A mighty thanks for a timely rejections

[polytropos]

I want to thank Duke University for just rejecting my application right at the beginning of February. At the time I was disappointed (though I knew I had royally screwed up the essay I sent them), but I had no idea then what a great blessing this quick rejection was. Now I am being strung along through weeks of anguish and pain by programs that have likely already rejected me but do not have the common courtesy to send me a notification. For those programs (and you know who you are), I have one question: HOW DO YOU SLEEP AT NIGHT?

So thank you, Duke, for your timely rejection. I wish I were independently wealthy so I could write to the others and let them know what I think about them... I think I would even send a small donation to Duke's Classics Department for their ethical treatment of applicants.

(/rant)

[wanderlust07]

If there had been options for "completely baffled" of "humbly propitiating" I would have picked one of those.

[DrPepper-olic]

Well, Duke is still stringing me along...

I'd like to thank the Grad School at Rochester for emailing me to say, in 3 sentences, that I was rejected. It was short, sweet, to the point, and waiting for me when I returned from class. Thank you.

To every other school, YOU ARE KILLING ME!

**note: I can tell everyone else to keep calm, but I cannot take my own advice. Of course. Of. Course.

Edited February 24, 2011 by DrPepper-olic

[anonthropology]

I agree that once my application ends up in the rejection pile, I want to know ASAP. Of course, if I'm not hearing back because I'm in the "possibly maybe might still be admitted" pile, of course that's a good thing, but I have a sinking feeling that that is not the case for several programs I am still waiting to hear from (i.e. ones that appear to have sent out their acceptances AND their wait list notifications already.) Once the decision has been made, I think sending out the rejections is the kindest thing to do!

[twocities]

Are you guys talking about post-interviews?

[polytropos]

Are you guys talking about post-interviews?

I am personally getting the silent treatment from nearly all of my applications. I had one rejection (as described above, the object of my sincere gratitude), one acceptance (funding has been pending in silence for weeks), one interview (then silence for almost a week), and 4 that are just plain dead silent. 2 of those I am nearly certain I didn't get into because of acceptance/waitlist/interview activity posted on here, but I would still appreciate a letter (I did, after all, pay a lot of money to apply). Of the other two, one has already accepted people (a long time ago), and one hasn't said or done anything that I can tell. I am holding out hope because it is all I can do right now, but I am just about to lose my mind.

[twocities]

i'm in the same boat. besides the schools that never got back to me, i am now waiting to hear back from my interviews but no words yet. i wonder what that means....

[OnceAndFutureGrad]

Eh, I'm of two minds on this issue. Last time around I was half rejected by this point and about to get another rejection and waitlist (which turned into an acceptance). THAT sucked. A lot. While it's frustrating now to have silence apart from one early rejection, in some ways I prefer holding on to possibilities. I do wish that adcoms would streamline this process, though.

[Eigen]

I think (as was mentioned by The Realist), that once adcoms have their "top choices", the focus shifts to getting funding packages together, pushing the formal offers through the college, and starting work on recruiting those students. They care way more about getting their top choices to accept their offer than they do about prompt notification of the rest.

Additionally, rejection letters are often in the hands of the administrators, not necessarily the adcom- and the administrators are also focusing on setting up visits, interviews, etc.

I think it is a bit harsh, but when you think about it from the position of an adcom, it makes a lot of sense. They aren't so worried about people being stressed by having to wait a few additional weeks as they are about getting their top-choice students.

That said, it's not even March yet guys! Buck up, and at least wait until it gets closer to April to be this stressed. I know people that both applied and got into schools as late as May/June.