I get a weird feeling...

[red_crayons]

I just found out I was accepted to a program, one of four. I had almost written off the school entirely. They don't have much funding (which I knew from the beginning), their website had very little information about the program, faculty and students, so I mostly applied based on reputation and the fact that there are few programs in this area, AND the support staff was grumpy and slow to respond. I submitted my application a month ago, and I got a letter confirming that they received it YESTERDAY.

I got a call today, and after playing phone tag for a while, the program director finally caught me. FOUR MINUTES before the time when I told her I had a meeting. Since I was being contacted fairly early for the program, I assumed I was accepted, but she started out with a mini-interview - again, RUDE, since I had no warning. In the next ten minutes, she pointed out the following reasons that would PRESUMABLY be a basis for REJECTING me:

• My grades weren't perfect as an undergrad (because I was an Ivy league BIOLOGY major with two minors taking 20 credits a semester - I got 2 C's freshman year, but was 3.9 or above last 2 years!!! and I've taken grad courses during the two years since!!!)
• I had virtually no experience so far in this field ("...although I guess you did work at XXXXX kind of place, which is relevant...")
• My essays and background were too academic for this type of program
• Was I really even interested in the skills they teach?
• Would I be interested in learning related skills?

Aren't these all reasons the program would have just rejected me? Aren't the questions about fit things that I would have thought about before putting in the time to fulfill their really excessive writing requirements? Does this just mean that it's a pity acceptance because of my demographics? If another professor had lobbied to get me in, why didn't that person call me? Do they really think that telling me the reasons they are HESITANT and UNENTHUSIASTIC about accepting me would make me enthusiastic about GOING there? Or did they just sense that my qualifications would work well at other programs and this was motivated by some kind of pathological desire for the other's object?

Then, the professor followed up with an email with several misspellings, no contact information for the people she told me to contact, and zero exclamation points.

This is mostly just venting. Luckily I'm accepted at another school, where the faculty are fabulous and write clear, friendly emails with LOTS of enthusiasm and care. But isn't that weird? Why would someone do that???

[coyabean]

Yeah. Repeat after me: People is crazy.

I had an unenthusiastic phone interview with this chick that was, obviously, speaking to me only because of my mentor and the fact that I'd fellow'd in a program that she use to participate in. The whole chat was full of "well, just so you know we won't be taking many people this year so it's unlikely we'd take a chance" and "for the record, you should have told me your pitch in the first 30 seconds of the call" and "that would be interesting to some departments (but presumably not theirs?)." This after taking a month and a half to return my phone call and email, calling me on speakerphone so she could do some real work while we talked and mispronouncing my name...twice. Which would be ok except we'd met two times before. And each time she'd refused to acknowledge my existence until, again, famous mentor person made her. /eyeroll

Maybe this person was obligated to call you but they weren't in favor of the decision to recommend you. Maybe they wanted to see if you are easily cowed or prone to crying or swearing. Who knows? But I'd be glad I have another offer, too.

I think it's a good reminder that being degreed doesn't make you particularly bright or well-behaved. Some folks just stick around until someone gives them a degree...and then a job...and then an administrative post. Promotion by convenience.

[red_crayons]

Yeah. Repeat after me: People is crazy.

....

I think it's a good reminder that being degreed doesn't make you particularly bright or well-behaved. Some folks just stick around until someone gives them a degree...and then a job...and then an administrative post. Promotion by convenience.

Yeah! Realizing that fact as a sophomore undergrad was what made me put off grad school in the first place.

So glad to hear this isn't a total anomaly - this whole process has made my ego a little sensitive...

[someDay]

Are you sure they accepted you & have decided on financial support?

sD.

[red_crayons]

The school is notorious for horrible, horrible funding, so I wasn't really expecting much in that department to begin with.

They have accepted me; she assured me that her word was binding, and followed up with an email CC'd to a bunch of people in the department.

Now, I'm mostly wondering if many others have had a similar experience. Given the huge applicant pools, how often do schools accept people they only kind of like, and why?