Something That Pisses Me Off

[Bumblebee]

After the way University of Can't-Make-Up-Our-Mind-About-Your-Admission treated you, I believe you are making the best decision in sticking to your guns. The admissions roller coaster is probably a preview of how life would be for you if you committed to five-plus years in their program. I'm very sorry this happened to you. You certainly don't deserve this kind of treatment. No applicant does. It's inexcusable.

Thank you! I also think going to that school wouldn't be such a good idea. The treatment in the school I've chosen was extremely good since the first moment. Several professors contacted me the moment I was accepted and when I went for the campus visit I wasn't supposed to meet one of the professors, but he saw me in the corridor and insisted in meeting with me. He told me not to be surprised if I received something else, apart from the TAship. That they had received some extra money from the school for recruitment and that he and another professor had strongly recommended me for something. It turned out to be a summer fellowship for next year. Oh, and one of the grad students already got me in touch with one possible roomy.

And in the other school, total chaos and 3 days to make a decision. Well, it was very clear where I would be treated better. Plus, in this school the professor who teaches in one of my areas of interest retired a couple of years ago and they haven't hired anyone new yet.

No brainer here!

[Bumblebee]

I've dealt with worse. Try being admitted to a school, being strung along for a year and lied to by the department. Then try having your advisor fired, followed by everyone on campus swearing up and down that he was the ONLY person to see your application and admit you to the school. Meanwhile you're told constantly that you really shouldn't have been admitted to the program. To top it off, you pay $30,000 for two years of schooling only to find out that you may be kicked out at the end of this year with no hope of finishing your degree due to what happened there that was out of your control. In addition, gaining admission elsewhere means that you have to start over, and gaining admission nowhere means that you are pretty much through in graduate studies.

Forgetting an application like you've said you were told isn't a giant deal. Yes, you paid $80 for the application, however any rejections you also get also cost that much. All in all, it's par for the course at some points and you always have next year to try again with them and/or any other program. I would say that it is in your best interest to say nothing to them.

I simply have no words! How do they sleep at night?

[SublimeDelusions]

I simply have no words! How do they sleep at night?

Easily? Mainly because they just see me as a "casualty" of what happened to my advisor with no real reason for them to be concerned about my career.

Edited April 9, 2010 by SublimeDelusions

[zerolife]

wow I see a lot of horror stories here.

Let me add my story that's actually for undergraduate transfer application:

So I applied for transfer to a very well known school (School A) and a 2nd tier state school (School B ) both in the same Metro area and near my home. Got accepted at both school. School A gave me a very good financial package that almost matches the in-state tuition from School B, so obviously School A is where I've decided to go. Somewhere along the line, I must have forgotten to reject the offer from School B but I did not accept it nor paid the deposit. Two years later around the time I was graduating, out of nowhere, my state tax refund was withheld because School B was trying to collect the student fee I haven't paid for the two years. Well I contacted School B thinking it was a mistake and to my surprise, I was told that I'm a enrolled student there! I argued that 1) I have never taken a class at the school, 2) I have never attempted to use any student services at the school, 3) I never received any other communication from the school for the two years except the offer of admission I did not accept, 4) I provided transcript as evidence that I was a full time student and about to graduate at School A so I couldn't possibly be a student at both places. Well to sum up the ending, they continued to insist that I'm an enrolled student ... well because that's what their computer system is showing them. They couldn't or were unwilling to answer how I became an enrolled student when I didn't accept the admissions offer or paid the required deposit. One guy I spoke to on the phone even sounded like since I applied to their school, I must have wanted to go and claims that I would be automatically enrolled with my offer of admission!

Edited April 9, 2010 by zerolife

[mae]

I had a University lose half my application--specifically my GRE's and transcripts. They sent me a letter after decisions were made to tell me that I had submitted an incomplete application. I called them to ask them what was missing, they told me my GRE's and transcripts, I responded saying that I had receipts proving that I had submitted them. The coordinator said that I didn't send it. I asked for the phone number of the graduate school, I called them, they had a record of my GRE's and transcripts, the graduate school apologized profusely and then contacted the coordinator of the program i applied to--she said that they would not reconsider my application because decisions had been made. Finally, I emailed the director of the graduate program I was applying to (he was faculty, the coordinator was the secretary). I told him what had happened and the steps I had taken. He hadn't heard a word about this, though the coordinator told me she would talk to him. They reconsidered my application and made me an offer, but were not able to provide me with funding--they had given it all away. At least they refunded my application fee, and if I ever choose to apply for any program at this school, I won't have to pay an application fee. Long story short, I went home and received an email from UMD with a much better offer than what I would have received from the other school.

