I'm sure it varies tremendously, but I can speak from my personal experience. As someone else indicated, you have to base the timeline on when they finish their last interview. I think most places should readily provide that timeline.
My opinion is once they have interviewed everyone they will move on an offer. Schools try to move it along and make offers so as to get the best candidates before they are offered elsewhere. It hurts them the longer they wait. I had an interview this year and felt very good walking away, but was told that I shouldn't expect to hear for "several weeks" after their last interview because of the slow pace of bureacracy. I questioned this interally at the time and I think in the end I was correct. In reality, they called me at about that time but another candidate had already accepted by then.
Thus, my conclusion is that if you don't hear in the first week or so after the last interview you aren't the first choice. Doesn't mean you won't be offered, just that you won't get the first offer.
socialguy (guest) 22 Feb 2010 17:55
