College admissions
February 5, 2015 6:09 PM Subscribe
I made my admissions rep angry...
Help
Omg I think I ruined my chance to get into a college.
So I am a 4.0 GPA bachelor degree person who is looking to get into a masters degree.
So I applied to one school because it makes most sense as far as distance from where my husband got a new job.
My husband got a job in the town where the college is, which is 3 hours away from where we are now.
So obviously I want to go to school where my husband will be too.
I put my application in and they told me I will get a decision in 24 hours. Then today if was supposed to get a decision and I did not. If was very important to get the decision today because my husband had a deadline today to accept his new position or decline I.
So basically when I saw that the college is not getting back to me I emailed him first. I got nothing back. Then 2 hours later I call the college. Another admissions rep answer and says he is in a meeting but he will leave a message for the admissions rep.
Next I called the college of nursing where I will get in to see if I can find the program director to inquire about admissions.
Then 1 hour later the admissions rep calls me and he was angry asking why do I kept calling. That basically told me it will take 48 hours( he neve said that)
He said to stop calling and he will call me tommorow once they take a decision.
I am scared now that I will be rejected because I made mad this guy.
What do you think?
Omg I think I ruined my chance to get into a college.
So I am a 4.0 GPA bachelor degree person who is looking to get into a masters degree.
So I applied to one school because it makes most sense as far as distance from where my husband got a new job.
My husband got a job in the town where the college is, which is 3 hours away from where we are now.
So obviously I want to go to school where my husband will be too.
I put my application in and they told me I will get a decision in 24 hours. Then today if was supposed to get a decision and I did not. If was very important to get the decision today because my husband had a deadline today to accept his new position or decline I.
So basically when I saw that the college is not getting back to me I emailed him first. I got nothing back. Then 2 hours later I call the college. Another admissions rep answer and says he is in a meeting but he will leave a message for the admissions rep.
Next I called the college of nursing where I will get in to see if I can find the program director to inquire about admissions.
Then 1 hour later the admissions rep calls me and he was angry asking why do I kept calling. That basically told me it will take 48 hours( he neve said that)
He said to stop calling and he will call me tommorow once they take a decision.
I am scared now that I will be rejected because I made mad this guy.
What do you think?
No it feels like it will make a difference but it won't :) you will get in on your merits. think about it, with that logic if she sent him cupcakes you would get in right.. and that won't happen :)
posted by cheetahchick at 6:14 PM on February 5, 2015
posted by cheetahchick at 6:14 PM on February 5, 2015
As someone that's been through the grad school admissions process a relatively high number of times...I feel like this probably won't be held against you, though I do think the admissions rep acted particularly strangely here. Calling you and conveying anger is unprofessional and inappropriate.
That said, admissions reps/counselors put up with a fair amount of completely bizarre, obsessive behavior from potential admits. I've heard quite a number of mind-blowingly strange stories about people trying to get into schools from my friends that work/have worked in admissions. It's possible that this admissions rep happened to get pushed a bit too far today.
On the other hand, some admissions/administrative staff just completely suck. When I was applying for Political Science PhD programs, I heard back from every single school I applied to, bar one: Vanderbilt. When I was waiting to make a decision on where I'd end up going, I ended up calling Vanderbilt just to see exactly what my admissions status was. After getting routed to the person handling admissions for my department, I received an incredibly snotty attitude, and was informed "you're on the waitlist, but you're not going to get in, and you need to stop getting your hopes up because it's just not going to happen for you". It was such an odd response that I ended up laughing it off, though I probably would have been more upset if I didn't have better offers on the table.
In summary: this probably doesn't hurt your chances, and fuck you Vanderbilt, you rude, backwards Tennessee hicks.
posted by BrandonW at 6:23 PM on February 5, 2015 [28 favorites]
That said, admissions reps/counselors put up with a fair amount of completely bizarre, obsessive behavior from potential admits. I've heard quite a number of mind-blowingly strange stories about people trying to get into schools from my friends that work/have worked in admissions. It's possible that this admissions rep happened to get pushed a bit too far today.
On the other hand, some admissions/administrative staff just completely suck. When I was applying for Political Science PhD programs, I heard back from every single school I applied to, bar one: Vanderbilt. When I was waiting to make a decision on where I'd end up going, I ended up calling Vanderbilt just to see exactly what my admissions status was. After getting routed to the person handling admissions for my department, I received an incredibly snotty attitude, and was informed "you're on the waitlist, but you're not going to get in, and you need to stop getting your hopes up because it's just not going to happen for you". It was such an odd response that I ended up laughing it off, though I probably would have been more upset if I didn't have better offers on the table.
In summary: this probably doesn't hurt your chances, and fuck you Vanderbilt, you rude, backwards Tennessee hicks.
posted by BrandonW at 6:23 PM on February 5, 2015 [28 favorites]
This person is probably getting calls from other people who are as anxious as you are, and it's getting on their nerves.
