Why Do Schools Take So Long to Send Rejections?

[TXInstrument11]

I understand waiting a bit on acceptances in case interviews go sour or 1st choices turn you down, but for the people who don't even make this invisible "cut", why wait?

 

Keeping up on here and sometimes directly contacting these schools, I already know a good half of the schools I applied to have rejected me [not all though, so I'm not gonna cry a river] and would appreciate it if they could just send the letters now and be done with it.

 

It doesn't even need to be a nice form letter via snail mail. Just "Rejection" or "No" in the subject line of an email would do quite nicely. 

 

 

And on a related note, some transparency on why we were rejected beyond the "many qualified applicants" BS would also be greatly appreciated. I don't need anything beyond simple yes/no checkboxes, but I know that's asking for too much, even if such a simple system does seem easy enough to implement. It's better for them if unqualified fools like me  continue to pay application fees.

Edited February 15, 2015 by TXInstrument11

[columbia09]

Why are you presuming that you got rejected just because you didn't hear anything ?  

[TXInstrument11]

Why are you presuming that you got rejected just because you didn't hear anything ?  

It is for programs where the interview is required. For others, I emailed POIs directly. Some even have statements on their websites now about how all students to be admitted were invited, but still refuse to send actual messages out for God knows what reason.

Edited February 15, 2015 by TXInstrument11

[columbia09]

It is for programs where the interview is required. For others, I emailed POIs directly. Some even have statements on their websites now about how all students to be admitted were invited, but still refuse to send actual messages out for God knows what reason.

 

When you say websites you mean the application status page ? We both applied to UT Austin but it might be different depending on the department 

[TXInstrument11]

When you say websites you mean the application status page ? We both applied to UT Austin but it might be different depending on the department 

No, I mean the actual admissions website. Oregon and Baylor do this for their programs. 

[FinallyAccepted]

Yeah, it's frustrating. At least with GradCafe I know not to have false hope (after my programs start sending out interview invites), but for all those people not on here to see that do they continue to think they have a chance? I hate false hope.

 

And I already ranted in the Social Psych forum about how it would be nice for as much that we pay for applications that someone would give us some sort of feedback about our application. It would be nice to see if I should even try to reapply the next year, or I am just NOT what they are looking for...

[busybeinganxious]

I keep telling myself they don't send rejections until they KNOW you aren't in because they don't like sending rejections.  Rejecting people must suck in a profound way.  After all, the people making the decisions must have been where we all are at some point.  

[TXInstrument11]

I keep telling myself they don't send rejections until they KNOW you aren't in because they don't like sending rejections.  Rejecting people must suck in a profound way.  After all, the people making the decisions must have been where we all are at some point.  

This is true. If I were in their shoes though, I'd want to make it was quick and obvious as possible. 

[BiochemMom]

I was really grateful Emory just told me so soon. Duke has already completed interviews and I didn't get one and they are notorious for notifying rejections late (heck, look at the results for Duke biochemistry and you'll see they don't bother with rejection notifications til April even for those not interviewed). I find myself getting more and more irritated they haven't told me even though I know I'm not getting in and they are my last choice of non backup schools.

I just interviewed with UNC (my top choice) this weekend and think it went really well; I hope I'll hear soon.

The rest of my schools are direct admits except NCSU who doesn't interview until mid March so it can be any time between now and late March and it's killing me. Ugh.

My husband has to put in transfer paperwork for his job and we have to do it for my daughters school. If I don't have an acceptance from UNC (or rejection and acceptance somewhere else) by the last week of February, my daughter will be waitlisted for the private school system she's in. If that happens, I have to move ahead of my husband and pay a mortgage here and rent there so she can stay in her private school. I hate this waiting game. Hate it.

[Catria]

I would have sent out the "no-brainer" rejections alongside the first round of admits... the ones with obvious red flags.

[columbia09]

I would have sent out the "no-brainer" rejections alongside the first round of admits... the ones with obvious red flags.

Don't schools do that ?

[geographyrocks]

This is true. If I were in their shoes though, I'd want to make it was quick and obvious as possible. 

Most programs do.  They send out their "definitely no" rejections first along with their "definitely yes" admissions.  They have a wait list going and possibly a secondary rejection list.  Using the numbers from my department, about 50% of people offered admission decline and so the offers goes on to the wait list.  I have to imagine that many of those people have acceptances elsewhere and so there is another round of people who reject the offers of admission. 

Another reason is because graduate committees and chairs are held by professors.  Those professors have other things to do than just admit people. I'm struggling to schedule my committee meeting and I'm doing it six weeks in advance!  These people are super busy and admitting graduate students is not their top priority. 

