I don't know about you...

[The Pseudo grad student]

... but I like my rejections/acceptances in letter form. To this day, UC Berkeley has yet to send me a rejection letter for my undergrad so I have no idea whether or not I got in even though I did receive a rejection from Berkeley when checking my status online. I don't know why but I like that old traditional system of receiving a letter through the mail. To me, it makes it official and maybe it shows that the school took a little time to write a letter to me even though it might have taken 5 seconds to change the name and sent out the generic letter but seeing the letterhead and seal in the background sort of gives me closure.

I'm obviously not a fan of the "checking status online" thing but I don't know what to think about email acceptances/rejections. Any thoughts or am I just totally crazy here? Maybe it's an excuse to say, "I didn't get rejected."

[tarski]

I like emails because they're faster, and I want to hear asap . I know what you mean, though, letters are nice.

[The Knife]

You would think that for $50-$90 for an application fee, they could bother to send something a little more substantial. When I applied last year, 2 schools didn't even bother to send me any form of rejection.

[coyabean]

You would think that for $50-$90 for an application fee, they could bother to send something a little more substantial. When I applied last year, 2 schools didn't even bother to send me any form of rejection.

That's how I feel. For the cost carve out $.44 for a postcard at the very least.

[urbanchic]

I rather you email me than mail me a rejection. Letters are for acceptances. All of that time, hard work, and concentration it takes to go to the mail box and open the letter, it better be positive. Besides, why waste paper and gas to tell me that I got rejected?

[rising_star]

I rather you email me than mail me a rejection. Letters are for acceptances. All of that time, hard work, and concentration it takes to go to the mail box and open the letter, it better be positive. Besides, why waste paper and gas to tell me that I got rejected?

You just made me wonder what the environmental impact of graduate applications is. Does applying to grad school temporarily increase one's ecological footprint due to the increased use of mail and electronic devices (ie, incessantly checking this site on your computer and obsessively reloading one's inbox), the extra food consumed, and the fuel used to go to the post office?

[grad_wannabe]

You just made me wonder what the environmental impact of graduate applications is. Does applying to grad school temporarily increase one's ecological footprint due to the increased use of mail and electronic devices (ie, incessantly checking this site on your computer and obsessively reloading one's inbox), the extra food consumed, and the fuel used to go to the post office?

Jesus, imagine the carbon footprints made by everyone FLYING around to look at schools and interview??

[Serric]

You would think that for $50-$90 for an application fee, they could bother to send something a little more substantial. When I applied last year, 2 schools didn't even bother to send me any form of rejection.

Agreed. I know for a fact I was rejected at UC Berkeley, Johns Hopkins, and Columbia (interview dates are past for JHU, and I phoned the offices for UCB and Columbia), but I have yet to hear any sort of rejection from them. Sort of frustrating to put so much time, effort, and money into applying, then not even warrant common courtesy.

[rogue]

You would think that for $50-$90 for an application fee, they could bother to send something a little more substantial. When I applied last year, 2 schools didn't even bother to send me any form of rejection.

I completely agree. For all the money I paid, and all the time I spent on the application, take a minute and at least tell me I didn't get in, rather than making me check your website constantly. It doesn't even have to be a letter; an email would be fine. But no response? That's rude.

[kohaku]

You would think that for $50-$90 for an application fee, they could bother to send something a little more substantial. When I applied last year, 2 schools didn't even bother to send me any form of rejection.

Like you, I am still waiting to hear from 2 schools one way or the other, I already received one rejection.

If I don't get notification in any form, probably best via e-mail for the sake of expediency, I will be very ticked. After all, how else would I know that my application wasn't lost of misplaced?

I need to receive some kind of proof that someone bothered to at least read my application long enough to know the name of the person submitting it. After spending the $ and more importantly, months of my life gathering documents and later obsessing about what my future holds, they owe me at least that much.

[kent shakespeare]

I think e-notifications is great - quicker the better. A formal, mailed acceptance letter is nice, certainly. A mailed rejection letter seems pointless unless it specifies reasons why, or encourages reapplication under different/future conditions.

[hydrangea]

... but I like my rejections/acceptances in letter form. To this day, UC Berkeley has yet to send me a rejection letter for my undergrad so I have no idea whether or not I got in even though I did receive a rejection from Berkeley when checking my status online.

I'm obviously not a fan of the "checking status online" thing but I don't know what to think about email acceptances/rejections. Any thoughts or am I just totally crazy here? Maybe it's an excuse to say, "I didn't get rejected."

Besides, why waste paper and gas to tell me that I got rejected?

You just made me wonder what the environmental impact of graduate applications is. Does applying to grad school temporarily increase one's ecological footprint due to the increased use of mail and electronic devices (ie, incessantly checking this site on your computer and obsessively reloading one's inbox), the extra food consumed, and the fuel used to go to the post office?

I absolutely think the biggest motivation for email response is environmental, and partially economical. I also REALLY REALLY think they should respond, some way, some how. Official mail is nice for the tangibility of it. You could cherish and frame an acceptance letter, or rip up a rejection letter and watch it burn in the fireplace. There is a certain ceremony to the treatment of the object.

Then again, Berkeley is a pretty big undergraduate school, and they have at least twice as many people applying as they do actual students (very likely more). They must be saving a ton of trees by using online notification, at least at the undergraduate level. And how many times have we all read, 'we are no longer accepting paper applications'? I think it is really a move in the right direction for the environment. As far as checking your online status, I don't suppose it's very much worse than keeping an extra digital clock going during the day.

[The Pseudo grad student]

I absolutely think the biggest motivation for email response is environmental, and partially economical. I also REALLY REALLY think they should respond, some way, some how. Official mail is nice for the tangibility of it. You could cherish and frame an acceptance letter, or rip up a rejection letter and watch it burn in the fireplace. There is a certain ceremony to the treatment of the object.

Then again, Berkeley is a pretty big undergraduate school, and they have at least twice as many people applying as they do actual students (very likely more). They must be saving a ton of trees by using online notification, at least at the undergraduate level. And how many times have we all read, 'we are no longer accepting paper applications'? I think it is really a move in the right direction for the environment. As far as checking your online status, I don't suppose it's very much worse than keeping an extra digital clock going during the day.

@Hydrangea: I never truly thought about the environmental and economic implications of the letters. It definitely makes sense when I look at it from that point. But the ceremony of it all, that's a very nice way to put it! I also forgot about how unreliable the mail is to begin with as I've been having troubles with sending a few of my documents as well but I guess that that instant gratification of knowing is definitely an advantage. Thanks for your thoughts!

[Tall Chai Latte]

I like my rejection letter in email format... Haha I like to delete rejection emails, bad feeling *puff* gone when you click "delete".