Accepted... But Department Not Responding to Inquiry

[Stressica]

I'm trying to get a feel for how common this is. I was accepted to my top school a couple of weeks ago. Shortly after receiving the acceptance letter, I sent a short email to the new student advisor (who also signed the admit letter) asking about funding opportunities on campus. The program is completely unfunded (master's), so it's kind of a big deal. I haven't heard anything since then, and I'm beginning to think there will not be a response.

 

I'm sure the department gets a lot of inquiries about this same topic. How usual is it to have trouble corresponding with your department as an accepted student? Do I need to chill, or should I be concerned? Is this a sign of things to come as an unfunded master's student?

 

I appreciate any insight or advice.

[gingin6789]

Did the email say that there would be a letter in the mail to follow?  If so, that letter may hold the answers to your questions.

 

Since it's been a couple weeks, I would be tempted to call them to talk about it. 

 

When I got accepted, I got a short email in which the DGS said that I was accepted, that they wanted to offer me a teaching assistantship, and that a letter in the mail would follow.  That was almost three weeks ago, and my letter still has yet to arrive, so I'm just waiting for now!

[fuzzylogician]

Well, is the advisor the right person to ask this question? I'd begin by asking myself that. If they are, then enough time has passed since your previous email and you can therefore send it again. Emails sometimes get lost in the shuffle so I wouldn't base anything off of a single incident. Some schools just had midterms so it's a busy time of the year. If this is a pattern, it may be more of a concern. However, before deciding that this is a big problem, you want to talk to current students of this advisor and get a sense for whether the problem is real or not; some people prioritize their own students above emails (and other requests) from others. Some are just not good with email but are great if you stop by their office in person or call them on the phone. You need to know if there is a real communications problem or just a local problem with your email (or emails in general). 

[Stressica]

Thank you for these responses!

 

The email sadly did not allude to a physical letter or more information to follow.

 

Well, is the advisor the right person to ask this question?

 

I was wondering about this. The contact is an "Academic Services Manager" and from the directory seems to be the person new students should go to, but maybe I'm wrong! There are a couple of professors who are listed as advisors for "prospective and current master's students," too. Maybe I should try contacting a professor instead?

 

Thank you for that great insight, fuzzylogician. I will try again this week.

[CommPhD20]

At the least, I would certainly agree that there is a short shelf life on emails. If it hasn't been responded to after a few days, it's likely that it will never be seen again -- whether or not it was intentionally passed over in the first place.

[deci:belle]

Same with me with my schools. All they had to say is that awards would becoming out in the up coming weeks. My program is also usually unfunded so I think that's why theyre being tightlipped about it. 

Edited March 9, 2014 by deciBELLE

[mmorrison]

Thank you for these responses!

 

The email sadly did not allude to a physical letter or more information to follow.

 

 

I was wondering about this. The contact is an "Academic Services Manager" and from the directory seems to be the person new students should go to, but maybe I'm wrong! There are a couple of professors who are listed as advisors for "prospective and current master's students," too. Maybe I should try contacting a professor instead?

 

Thank you for that great insight, fuzzylogician. I will try again this week.

 

Don't forget to scour the website for answers to your question. If the information is available online, they probably expect you to find it and act on it independently. If you've already triple-checked the site for funding information/instructions, then disregard!

[hj2012]

Thank you for these responses!

The email sadly did not allude to a physical letter or more information to follow.

I was wondering about this. The contact is an "Academic Services Manager" and from the directory seems to be the person new students should go to, but maybe I'm wrong! There are a couple of professors who are listed as advisors for "prospective and current master's students," too. Maybe I should try contacting a professor instead?

Thank you for that great insight, fuzzylogician. I will try again this week.

I agree the email might have been accidentally passed over or forgotten. I also think it would be entirely appropriate to direct your inquiry to a professor in the department as well. At the least, he/she could direct you to the right person to contact.

[Stressica]

Thank you everyone for your responses!

 

The saga in which I attempt to correspond with my department continues. I've sent follow-ups and additional emails to different people (all listed as MS advisors), but I can't seem to inspire a response. I've expanded my questions beyond funding, as the April 15 deadline is approaching. I have searched for answers on the website, to the point of putting together a tentative schedule for next year, but I still have questions.

 

Only theories I can think of:

• I'm getting caught in spam folders, which is possible, but I was in contact with another department at the same school a year ago and had success with the same email address. That department was timely, responsive, and helpful. Regardless I probably should try from another address. I just don't want to get annoying.
• They accepted about 130 people last year, and I assume numbers are similar this year. I'm not sure what typical master's numbers are, but if this is a large cohort maybe it's hard to respond to inquiries?
• My questions are being perceived as invalid or stupid, and I will be forced to sit at the unpopular table in the school cafeteria if I accept the offer. It's middle school all over again.

[fuzzylogician]

Call them. Find out the number for the admin assistant / dept secretary and just call on Monday during business hours. Ask who can answer your questions about X, Y, and Z. If they want you to email someone who's you've already emailed but didn't get a response, say that and don't agree to be turned away without some solution that works. 

[Stressica]

I was spared the agony of trying to figure out how to approach this diplomatically over the phone. Finally heard from the department through email this morning. D: Thanks again fuzzylogician.

[smpalesh]

In the future can I recommend that you try phoning people rather than rely on email.  Maybe it is just because I am an older student (34) but I am really surprised by the number of questions I see on here from people wondering what to do if they don't get a response to an email.  Pick up the phone and call, JMHO.

[nugget]

In the future can I recommend that you try phoning people rather than rely on email.  Maybe it is just because I am an older student (34) but I am really surprised by the number of questions I see on here from people wondering what to do if they don't get a response to an email.  Pick up the phone and call, JMHO.

 

I think it depends on the school. My school gets a failing grade when it comes to answering the phone. It takes a good 5 minutes to reach a human voice (ie: an  operator) who will usually transfer you to voicemail later on. I actually considered driving over to the school to get a simple form filled out after I got accepted (and the school was a 7 hour drive away!!) because no one would answer their darn phone or respond by email. Finally I sent my message by FedEx. Generally though, my school does better with email and I think this will vary from place to place.

Edited March 25, 2014 by jenste

[Stressica]

I went ahead and asked which they prefer. The department specializes in research about computer-mediated communication so... I mean... I assumed...

 

I think my reservations come from fear of being overly aggressive with my top choice school. I figure email gives people an opportunity to respond when it's convenient for them instead of me, but yes, this does lead to problems.

 

I do like the phone for billing, insurance, veterinarians, and healthcare (so many redials). Not a total lost cause, but pretty close.

[marsmat]

In the future can I recommend that you try phoning people rather than rely on email.  Maybe it is just because I am an older student (34) but I am really surprised by the number of questions I see on here from people wondering what to do if they don't get a response to an email.  Pick up the phone and call, JMHO.

 

IMO, when I worked in admissions I really really preferred email and I think the students that contacted me by email got the best answers. With an email you can take the time to really look into their file and their situation and give a well-thought-out answer when you have the time to do that. When a student phones you have to deal with understanding what they want (often people are nervous on the phone and mix their questions up), people knocking on your door or coming into your office while you're talking, trying to look up the students details in the database etc. all at once. It stressed me out.