don't intend to be contacting you regularly then they may just want to avoid notifications popping up all the time about when you are logged on.
- Professors are busy. A lack of email reply, especially at this time of year when they may be about to leave for the holidays (depending on where you are in the world), may simply mean they not have got around to replying to you.
- It's possible that the department you are applying to has strict procedures about job/studentship offers, such that the professor is not allowed to give you certain information until it has been formally confirmed by the school. Depending on the exact questions you asked, the professor may feel that they need to wait for the proper process before getting in touch with you again.
Assuming that you have gone through an official application procedure, which it sounds like you have, you will get official notification at some point from the department as to whether or not you have been successful. As I said above, be aware that might be a bit delayed due to the holidays. But I don't think you should assume one way or the other until you get the confirmation.
Good luck!
answered Dec 20, 2015 at 11:03
I was having several Skype interviews lately. Professors respond in different ways. One professor may keep you guessing in the middle of interview regarding acceptance/rejection, while others may hint you on the spot regarding the outcome of the interview.
My experience so far does not suffice to make a statistics. Let’s hope you get the position. The problem is the limited number of positions and the huge amount of applicants. You think you are good and then someone with better experience comes over.
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Welcome to Academia SE and thank you for your answer. I edited your answer to correct some language problems taking some guesses. Please check whether everything is still according to your attentions. Also please consider editing your answer to more directly address the situation in question, namely the deletion from the contact list.– Wrzlprmft ♦Commented Dec 8, 2016 at 9:02
Well, I think it may be rejection, but nobody knows for sure of course.
The professor feels awkward for not being able to argue for you and to withstand pressure of other members of the committee. That is why, deleting you from the contact list is a convenient way to avoid explanations why you are not admitted.
Anyway, I wish you best of luck in your graduate studies, wherever it takes you.
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2Or the professor just restricts contact list to people who have a genuine need to know that she is online. Or any of several other possibilities that have nothing to do with rejection.– ff524Commented Dec 22, 2015 at 1:14
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I believe that the professor might have sent the message, indicating that applicant should not worry about being deleted. Also the professor doesn't reply for his emails. This may mean that professor has included the applicant into her ignore list. But of course nobody knows for sure. Anyway it is better to be prepared to the worst case.– MallusCommented Dec 22, 2015 at 12:34
The professor is kind. She could not say no. She wished to give you an opportunity. But maybe she could not manage. So she deleted you.
A PhD is required if you are looking for a job, but if you create an opportunity for others, you don’t need that. You can learn it yourself, there is no alternative.
