Encouraged to apply but professors had no idea what they were saying?

[switch]

I contacted a few grad directors with my basic statistics to see if I was a viable candidate for their programs. They strongly strongly STRONGLY encouraged me to apply to their graduate programs then........................ I received rejections from these two graduate programs based on the same information they had known in my introductory cover letter. The rejections were not based on new information, but on the same exact information that they told me to apply with.

Why are the graduate program directors so confused as to STRONGLY encourage me to apply based on a 3.5 GPA then just as adamant that my 3.5 GPA is good but not great so they cannot let me into the program?

[Bradley1]

I contacted a few grad directors with my basic statistics to see if I was a viable candidate for their programs. They strongly strongly STRONGLY encouraged me to apply to their graduate programs then........................ I received rejections from these two graduate programs based on the same information they had known in my introductory cover letter. The rejections were not based on new information, but on the same exact information that they told me to apply with.

Why are the graduate program directors so confused as to STRONGLY encourage me to apply based on a 3.5 GPA then just as adamant that my 3.5 GPA is good but not great so they cannot let me into the program?

what was your undergrad degree in and what coursework?

[m.giugno]

App fees = Money

[Teelee]

Your GPA may have been one of the factors for rejection but maybe this year, there were more competitive applicants this year. Also, grad director and the admissions committee aren't always in agreement when deciding what makes an applicant competitive enough (GPA, resume, SoP, etc).

Edited April 30, 2011 by Teelee

[neuropsych76]

I don't understand... yes, they could strongly encourage you to apply but that doesn't mean you will be accepted.

They could say yes you seem like a good applicant and you might be. But applicant X might apply also who has much better credentials.

The whole process is tough and it's impossible to predict what's going to happen based off previous POI email correspondence.

[Lyra Belacqua]

About a year and a half ago, when I was still deciding between fields, I emailed a bunch of DGS's in various programs for one of them, basically saying "I read the information on your website and I had some more specific questions about the application requirements." Of the 4 I emailed, only 2 ever got back to me, and one of those didn't answer my questions at all and told me to read the website (which I said I had read, and I was asking about specific things that were not on the website). I ended up not applying to programs in this field in the end anyway, having chosen to go on in the other field I was considering, and I don't know how I would have done.

So if these people actually responded to you, I would take it as a good sign; they could have just ignored you like mine did.