I was rejected by a PhD program but accepted into their MA program, and I'm trying to gauge the department's opinion of my application based on their acceptance letter. At one point it says that "getting into the MA program doesn't guarantee admission to the PhD program later on; we usually accept one or two students per year from the MA program. The committee, however, did enjoy your writing sample a great deal and did see real potential in your application." I would just assume this is what they tell all MA admits, but I was surprised that they specifically mentioned my writing sample, as though it was my personal strong point, which it might not have been for other applicants. And then the fact that they say "we don't guarantee MA admits admission to the PhD program; however, your application seems particularly promising" tempts me into thinking they're saying I have a good chance at getting in to the doctoral program. Or do they just tell everyone this to tempt them into their MA program?
Obviously I don't expect anyone to know the answers to these questions, but I'd appreciate any thoughts people have on the matter.
