Completely Freaking Out

[MattCC]

Hi.

 

So far I have only heard from two institutions.  I got into George Mason, and Ohio State sent me a letter saying my overall academic experience was "not competitive" with other applicants.

 

Is this just standard wording for a rejection letter?  I'm sort of psyched out that all my other applications are going to get rejected now, though I am hugely grateful for the offer from George Mason.  I know at this point it doesn't really matter, I'm going to get accepted or rejected by the institutions that are going to accept or reject me.  I guess I'm just venting because the stress of waiting to hear back from everyone else is killing me.

[cosmokramer]

MattCC, you already have some assurance because you got accepted to George Mason. At least you've a choice. The wording of the letter could have obviously been better; I don't why OSU phrased the rejection in those terms. 

[cjalpha]

Wow, that's pretty messed up.

[cupofnimbus]

That's... really peculiar wording, and I'm sorry to hear it. I don't think that they could be broadly applied to anything but that one particular school, Don't let it affect your cool about the rest of the process. You've already gotten one acceptance, and that's reassurance of your capabilities as a potential graduate student. 

[BFB]

Looking into this. Thanks for the heads-up.

[boazczoine]

Ooof--that is some harsh wording. But I'm sure it was a form letter gone astray; I wouldn't dwell on it at all or assume it means anything!

[MattCC]

Thanks for the reassurance everyone, it does help.

[BFB]

It's not the message I intended to send. I very much apologize for the needless stress and soul-searching. I'm pretty sure something got miscommunicated somewhere along the line, but regardless, I am happy to certify that you are 100% competitive. I'm still looking into this to figure out what happened and make sure that it doesn't happen again.

Edited February 7, 2014 by BFB

[BFB]

OK, so here's the situation (which might apply to other people as well).

 

MattCC's file was technically incomplete. I'm not sure what was missing, but it wasn't anything crucial for the committee, so we considered what we had. We were very impressed, but we also didn't think his proposed area of study fit very well with the strengths of our faculty, so he didn't end up on the short list. That happens, and it really isn't a reflection on overall academic promise in any way.

 

That's where things got weird. When a student's application is "incomplete" rather than "pending," the system won't allow us to send out a standard rejection letter. It forces us to include language about your file not having been considered (it was), and it gives us a choice between saying that the file was incomplete (true but irrelevant) or that the application was not competitive (technically true, but only at this program, and only for reasons of fit). The way things are set up, we're not allowed to send any other message.

 

I've contacted the Interim Director of Graduate Admissions to request that this policy be changed in the future and that we be allowed to send letters that more accurately reflect our committee's assessment of a candidate. We'll see whether they're willing to do so. I apologize for not having discovered this situation sooner, and thanks very much for bringing it to my attention.

Edited February 7, 2014 by BFB

[cupofnimbus]

Thanks for the clarification for everyone, and for following up with this! 

 

That happens, and it really isn't a reflection on overall academic promise in any way.

 

This was, IIRC, the theme of my rejection from Ohio State, and I have to say that I am very grateful for that particular approach to rejections!

[BFB]

This was, IIRC, the theme of my rejection from Ohio State, and I have to say that I am very grateful for that particular approach to rejections!

 

That would be letter GC1. I've learned quite a bit about our rejection letters this morning.

[MattCC]

Thanks so much.  I'm just glad there's not some huge, overarching problem that would preclude me from being considered by other programs, which is what the tone of the letter made me feel.