Appealing a Decision

[MrsH]

Hi! Has anyone ever tried to appeal a decision? A girl told me her friend did and won, and have been advised to do the same as a few schools have told me it was because I'm taking so many prerequisites this semester (4). What my supervisor said was at the end of the semester, submit a new transcript to the schools and see if I can take any remaining spots. But at the same time, could this have a negative impact if you try again for 2017? Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks!

[SouthernDrawl]

Hi there,

I don't really have any advice on the appeal situation. I haven't heard of anyone doing it, and am not sure how it might affect a program's perceptions of a candidate. However, I will say that I was an out-of-fielder who asked very specific questions about prerequisite restrictions before applying. I will have finished 4 by the semester's end and have 4-5 left to take this summer. I emailed programs and directly asked if they would consider someone with that amount of prereqs finished. Some said no (i.e. told me they would only consider me if I had 1 or 2 left to take, very cut and dry). I applied to ones that seemed flexible or offered a leveling track. I got into each program I applied to (although I did not apply to some schools that I thought could be a good fit because of the aforementioned prerequisite limitations). I will be attending a program that does not offer a leveling track, but will let me finish 15 CSD hours over the summer. I guess what I would say is, revisit the sites and see if they have any language that very specifically limits candidates with several prereqs left. I would think this language would mean the programs have black-and-white restrictions here that are just as steadfast as their GRE or GPA cutoffs. I might then email programs who do not explicitly preclude students without most prereqs completed, but would not use the word "appeal," and just express my continued interest, academic progress, and hope that one day I can be a part of their program. I don't know about unfilled spots, but maybe you can be placed on the waitlist? Sorry if this isn't helpful. Best of luck!

[MrsH]

Hi @SouthernDrawl -- I appreciate your response! And do like your idea of not using the word "appeal'! Thank you, best of luck!

[thespeechblog.com]

On 4/6/2016 at 10:22 AM, MrsH said:

Hi! Has anyone ever tried to appeal a decision? A girl told me her friend did and won, and have been advised to do the same as a few schools have told me it was because I'm taking so many prerequisites this semester (4). What my supervisor said was at the end of the semester, submit a new transcript to the schools and see if I can take any remaining spots. But at the same time, could this have a negative impact if you try again for 2017? Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks!

I think "appealing" sounds kind of aggressive and I can´t imagine it being successful. That route sounds like telling your future professors, "I think you were wrong." I wouldn´t try it. 

Perhaps if you word things well and express your sincere and continued interest in their program, you might earn yourself a spot on the waitlist (which can turn into admission). I agree with what the above poster said about focusing on schools that don´t preclude students with certain number of prerequisites filled or unfilled - you should probably focus on schools that openly state they are flexible and/or offer a leveling track. 

Best of luck! 

[Allegro8032]

I agree that sounds quite aggressive - and also implies that there are spots left for you. For all you know, they have already made offers and accepted a full class, and do not have a seat left no matter what reasoning you may use to "appeal."

 

I think if the program is willing to provide feedback on why you didn't make the cut this year that is the best route to go; if you feel they may have been misinformed it creates the opportunity to perhaps point out a discrepancy without flat-out accusing the committee of being wrong about you, and no matter what gives you insight into how to improve your qualifications for re-applying in the future.