Favorite Rejection Quotes from the Results Page

[NoChance]

Here's a fun exchange from the PhD in Anthropology decisions at Harvard:

 

 

• The letter read "only those who qualify are offered admission," which I found way too arrogant for a reputable grad school! I got into a top anthropology program in my field accepting only 8 people out of 400 and I am way happy that that department is not as arrogant as Harvard sounds. I am happy it didn't work out.

 

 

• Obviously the loser poster below would say bad things about Harvard. hahahaha

 

 

• I declined their offer! because their too arrogant and accept people full of themselves.

 

 

• Let's all get along guys. This is a hard process. Chill your tits, Harvards.

 

Chill your tits. Hah. What does one do then with chilled tits, I wonder?

[PsycD]

Columbia Economics, PhD (F14) Rejected via Website on 6 Mar 2014:

 

"I wish you success in your future career..." - like I give a sh*t.

Edited March 6, 2014 by PsycD

[ssynny]

Columbia Economics, PhD (F14) Rejected via Website on 6 Mar 2014:

 

"I wish you success in your future career..." - like I give a sh*t.

"Like Columbia gives a sh*t"**

[beyondaboundary]

Brandeis Sociology, PhD (Fall 2014):

 

"I had never taken a sociology class and had no particular interest in any of the faculty's areas of specialization. I only applied because they waived the admission fee based on my GRE scores, so I commend them on their wise choice of rejecting me lol."

 

This is my favorite because it exactly mirrors my motivation and application result. Good to know I wasn't the only one that did this.

[Dankar1208]

 

 

• "knew it wasn't a good fit for me before applying. Mediocre/forgettable writers teaching here. A good funding though. Historically admitting teacher's pets with good grades. The program doesn't have its own identity, more like IWW's little brother. Very few graduates have TT teaching positions. Bye bye, Michigan. I'll stay away from you and the Midwest for the rest of my life!"

 

 

Ouch. Wasn't UMich the #1 program last year? lol

[pyrocide]

Do you ever see a rejection to someone from your Alma Mater, and the rejectee is all like "[school's] loss!"? Every time I see that I can't help but think http://thesearethings.com/work/hatersgonnahate/img/hatersgonnahate-01.gif. 

Edited March 6, 2014 by pyrocide

[MoJuiced]

Ouch. Wasn't UMich the #1 program last year? lol

 

It's a good program, I wanted to go there, but rankings are a mixed bag in creative writing especially. What that poster puts forth is very plausible. Sometimes being at the (perceived) top leads to a different kind of behavior by a program. Not everyone in academia sees it as their mission to assist and make you the best you can be, but rather to see if you have what it takes to get their stamp of approval. Rankings lead to efforts to maintain rankings and ironically the rankings are significantly derived from how many applicants there are and then new prospective students are seduced to apply to top ranked programs the following year, in a most circular and self-fulfilling way.

[Sevenoffs]

Agreed. Although there are some Canadian programs that do require the GRE or GMAT. For example, some of the graduate programs is psychology at the University of Guelph require the GRE. I'm just glad none of the programs in my field need it!

Definitely program specific. 4/5 Clinical Psychology programs I applied to (in Canada) required it.

[Dankar1208]

 Rankings lead to efforts to maintain rankings and ironically the rankings are significantly derived from how many applicants there are and then new prospective students are seduced to apply to top ranked programs the following year, in a most circular and self-fulfilling way.

 

I know that AWP's rankings are mainly obtained from applicants, which is why well-funded programs are always at the top. I hadn't thought about the way rankings change the programs. I've heard that getting the university's "stamp of approval" is one of the major complaints people have about Ivy Leagues for undergrad. That being said, I think it's a little unfair to say that Michigan doesn't have an identity.

[MoJuiced]

Oh, I agree with you. (I'm not the one who posted that result, btw)

 

I like Michigan and wish they had accepted me.

[gingin6789]

 

 

 

• Standard form letter. Not surprised since most of the offers went out in February. Time to console myself with two fingers of bourbon and pounds of chocolate. (Actually, I'm not that disappointed. I have two good offers so far!)

I think this person just wanted some bourbon and chocolate, in the end!  Glad to hear they have two offers to make that chocolate taste even sweeter!! =)

[CarefreeWritingsontheWall]

I feel as if more and more people are commenting with "Thank god..." as if we're on our last legs already. ><

[castiel007]

I found the following comment on some other forum, abt some guy rejected by EPFL,......... 

 

"Perfect 10 and still no admit...

This case reminds me of Leonardo DiCaprio"

 

P.S. - In India, GPA is evaluated out of 10.

