My reply to a school that rejected me in Sept, for admission into the 2010 fall semester

[martizzle]

Yesterday, I received this (via email) from a school:

September 21, 2010

***********

****

Dear ****:

It is with sincere regret that I inform you that your application for admission to Graduate Studies at the University of ****** has not been approved. The program to which you applied received many more applications from individuals than it could accommodate making competition for admission especially keen. Admission decisions at the graduate program level are determined by an admission committee in each program.

Your desire to pursue studies at the graduate level is commendable. We suggest that you investigate other graduate programs offered at the University that might match your interests. All of the Graduate programs are listed on the web at http://www.****.edu/****/**** Should you wish to re-apply you must submit a new application with new supporting documents appropriate to your program of interest.

Thank you for your consideration of the University of ****** as your partner in education.

On behalf of the Faculty,

********

Assistant Provost for Graduate Studies

And in my very finite patience for stupidity and people wasting my time/etc, I wisely (and childishly) replied:

I really do appreciate your....*prompt* notification of the result of my graduate admission application for the Fall Semester which started about a month ago. Your timing was impeccable; up till today, I still had lingering hope that I would be accepted to University of ****** for the 2010 Fall Semester.

Idea for the decade: The University of ****** should be more pro-active about informing all applicants of the results of their applications in a timely fashion. What do you think? This idea too revolutionary for the University of ******?

Thank you and have a great day.

Result:

I got an email first thing in the morning:

Apparently the person who I replied forwarded the email to the department (CC'ed me).

I don't even know why I sent that email...I just felt that it was really stupid of anyone to actually send a rejection letter a month into the semester for which a student applied. I am definitely not going to said school/applying there for anything. It's a shame because the school is literally about 20minutes from where i did my undergrad...they may start negatively viewing applicants from my school...

Anyway, done is done...what possible outcomes could come out of this? how much overboard do you feel I went? (if that was correct english lol)

[adaptations]

This made me laugh, but of course your response was not appropriate. Hopefully everyone forgets about it and there are no repercussions. That said, academia is a small world and it's best to always conduct yourself in an appropriate manner, because word can get around in a hurry.

[Medievalmaniac]

Yesterday, I received this (via email) from a school:

And in my very finite patience for stupidity and people wasting my time/etc, I wisely (and childishly) replied:

Result:

I got an email first thing in the morning:

Apparently the person who I replied forwarded the email to the department (CC'ed me).

I don't even know why I sent that email...I just felt that it was really stupid of anyone to actually send a rejection letter a month into the semester for which a student applied. I am definitely not going to said school/applying there for anything. It's a shame because the school is literally about 20minutes from where i did my undergrad...they may start negatively viewing applicants from my school...

Anyway, done is done...what possible outcomes could come out of this? how much overboard do you feel I went? (if that was correct english lol)

Hope they don't recognize your name down the line as the person who sent that email. It's the best option at this point - you did it, now you have to live with it. I do NOT recommend any further contact with the department, especially not an apology email follow up, at this point. It can only make you seem like a loose cannon.

Academia is a small world, but ultimately, I doubt very seriously that the person or persons who see this correspondence will have any direct bearing on any activity you conduct with other schools. They are not going to forward it with a note that reads "Beware of this applicant! Do Not Admit!" You won't go on a national registry of undesirable candidates.

Your response was not professional or really very mature - but these things happen. Let it go and move on.

[newms]

I totally sympathize with how you felt when you sent that email. You probably shouldn't have sent it, but don't worry about it. It can't be changed at this point and what you said in the email is true, if a bit rude/raw. They really should have sent you an apology for sending the notice so late.

[Medievalmaniac]

I totally sympathize with how you felt when you sent that email. You probably shouldn't have sent it, but don't worry about it. It can't be changed at this point and what you said in the email is true, if a bit rude/raw. They really should have sent you an apology for sending the notice so late.

It's possible you were on a waitlist and they sent the rejection out when they knew for certain there would be no opening - although even then, there should have been notification a bit earlier.

[newms]

It's possible you were on a waitlist and they sent the rejection out when they knew for certain there would be no opening - although even then, there should have been notification a bit earlier.

That's true, I hadn't thought that maybe the OP was on a waitlist, but as you said, it still is kinda late for the notification.

[martizzle]

That's true, I hadn't thought that maybe the OP was on a waitlist, but as you said, it still is kinda late for the notification.

true...quite late, but still, (like other users have commented) my response was unprofessional and immature. Thank God I got into a school this year.

[Alette]

true...quite late, but still, (like other users have commented) my response was unprofessional and immature. Thank God I got into a school this year.

You've sent a version of an email I'm sure we all [would] have written (in our heads!). Bravo. Others have covered damage control, so I just want to offer this anecdote. One of my parents, when applying for PhD programs back in the day, was waitlisted at school X but accepted at school Y, which was in a very notorious city. After hu had moved to Notorious City, and the semester had started, hu received notification from school X that someone had not shown up and therefore there was now a spot for hu at school X. Needless to say, hu hightailed it out of Notorious City for school X. Moral of my story is: Schools can wait until the last minute - or even later - and sometimes that's a good thing.

However, your case is bull. Not even a waitlisted notice? I'd say someone's unorganized and unprofessional...

Edited September 22, 2010 by Alette

[Marseille]

OMG - you sent the type of e-mail that I write, save as a draft, and then cowardly delete. It made me laugh out loud. : )

[LadyL]

I think the content of your response was actually called for in the situation, though the tone was inappropriate. It is frankly insane for them to send you a rejection in September.

[TheDude]

You had a gripe and you aired it out.

At least you had the fortitude to follow through.

I would have just let it got but I gave you props for spunk!

[katemiddleton]

Martizzle,

I admire you for your courage in speaking what the rest of us would probably only think to ourselves!

Alex