 

And the reason why people don't get personalized rejection letters outlining why the person was rejected is because they don't have time. 

 

I realized that you're frustrated, but you really have to think about these things instead of just thinking that these schools are out to get you.  They're really not.  The graduate chair in my department is legitimately sad when he has to sign the rejection forms.  Are some schools jerks?  Of course.  But you gotta give some of these people the benefit of the doubt.

 

One last thing.  Do you really want a rejection letter that tells you that you weren't admitted due to shear dumb luck?  In most cases, that's why you are rejected.  The POI has too many students or several didn't graduate when they should have.  There's no money.  It just so happened that 10 super-duper candidates applied this year when usually only two super candidates apply.  It is really scary how much of this comes down to luck in the end. 

Edited February 15, 2015 by geographyrocks

[FinallyAccepted]

One last thing.  Do you really want a rejection letter that tells you that you weren't admitted due to shear dumb luck?  In most cases, that's why you are rejected.  The POI has too many students or several didn't graduate when they should have.  There's no money.  It just so happened that 10 super-duper candidates applied this year when usually only two super candidates apply.  It is really scary how much of this comes down to luck in the end. 

 

I don't know about others, but I actually would prefer this. If I didn't get admitted because of luck, fine, I'll reapply next year. If it was a money issue that will be resolved next year, students who didn't graduate, etc. that would be great to know. If my research is not seen as fitting in with the lab, then that's not likely to change, and I could then focus on other schools I may have overlooked for fit in subsequent years of applications. I got shut out last year but applied to some of the same schools this year. If I had known they had no interest in me based on my research interests, etc., that would have been ~$150 I could have used to apply to a school that might have been more interested (or just pocketed to get a massage at about this time in the process - man, that sounds good).

[TXInstrument11]

Most programs do.  They send out their "definitely no" rejections first along with their "definitely yes" admissions.  They have a wait list going and possibly a secondary rejection list.  Using the numbers from my department, about 50% of people offered admission decline and so the offers goes on to the wait list.  I have to imagine that many of those people have acceptances elsewhere and so there is another round of people who reject the offers of admission. 

Another reason is because graduate committees and chairs are held by professors.  Those professors have other things to do than just admit people. I'm struggling to schedule my committee meeting and I'm doing it six weeks in advance!  These people are super busy and admitting graduate students is not their top priority. 

 

And the reason why people don't get personalized rejection letters outlining why the person was rejected is because they don't have time. 

 

I realized that you're frustrated, but you really have to think about these things instead of just thinking that these schools are out to get you.  They're really not.  The graduate chair in my department is legitimately sad when he has to sign the rejection forms.  Are some schools jerks?  Of course.  But you gotta give some of these people the benefit of the doubt.

 

One last thing.  Do you really want a rejection letter that tells you that you weren't admitted due to shear dumb luck?  In most cases, that's why you are rejected.  The POI has too many students or several didn't graduate when they should have.  There's no money.  It just so happened that 10 super-duper candidates applied this year when usually only two super candidates apply.  It is really scary how much of this comes down to luck in the end. 

I don't need a personalized rejection letter and honestly don't give a flip if it hurts their feelings that they have to reject me. Obviously, it hurts mine worse and is money down the drain. 

 

I'm not looking for a letter the size of an epic poem, just some reasonable speed in this process. 

 

I mean, it's life. It's like job hunting and you don't ever hear back, but it doesn't mean it doesn't suck and that I can't complain about it. I'm also really thankful to the four schools who have been relatively open and quick in the process - Illinois, Wyoming, UPenn, and FSU (criminology only; psych has been annoying). 

 

*Kudos to you for answering the question from admissions perspective anyway. I'm just frustrated.

Edited February 15, 2015 by TXInstrument11

[TXInstrument11]

I don't know about others, but I actually would prefer this. If I didn't get admitted because of luck, fine, I'll reapply next year. If it was a money issue that will be resolved next year, students who didn't graduate, etc. that would be great to know. If my research is not seen as fitting in with the lab, then that's not likely to change, and I could then focus on other schools I may have overlooked for fit in subsequent years of applications. I got shut out last year but applied to some of the same schools this year. If I had known they had no interest in me based on my research interests, etc., that would have been ~$150 I could have used to apply to a school that might have been more interested (or just pocketed to get a massage at about this time in the process - man, that sounds good).

This is a good point. Especially when you have to reapply next year, it would be really helpful to know so you don't reapply to a bad fit. 

