Unofficial Admission

[peterpeterhu]

Hi,

 

I received an unofficial admission letter from Caltech (EE) about a month ago, saying that I would receive the official one in a reasonable amount of time. My POI also sent me email to confirm that. But it has been 1.5 month, but I haven't heard anything back from them yet. I tried contacting the secretary several times but got no reply. 

 

I am a bit worried now. Does anyone knows if it is possible that a school changes decisions after sending out the unofficial ones?

 

Thanks 

[zabius]

It sometimes happens (a student may be recommended for admission by the department but ultimately rejected by the graduate school for some reason), but I think that it's rare. And if that did happen, I'd imagine that someone (your POI, the DGS, etc.) would have sent you an email to let you know. So, don't automatically worry. But you should sort this out with the department before the April 15th deadline.

 

Is the official letter that you're waiting on coming via snail mail? I'd contact the school to let them know that you haven't received it yet. If the secretary isn't answering you, try contacting your POI or the DGS directly. You might even want to call them instead of emailing, as April 15th is only one week away and you'll need to know where you stand (officially) by then. Emails can go unanswered for days (or weeks!), but a phone call will usually get you a prompt response.

 

Good luck! It could be that your letter is just sitting under a pile of papers on someone's desk and was accidentally not mailed at all. That happens... important papers are put in the wrong pile or lost from time to time (according to stories that I've read on these boards).

[tarrman]

Yeah I'd contact your POI and other people related with admission ASAP. It's possible the official letter just never made it to you, but the department has no way of knowing this. You need to resolve this before the end of the week.

[peterpeterhu]

Thanks guys, I just called the office and they emailed it to me!