[matrix]

What is with so many posts saying 'from SUT' on the results page?

[ecologaia]

I didn't apply to this school, but can't help but support whoever this was, in sentiment:

 

"Stanford folks, we knew we were rejected from this program several weeks ago when you interviewed the top 15 applicants and sent out all acceptances/waitlistings--i.e. a mass reject email could have been sent out shortly after. Your staggered rejection emailing is obnoxious, cruel, and a slap in the face considering how unreasonably expensive your app fee is. But historically Stanford sucks at notifying the reject pool, so the ineptitude is not at all a surprise."

[gingin6789]

I feel as if more and more people are commenting with "Thank god..." as if we're on our last legs already. ><

I know what you mean!!! I rolled over and went back to sleep after receiving my rejection at 7:02 in the morning!  It was my last notification, so I was relieved it was all over!

[DidacticPrinter]

Rejection from MIT:

 

"Not really a remote research fit. Guess they saw through my SOP like grandma's underpants."

[Munashi]

I saw this on a rejection post where the user was mentioning that they had dreamed of living in College Station, TX:

 

• "Even my dreams are tame."

[Sizzle]

<p>

I saw this on a rejection post where the user was mentioning that they had dreamed of living in College Station, TX:

• "Even my dreams are tame."

Well, I was bummed, and I was wondering why they don't notify rejects when they've decided. My dreams of going out there were crushed.

What is up with people posting stuff like "Jursumeha?"

[musicbiz]

Ohio State University Atmospheric Science, Masters (F14) Rejected via Website on 11 Mar 2014 ♦ I 11 Mar 2014

• unbelievable!!!!!!have they ever admitted any students?

 

[PoliPixie]

Loved these. 

 

Brown University, MFA Creative Writing

 

Dear [FIRST LAST]: Once upon a time, there was a sad little applicant named [FIRST] who mistakenly believed that his neurosis was translatable into art."

 

 

University Of Oregon Philosophy, PhD (F14) Rejected via Phone on 11 Mar 2014 A 11 Mar 2014

•  
• So much for getting a PhD without having to buy a razor or shoes.

 

Edited March 11, 2014 by PoliPixie

[holdsteady]

Recent Sociology rejections from the University of Victoria:

 

"Surprised. Essentially applied there as a safety net."

 

"Also applied as a safety. "The Department of Sociology has determined that your academic background is not appropriate for graduate level studies in their department." kind of weird way of putting it."

 

I love these more subdued ones even more than the folk who list all their accomplishments. Also love when very highly regarded schools that just aren't in the Canadian 'big three' (or four or five if you want to count Queen's and maybe McMaster) are talked about as if they're leper colonies by a certain type of grad school applicant. I'm sure the same happens in the States.

Edited March 12, 2014 by holdsteady

[CarefreeWritingsontheWall]

Recent Sociology rejections from the University of Victoria:

 

"Surprised. Essentially applied there as a safety net."

 

"Also applied as a safety. "The Department of Sociology has determined that your academic background is not appropriate for graduate level studies in their department." kind of weird way of putting it."

 

I love these more subdued ones even more than the folk who list all their accomplishments. Also love when very highly regarded schools that just aren't in the Canadian 'big three' (or four or five if you want to count Queen's and maybe McMaster) are talked about as if they're leper colonies by a certain type of grad school applicant. I'm sure the same happens in the States.

True that:

U Of Iowa Economics, PhD (F14) Rejected via E-mail on 12 Mar 2014 U 12 Mar 2014

• Safety school, they probably think I will not come, get better offers

[ParanoidAndroid]

UCSB Physics getting some love:

 

• I didn't even cared.. I'm going to a better university

 

• hep-th. They should specify that they will not admit any international student beforehand, so that I do not need to waste my ****ing application fee.

 

 

• Accepted to Harvard, Pton, Caltech, Uchicago, Cornell. UC suck balls Don't apply to this place if you are an international student.

 

• Lol ok UCSB, I'll be going to Harvard instead.

 

• Grand Theft Application - Santa Barbara

 

• UCSB, from all the internation applicants: Go **** yourself!!

 

• UC grad schools are well known for not really admitting international students, especially USCB. UCSB is such a theft that they charge $105 fee and just dump internationals' applications without even reviewing. UCSB, please suck your balls t(^-^ t)

[Munashi]

Well, I was bummed, and I was wondering why they don't notify rejects when they've decided. My dreams of going out there were crushed.

What is up with people posting stuff like "Jursumeha?"

 

Aww, that was you?  Sorry to hear.  Your statement just made me smile (because I can sympathize over the tameness of dreams)!