Get a reject but really want to know why

[Tin Sn]

Hi all,

 

I believe that at some point, some of you might be in the similar situation as mine. I wonder whether I should write an email asking the grad admission mentors politely
about the reason why they reject me.

The decision letter stated that "due to limited resources, we can admit only a small group of applicants who best match our requirements for the department." 
Does this means that my qualification does not satisfy the criterion...?

 

Is this because of my toelf scores?  My score is 90 higher than the grad school requirement, but lower than the department's satisfactions which is 92.

 

Or is this because of my gre which is 161 Q and 145 V 3 W.

 

Before the decision has been made I sent an email asking them whether they would consider my new gre score which is 167Q/147Q, 3W. 

In addition, I did contact a POI in the university, and the professor's encouragement did make me think that I might be a well fit to the university.

 

I feel desperate....I really need advice from all of you before applying to another universities. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

International EE department
GPA: 3.92/4.00(B.Eng)  and 4.00/4.00(M.Eng)

Three publications 

Apply : 7 universities

Rejected  : 1

Wait list: 3

Accepted  :0 

 

Edited March 20, 2014 by Gap Sntin

[peachypie]

I would contact the person who sent out the email to you or your other point of contact and ask what you can do to improve your application to their program.  Most schools would take a minute to give you at least some answer and direction I would believe.

[RomulusAugustulus]

Programs often say they can't provide information on why applicants were not successful. Since you were in contact with a POI, however, I think your best bet would be to email that POI thanking them for their help during the application process and asking if they have advice on what you could do to improve your application in the future. As Mr. Bugle said, its more complicated than just a matter of test scores. In another application pool maybe you would have gotten in, but this year there were other applicants they wanted more. It doesn't necessarily mean you weren't qualified. Do you have undergrad profs (your recommenders perhaps?) who can give you advice on improving your application as well? 

[Tin Sn]

Thank you all of you. 
I sent an email asking the grad admission yesterday,and it said that my qualification is not as competitive as those who they accepted to their program 
Sadly, they did not give specific reasons or the deficiencies that should have been improved. The grad made it so general that I cannot imagine.

As RomulusAugustulus said, I would consult with my undergrad prof. about what I should do to improve my profile, as well as sending an email for requesting the POI to tell me what I should do. 

I still want to hear more suggestion not only about the rejections, but also about my profile from you. I am not sure that I am competitive enough for this round, and you can also give me suggest on which ranks of school I should apply to.....from your point of view 

Edited March 21, 2014 by Gap Sntin

[Vene]

There's likely no one reason why they said no. The slighly low toelf score is probably a factor, especially paired with a subpar verbal GRE score may make them debate if your language skills are actually sufficient. If you pair this with a set of applicants where your other stats don't make you stand out, it's just bad luck on your part.

That said, those 3 waitlists are far from rejections, so you've still got a shot.

[Tin Sn]

Dear All,
 

I have not received the email from POI whom I sent the email requesting for advice on improving my application. Does this mean that the POI will never ever want to contact me again? Is this normal. By normal, I mean that any POI will appreciate only new prospective students. 

 

I really love hearing your opinion.      

  

  

Edited April 5, 2014 by Gap Sntin