[matilda]

Oh, you should check out the same issue I had....

It is posted on another topic

, but still, here is a resume:

I applied for a Masters program 3 semesters+1 one semester ( 3 sem. course and 1 sem. thesis writing). The problem is that each of my semesters lasted for 1 year?! Because of ignorant professors saying "I don't have time...." to the Dean who kicked me out of her office this morning (she is my 3.sem. professor) saying: "I don't have the time for this.....".

I had to pay in advance for each of these semesters, my thesis proposal is in my research study objectives proposal for numerous scholarships....yet, I have to put in my CV that I am attending a M.Sc.Program that is lasting (so far) for 3 years..........and I barely see the end of it! It is 2007 when I got accepted, and now it is 2010 and I just had 2 semesters???!!!!

I have a difficult time explaining to potential advisors that I am not an imbecil, that I have great grades on my exams, but it is the Dean, and her entourage of professors are too lazy.

I already have one Masters, but I gave my money for this one, too!

Tell me, is there a way out? Can you help me with advices, because I felt really humiliated by my DEAN KICKING ME OUT OF HER OFFICE, saying I am too busy to have students...and actually , it was her job/will/obligation to lecture me through 3 semester.

I am very angry.

[Arcadian]

(reads this entire thread)

Thanks guys, I'm now terrified about the admissions process. This is not an encouraging topic for new applicants to read.

[modernity]

(reads this entire thread)

Thanks guys, I'm now terrified about the admissions process. This is not an encouraging topic for new applicants to read.

But it's important that you guys know this stuff goes on, so you can be diligent and keep on top of any "incompletes" or other issues that might arise, and that you don't trust the school to just do their job properly (they are human after all).

Being an applicant is not easy, in the least.

[spongysheep]

Last year I applied to a pHD scholarship program, not a complete scholarship but some sort of exchange program. Two months later I received an e-mail where they explained me they had money issues and I could therefore only be placed in a waiting list. Later I found out I could apply to another scholarship within the same institution and the application form was essentially the same... they could have considered me for the other grant but no.... I had to apply again. So I applied in september and was told I would receive a notification two months later. November... nothing.... December nothing... January? nothing... In January they told me the budget was frozen (oh great! ) and I may receive and e-mail by february/march... so february has already passed and I´m still waiting.

I would rather receive the rejection email...I feel like I have evolved into a maniac email checker

[ugly_duckling]

But it's important that you guys know this stuff goes on, so you can be diligent and keep on top of any "incompletes" or other issues that might arise, and that you don't trust the school to just do their job properly (they are human after all).

Being an applicant is not easy, in the least.

I think the human part is debatable.

[Golden Monkey]

Disclaimer: This MAY be regarded as a rant, and DEFINITELY contains colorful language.

A university's (whose name I shouldn't reveal so I reserve the right to refer to them as Douche Bag University) graduate admissions office and the department to which I was applying have just pissed me off royally. The program's faculty essentially sold me on their program, wooed me with syllabi and topics of things I could study while attending, and the program director even went as far as to tell me that their PhD program is "perfect" for me. Okay, I applied in January. In February the department put me through fucking hoops, asking for EXTRA materials that were not requested in the application. That's Fuck You Number 1. I sacrificed the time and expense to do this. In March, what do you know, the school tells me that despite the fact that they swore up and down that my application was complete a month ago they were missing a document. That's Fuck You Number 2. So yes, I jumped through those hoops to get them this document and they e-mailed me stating that the application was complete. Hmm, but on the online application status it was changed from Complete to Incomplete. Finally, in April I get sick of seeing the "Incomplete" status and ask the graduate admissions department for an explanation. I find out that the English department forgot about the application that they put me through hell for. And how do they respond? By re-fucking-jecting me FIVE minutes later. That's Fuck You Number 3.

Enjoy the 80 bucks I spent on this shit, Douche Bag University.

Like I said, I'm pissed. I don't appreciate being handled this way and this is me being polite.

So has anyone else been put through situations like this, and should I even bother trying to express my sentiments to this school (fine, without the profanity)?

While this was a truly awful thing to go through, your writeup of it is pretty hilarious!

Grasping at straws, I know... But I'd love to go to a Douche Bag University football game just to hear the cheers. "Rah Rah Roo! Douche Bag U!"

[Red Bull]

Sounds to me like DB University is of the sort that you wouldn't want handling your doctoral candidacy. Just a thought.