NoddaProbBob

Agreed. Thank you for your support. I think I would definitely do things much differently next time around. I just have to process it and overcome it again like I did the first time. Grieve, heal, repeat.

Thank you both for the replies. I'm just very very disappointed. I can't believe that they did this to me. It's just crushing. To go through it once and then go through it again, it was just more than I wanted to handle. I feel like it ultimately tainted my graduation day and it's just heartbreaking. I deserved better. Much much better. In my opinion, there was no reason why I shouldn't have been admitted anyways. I had excellent recommendations and a 4.0. i get that they are allowed to accept or reject based on any number of factors, but I truly believe that their program would have been made better with a serious and committed student like myself in their program. The whole thing just downright sucks.

Well...pretty much as stated, I received an acceptance letter, by mistake. I applied to two schools, Northwestern and Northern Illinois University for MS in Marriage and Family Therapy. I knew that I would likely not get into Northwestern but applied because I had the $75 application fee waived based off my GPA. My undergrad came from NIU and so this was my first choice for graduate school. I went through the interview process at NIU and found out a month later that I was not accepted. I was obviously pretty upset and came to terms with it after several weeks. This was back in March. Just this past week, I received a letter dated May 3 congratulating me of my acceptance into the Marriage and Family Therapy program. I was ecstatic! So happy! Glowing! To make it even better, I opened the letter on the day of graduation! I had assumed that a student dropped out and a space had opened up, hence the acceptance. I wanted to confirm my status of course as it instructed, so I went online and accepted the invitation and emailed the graduate school to confirm. The graduate school confirmed my acceptance and told me to confirm with the department. So I sent an email to the department only to get the run around. I explained everything, only to get an email two days later saying that it was a mistake by someone new to the position... I never emailed her back. I don't really know what to do. I was rejected once and then accepted and rejected all over again. It definitely hurt worse the second time around. Does anyone have any advice about what I should do or what my rights are as a student? To be honest, I don't want to let them get away with this. They're acting like this isn't a big deal when in reality, this acceptance or rejection ultimately plots the course for my future. What the heck do I do??

Let's just share the bottle and call it even lol You're right, that would be one hell of a party. If I'm drinking now, I'll really have to drink after my interview. I have a feeling that the wait after that will be worse than the wait now. Must. Go. Buy. More. Liquor.

I'm so stressed. Just cracked open a bottle of Pink Moscato. I'm pouring you and myself a glass right now.

I am SO glad that I'm not the only person without a plan B. Like someone else said, going to either of the schools that I applied to is the Plan. Plan A and Plan A only. It's hard to let your mind go there and think that you won't be going to graduate school at all. I had that freak out moment the other day. I hadn't heard from either of my schools and I was legitimately flipping out. I was on the phone with a friend venting my fears and as soon as I got off the phone with her, an email came through to invite me for an interview. That was a huge relief! As for the other school, Northwestern, I have been neither accepted nor rejected. Which is scary considering the interviews for the program started yesterday and last through March 1st. I'm praying that this is an unofficial waitlist. I haven't heard anything since the second week of January when they said that my application was under review. That same email informed me of interview dates to keep open "just in case". I had just assumed I was rejected because I haven't heard anything at al past that. I don't really know what to think. I don't have a Plan B but maybe I should think of one...

I'll just keep waiting then I suppose. I just feel like it's bad karma to call or email about the status of the application, so I'm not going to push my luck lol. Thank you for the congratulations! I only applied to the two schools but they are the only two accredited programs here in Illinois. They were good programs either way. With Northwestern, you get the name and obviously a good program. The NIU program has a tuition waiver as well as a stipend so I would only be responsible for fees. I would fare well with either program. I'm hoping to do well with NIU. I'm finishing my undergrad there now.

It really is the waiting game isn't it...ugh. So much stress! Best of luck to you!

Congratulations on the interview! I'm thinking your first experience with NW is probably what I am experiencing right now. I would like to think that I had a competitive application with a 4.0, outstanding essays, and CIC scholar status, but who knows. Until I hear anything from them, it's a crap shoot.

Thank you for replying to this. I have been driving myself crazy waiting. I have also applied to Northern Illinois University for their Marriage and Family Therapy program and I was just invited for an interview today, so that has put me at ease quite a bit. I agree, it does not look good for NW. I have no idea how they weigh their applicants and so I was thinking maybe I was being considered pending other applications or waitlisted since their interviews still extend through march. However, I just feel like it's not good that their interviews are starting tomorrow and I haven't heard anything. No emails, nothing on the website. Nothing. When you went to look on the apply yourself site, did you have the "view decision" link? Or was there just a message on the left hand side in that column? I'm sorry that you were not considered for an interview. This whole graduate school process is stressful. I hope you got some other offers!

Just as the title says. I'm still waiting on Northwestern. I applied back in December for the Master of Sciene in Marriage and Family Therapy and still have yet to hear back. They sent me an email the first week of January to let me know that they had received my application and would be contacting me within the next few weeks after my application was completed and that if I had any questions or wanted to know about my status, to contact the email provided. Then the next week they sent me an email to let me know that my application was currently under review. That email also had a list of interview dates on each Friday between February 1st and March 1st. I haven't heard anything since. I'm assuming that means I wasn't considered for an interview. What really is driving me nuts though is that with Northwestern you apply through the "Apply Yourself" website. Once a decision has been made, a link appears on that website to let you know whether or not you've been accepted or rejected. This link still isn't there on my application page. I've been checking like crazy and there is only one place that it could be on the website and it's not there. I don't know what to think anymore. With the interviews starting tomorrow I am just assuming that I wasn't considered, however, it's throwing me off that there was no decision link on my application page so that is still giving me just a little bit of hope. I really just want to know at this point so that I'm not sitting in limbo. So what do I do? Wait it out? Send an email to the address that they gave me asking what's up? Advice??