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Posted

I emailed the Graduate Office a week ago to confirm that they received my application materials and also to inquire about a decision timeline. I received a broad and unfortunately expected answer: "most applicants can expect an admissions decision in March." This is frustrating because it is also a top choice of mine along with Carnegie Mellon, both of which I am eagerly awaiting a decision from.

Posted

I got that exact response from UWashington as well.

Posted

"Most applicants" could potentially refer to all the people who will be rejected, as compared to those accepted the rejected number surely constitutes "most"...

This is very true. We have extraordinarily similar research interests, portlandfioretti. Good stuff!

Posted

"Most applicants" could potentially refer to all the people who will be rejected, as compared to those accepted the rejected number surely constitutes "most"...

They only have about 12 hours to notify acceptees before March, though, and that does not seem to have happened yet. Last year they accepted PhD candidates March 12-13. (Not that I have that information readily available in a spreadsheet or anything that neurotic.)

Posted (edited)

They have the rudest rejection letter ever....EVER

*****Note: this is from last year - so don't start freaking out about info going out*****

Thank you for your application to the University of Washington Graduate School. Your file has been carefully reviewed by the graduate admissions committee in the English Language and Literature (PhD) program.

Unfortunately, the committee has decided not to recommend your admission and I concur with this decision. The number and quality of graduate applicants to the University of Washington are extraordinary and these difficult decisions are reached through careful consideration of all applicants to a given program. In many cases, enrollment restrictions are also a factor, limiting our ability to accept all qualified applicants.

If you have questions regarding the reasons for this decision, they should be directed to the graduate program.

I realize that this outcome is disappointing, but I do thank you for the time and effort you invested into applying to a graduate program at the UW, as I recognize that expenditures of money and time to do so can be considerable. I wish you well in your future educational endeavors.

Sincerely,

Gerald J. Baldasty

Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School

University of Washington

Note: this email has been sent from an automated email address. If you would like further information concerning this decision, please contact the graduate program office to which you applied.

Edited by lolopixie
Posted

They have the rudest rejection letter ever....EVER

You heard back from them already?

Posted

You heard back from them already?

No, this was from last year. Please don't confuse this with this year's decisions...just advising of the lovely phrasing of their rejection letter.

Posted

That is a FUCKED UP response from a university. I can't believe they sent that to you.

Posted

That is a FUCKED UP response from a university. I can't believe they sent that to you.

They sent it to me and approximately 500 other people!

Posted

I applied to Washington last year as well. Yes, they have the strangest rejection letter I`ve ever seen. But at least they don`t reject you twice like some universities. Last year, they sent acceptances and rejections out in batches throughout March so there really is no set time. Here is an article about how they make their decisions: http://arcade.stanford.edu/how-narrow-enough

Good luck, everyone.

Posted

Yeah, the DGS (Brian Reed?) and I had a convo last year and I didn't get my rejection until well into March. I didn't match with a prof in the dept, which I knew when I applied, but I would have loved to stay in the PacNW, so I applied. He was super nice and had clearly spent a lot of time with my application materials. He knew one of my LORs (they'd gone to grad school together) and was really nice. He just seemed agonized over the fact that in review there was no prof to be my advisor. Since we talked after a recent hire (though post my rejection), he told me they'd hired someone new so I should apply the next year to work with him. Since I had offers, I declined, BUT the experience did intimate a few things for me: 1) The awkward rejection is on the basis of legal language to prevent appeal. 2) The AdCom and DGS in particular spend a TON of time on the apps that make if past the first cut or so. 3) UW has limited funding but they have lots of awesome profs and try really hard to make the most of their money and their talent. .which means it takes time. Anyway, Seattle is great (though expensive to live in) and there are some awesome profs, but it will take much of March to get sorted out. Best of luck to you all!

Posted

Yeah, the DGS (Brian Reed?) and I had a convo last year and I didn't get my rejection until well into March. I didn't match with a prof in the dept, which I knew when I applied, but I would have loved to stay in the PacNW, so I applied. He was super nice and had clearly spent a lot of time with my application materials. He knew one of my LORs (they'd gone to grad school together) and was really nice. He just seemed agonized over the fact that in review there was no prof to be my advisor. Since we talked after a recent hire (though post my rejection), he told me they'd hired someone new so I should apply the next year to work with him. Since I had offers, I declined, BUT the experience did intimate a few things for me: 1) The awkward rejection is on the basis of legal language to prevent appeal. 2) The AdCom and DGS in particular spend a TON of time on the apps that make if past the first cut or so. 3) UW has limited funding but they have lots of awesome profs and try really hard to make the most of their money and their talent. .which means it takes time. Anyway, Seattle is great (though expensive to live in) and there are some awesome profs, but it will take much of March to get sorted out. Best of luck to you all!

Lyonness, That makes a lot of sense. I assumed it was awkward legal language, but harsh none the less. Seattle is actually probably the only school left on my list that I'm excited about the possibility of as much as Minnesota, so I'm glad your experience was positive! Speaking of which, I'll actually probably be PMing you this week with some Minnesota questions!

Posted

Lyonness, That makes a lot of sense. I assumed it was awkward legal language, but harsh none the less. Seattle is actually probably the only school left on my list that I'm excited about the possibility of as much as Minnesota, so I'm glad your experience was positive! Speaking of which, I'll actually probably be PMing you this week with some Minnesota questions!

PM away! If you're an early modernist/medievalist. . I'll probably be emailing you from our recruitment list anyway, but if you're not, you'll hear from someone else AND me :) We're very excited about all of the prospects on our admitted and waitlist . . list. The funding and maximization of SUPER qualified applicants has really led to a situation where there are just too many awesome people to pick from so it really does end up being pretty arbitrary because all of you are awesome!

Posted

okay, two reports are now up for a rejection, but no adimts or waitlists? anyone want to claim these rejections? did you email to inquire about your status, or were these just sent out as a form letter email?

Posted

No news for me yet... No news is good news?

Posted

Looks like they've historically sent acceptances via postal service, so nothing good will come via email.

Posted (edited)

I sympathize with your rejection, but that rejection letter doesn't seem rude to me at all. It merely seems to be clarifying/asserting that although the Dean is not on the committee, he is still involved in the process and has agreed with their decision.

And I'm pretty sure they didn't highlight it in red and underline it when they sent it to you.

Would you rather they feed you some nonsense about how they wished they could admit everyone or something equally as ridiculous? I think it's quite professional of him to accept some responsibility instead of just telling you that other people didn't admit you.

The truth is, a rejection sucks no matter how you word it, and this one isn't worse than any others.

Edited by bellinj192
Posted

I'm feeling numb too! So no one on this thread has heard from UW? They must be notifying in batches . . .

Posted

I got the rejection, and while I understand that they can't accept us all, for a department that deals in words and nuances, they have GOT to realize that this kind of rejection is just plain mean. It's unnecessary, that's all.

Posted

Rejected as well. The letter was indeed unnecessarily mean. Sall good. Still waiting on Rochester (which is a very slim chance for me), but it looks like I'll be at UW-Eau Claire for my MA next year.

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