[fuzzylogician]

[Chiqui74]

There are schools in my list that I know have already sent out their acceptances and are even notifiying them of the prospective student events, which means I am 99% sure I'm not in.  Yet, I've only had one official rejection. I hate to be in limbo.  If I'm rejected, fine, tell me.  I'm a cold truth over warm, false hope kinda girl.  Limbo sucks.  And it hurts their feelings?  Please!  I guarantee it hurts mine more.  I understand that there are more rejections than acceptances and thus it takes more time, but you only have to write one email and then have a secretary send it to the group with the recipents either BCCed or undisclosed.  I know because I used to be a graduate admissions asistant while I was an undergrad. 

 

Unfortunately, this is just the way of the world. The winners always find out they win before the losers find out they lost, usually by process of elimination.  Just beause it's the norm doesn't it mean it doesn't suck.

Edited February 15, 2015 by Chiqui74

[FinallyAccepted]

I understand that there are more rejections than acceptances and thus it takes more time, but you only have to write one email and then have a secretary send it to the group with the recipents either BCCed or undisclosed.  I know because I used to a graduate admissions asistant while I was an undergrad. 

 

Maybe they should take those application fees and hire some temporary extra help to send out those e-mails.

[columbia09]

If some of us are on a "waiting list" why can't they just tell us ?

[wangziqi2013]

I understand that some schools have several rounds of selection, from which they sort out the most preferable ones and the least preferable ones, and those preferred most will be accepted, while those preferred least will be rejected. Only after the last round of selection will the school decide to reject all remaining students.

 

So for most of the applicants, they cannot actually hear from the university unless ALL acceptances have been sent

[thissiteispoison]

Yeah, it's frustrating. At least with GradCafe I know not to have false hope (after my programs start sending out interview invites), but for all those people not on here to see that do they continue to think they have a chance? I hate false hope.

 

And I already ranted in the Social Psych forum about how it would be nice for as much that we pay for applications that someone would give us some sort of feedback about our application. It would be nice to see if I should even try to reapply the next year, or I am just NOT what they are looking for...

 

To be honest I feel the opposite way about this site. UW admitted a batch of people two weeks before I got in, then another batch slowly two weeks later. I was at the end of that second batch. I was panicking the whole week about how I hadn't gotten in because of this site. Then I got in.

[Catria]

Don't schools do that ?

 

No. Or at least not in all fields.

 

Physics generally sends out acceptances and waitlists first, and rejections after, even the rejects with obvious red flags.

[dragonage]

I don't need a personalized rejection letter and honestly don't give a flip if it hurts their feelings that they have to reject me. Obviously, it hurts mine worse and is money down the drain. 

 

I'm not looking for a letter the size of an epic poem, just some reasonable speed in this process. 

 

 

I completely agree. We all understand how busy faculty members are, but I think the admissions process should rank higher on their to-do lists.

 

If the university must send out all acceptances first, then it simply seems (to the applicant that has not heard a peep) like they are waitlisted. After all, why would the university need to send out the acceptances first, unless they are gauging how many of the accepted applicants will be enrolling?

 

One of my advisors told me to "give up hope" if I had not heard anything by mid-Feb. Well, looks like the time has come. The problem is, I think I might be waitlisted because I haven't actually been rejected yet! I want to give up hope so I can move on, but it's impossible while in limbo. 

[TXInstrument11]

I completely agree. We all understand how busy faculty members are, but I think the admissions process should rank higher on their to-do lists.

 

If the university must send out all acceptances first, then it simply seems (to the applicant that has not heard a peep) like they are waitlisted. After all, why would the university need to send out the acceptances first, unless they are gauging how many of the accepted applicants will be enrolling?

 

One of my advisors told me to "give up hope" if I had not heard anything by mid-Feb. Well, looks like the time has come. The problem is, I think I might be waitlisted because I haven't actually been rejected yet! I want to give up hope so I can move on, but it's impossible while in limbo. 

Ouch. A professor actually said that? That's harsh. I think mine said to worry if nothing by March, but with it being just two weeks off what you were told, I guess there's not too much of a difference between the two estimates. 

[sjoh197]

 

One of my advisors told me to "give up hope" if I had not heard anything by mid-Feb. Well, looks like the time has come. The problem is, I think I might be waitlisted because I haven't actually been rejected yet! I want to give up hope so I can move on, but it's impossible while in limbo. 

 

Yikes.... one of my professors asked me how the grad school apps were going, and I told him I hadn't heard anything yet. He said not to worry. He is on the adcom for our school, and he said they had only met once so far >.<