Anyone Appealed a Rejection?

[HaElkoshi]

(I haven't found a thread on this-please alert me if I missed one.)

I have applied for chemistry PhD programs, and been accepted to one very good one (top ten or close) and one fairly good one. However, without giving away too many personal details, I was rejected from another fairly good one at a big name school in our current area. Problem is, my wife has family and a job she loves in our current area and doesn't want to move.

According to big name school's own website, I have better grades and GRE's than their average matriculating student, not to mention my other admissions, so I don't think I'm flat out unqualified. If I had to guess I'd say my personal statement was to general and failed to explain why a particular adviser at that school would be a good match for me (although I believe he would be).

One of the professors who wrote an LOR for me did a post-doc at that school and even coauthored a paper with the adviser I'm interested in, so I believe that he could get me a meeting at that school, either with my potential adviser or maybe someone he on the admissions committee if he knows them. My question is, if I went to such a meeting, could I explain why that school would be a good match for me and appeal my rejection? Should I try writing a letter first? Has anyone ever had experience in this area?

A last point I should make is that, depending how much my wife's employer offers her for next year, it might even make sense for me to offer to forgo first year funding rather that take the risk of her not finding a new job right away in another city, although understandably I am very hesitant to do this, especially as I've already received offers of full funding elsewhere.

[p4lm0r3]

Directly protesting a admission decision is something I have never heard about. What you could do is request information about why you were rejected. What were you applications weak points? Etc ... Some schools will give you this information, some won't. I also might try contacting them again after national signing deadline, April 15. There will probably be a few open spots in the department from people who were expected to matriculate, but didn't.

[ladybug3]

I have never heard of anyone doing this. The websites for the programs I am applying to all have a footnote at the bottom saying they are competitive programs with many more qualified applicants than spots. It usually goes on to say possessing minimum or even above average requirements does not guarantee you entrance into their program. I am assuming your programs probably have a similar notice, basically saying you cannot call them out for rejecting you even though you're qualified to be in their program.

[jbriar]

My SO did this successfully. However, my SO was applying to social work programs, which in my opinion are more likely to hear factors like "family" and actually care.

Best of luck to you. It never hurts to ask if you can be put on their waiting list. PM me if you want more details.

-J