Your admission into this grad program is based on a committee's census (faculty), not by the people answering the phone (staff).
What you need right now is a distraction. Go watch a movie with some friends or something - there's nothing you can do about this situation today but wait until you have an answer. You've done all that you can do.
posted by oceanjesse at 6:27 PM on February 5, 2015 [12 favorites]
Your admission into this grad program is based on a committee's census (faculty), not by the people answering the phone (staff).
What you need right now is a distraction. Go watch a movie with some friends or something - there's nothing you can do about this situation today but wait until you have an answer. You've done all that you can do.
posted by oceanjesse at 6:27 PM on February 5, 2015 [12 favorites]
Yeah, unless the person is on the actual admissions committee I would not worry about it. I would send a pithy email explaining your rush so that impressions get adjusted. But seriously, just 48 hours to determine admissions from time of application? Go do something else and chill.
posted by jadepearl at 6:58 PM on February 5, 2015
posted by jadepearl at 6:58 PM on February 5, 2015
Seconding oceanjesse. The poor schmucks stuck answering the phones frequently have no power, and the admissions rep is probably getting a shit ton of calls just like yours right now.
posted by jenfullmoon at 7:00 PM on February 5, 2015
posted by jenfullmoon at 7:00 PM on February 5, 2015
I wouldn't even email the guy...seriously, I've had over-eager job applicants call and while I wouldn't hold the phone calls against them, I would not want an email from them the next day...
it would just add to the drama...
posted by calgirl at 10:48 PM on February 5, 2015 [12 favorites]
it would just add to the drama...
posted by calgirl at 10:48 PM on February 5, 2015 [12 favorites]
Yes, he was rude to you but it's unlikely he is involved in any decision making. Nothing you can do about it now. Just wait for them to contact you. Your emergency is not their emergency, you know?
For future reference OP: Do not get on like this when applying for a job. This kind of behavior could hurt your chances of getting hired. I have learned that if someone wants you (be that in relationships or careers), most times they will come to you.
posted by futureisunwritten at 5:48 AM on February 6, 2015 [3 favorites]
For future reference OP: Do not get on like this when applying for a job. This kind of behavior could hurt your chances of getting hired. I have learned that if someone wants you (be that in relationships or careers), most times they will come to you.
posted by futureisunwritten at 5:48 AM on February 6, 2015 [3 favorites]
I find this whole thing kind of confusing. I cannot imagine any school that makes decisions for masters candidates in 24 hours (!!). You can't even get an admissions committee of faculty members together in one room on 24 hours notice. So, I'm wondering if something has been lost in translation here, or if this is a fly-by-night school (maybe a for profit??). It just goes so much against anything I've ever experienced in higher ed that I would be a little wary of the entire situation.
That said, it would be unusual for an admissions rep to have a lot of influence over admissions decisions -- typically the admissions rep would be a staff person, while faculty are making the admissions decisions. Then again, everything about this sounds a little unusual. If it is indeed true that they are making decisions within 24 hours of receiving applications, then it's hard for me to believe faculty members are playing any major role in that. Regardless, I think the best thing to do at this point is to hang tight and see what happens. Continuing to bug this guy is clearly not going to improve things.
And, if you do get accepted, please do some serious research on this school and make sure that everything is on the up-and-up. This would mean ensuring they are fully accredited, not under investigation for accreditation/in danger of losing it, looking into the jobs their graduates get, etc. etc.
posted by rainbowbrite at 7:23 AM on February 6, 2015 [15 favorites]
That said, it would be unusual for an admissions rep to have a lot of influence over admissions decisions -- typically the admissions rep would be a staff person, while faculty are making the admissions decisions. Then again, everything about this sounds a little unusual. If it is indeed true that they are making decisions within 24 hours of receiving applications, then it's hard for me to believe faculty members are playing any major role in that. Regardless, I think the best thing to do at this point is to hang tight and see what happens. Continuing to bug this guy is clearly not going to improve things.
And, if you do get accepted, please do some serious research on this school and make sure that everything is on the up-and-up. This would mean ensuring they are fully accredited, not under investigation for accreditation/in danger of losing it, looking into the jobs their graduates get, etc. etc.
posted by rainbowbrite at 7:23 AM on February 6, 2015 [15 favorites]
Yeah, I agree with rainbowbrite above, something about this situation is setting off my spidey senses. Remember that there are Masters degrees and Masters degrees. If this is a professional Masters program, the school you go to is of paramount importance in determining what sorts of jobs you'll be able to take up afterwards. I understand that you want to be close to your husband, but you need to use other criteria for determining whether this is the best possible school for you to attend.
posted by peacheater at 8:23 AM on February 6, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by peacheater at 8:23 AM on February 6, 2015 [2 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
Can your husband explain the situation to his would-be employers and ask for another 48 hours?
posted by arnicae at 6:12 PM on February 5, 2015 [9 favorites]