Anyone ever heard of this???

[jason UCSD2000]

So... I was admitted to the Albany School of Pharmacy Accelerated program. I had until April 1st to send in my $400 non-refundable deposit. I just received a letter from the school yesterday that stated that I was dropped from consideration because they ran out of room and to try again next year!!! What is up with that?? Has anyone ever heard about this happening to anyone. Can they actually do this? Sounds like lawsuit to me...

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[phar]

please, just give me 3% of your lawsuit money....wow, you will be rich soon

 

[jason UCSD2000]

Okay, I found it - the disclaimer on my letter that allows the Albany School of Pharmacy to bend me "over the counter", if you will. It reads in about 8 point font at the bottom of the enrollment confirmation form (not my actual acceptance letter):

"In the event that enrollment exceeds capacity, the Albany College of Pharmacy reserves the right to return the admission deposit based on the date received."

It almost looks like it's part of the footer on the page. So, I guess I should have read that sooner to realize that it was a race to the mailbox to send off my $400 dollar check. What if I didn't have the money right away. Should I be penalized for that? It just doesn't seem right for the school to give their spaces away like that. They may have just accepted some of the least-qualified students who thanked their lucky stars that they got into any school while the rest of us wanted to wait and see what our options were. You have no idea how mad I am right now!!!

 

[ucdbiochem]

i'm really sorry to hear that. i think the school is pretty screwed up. what does it mean by "reserves the right to..."?
they shouldn't give people false hope!!! i would write a letter and complain about their shi**y policy.

do you have any acceptance from other schools?

 

[BMBiology]

Yah, that was pretty messed up. They should have put people on the waiting list until they are sure there is space available.

 

[jdpharmd?]

That SUCKS. What a terrible system. Hopefully you have other acceptances. Who would even want to go to a school with such unscrupulous admissions policies? If someone did want to make a big deal out of it, I think that they could certainly argue that it is discriminatory against "economically disadvantaged" students who might have trouble coming up with $400 in a matter of weeks. I just sent MWU-DG $500 and I had a hard time coming up with it, although I wouldn't consider myself "economically disadvantaged", I would consider myself a "poor student".

Good luck,
Jd

 

[Triangulation]

that's seriously effed up Jason. I've never heard of such a jacked up system. That's complete discrimination against the poor. I'd been f@#ked if I was in your shoes, bc I definitely don't have the cash. I've had to extend my payment to USC.

This along with that bs about finding out that school starts in May in your "acceptance letter" makes me really question the merits of Albany. They suck.

 

[jdpharmd?]

I've been thinking about your problem and I've come up with an idea or two. I don't know what your letter said in its entirety, but how do they know that their program is full? Several of us on this forum have sent deposits to schools as a "backup" or because we weren't sure which school we wanted to attend. I have only heard from 1 of 4 of the schools that I applied to, so naturally I sent my deposit in to the first acceptance. I might send 3 more deposits before I can figure out where I'm going. Does albany really think that 100% of the people who sent them $400 are coming in May? If albany is going to play these dirty games, then it seems like it should at least have a waitlist for accepted students so that when 20% of the people who submitted their depostis don't show up, they can call and accept all the people who were screwed the first time. Honestly, who are they going to call when their class is NOT full? I guarantee that there will be open spots in their program when classes start, how are they going to fill them? Did they give you a spot on any waiting list or anything? Telling you to "try again next year" just seems arrogant, like it was the only school that you applied to and you want to go there soooo bad next year (I'm sure that you DONT). Maybe consider sending your deposit in anyway and seeing what happens. For all they know, they crossed in the mail. Maybe that could get you a better shot at getting admitted. Having cash in (their) hands sometimes does crazy things, and I would hope to god that they wouldnt reject you AND keep your deposit. That would be insult to injury.

Best of Luck, we're all rooting for you,
Jd

 

[Triangulation]

jdpharmd makes an excellent point. There is no way in he?! that all the students that sent deposits are going there, not a chance. Unfortunately, this only supports the claim that they're incompetent, short-sighted, and stupid rather than you should send them money and still be trying to go there.

I excuse you for that tatoo thread jdpharmd

 

[Triangulation]

My advice, whatever that's worth, get in to UOP even if you have to send daily letters begging and a thousand letters of rec, see if you get off the waitlist at SF, and forget about Albany. I'm not into schools that are that declasse?

 

[jason UCSD2000]

Well, I talked to the director of admissions - to actually discuss with him the awful admissions policy that their school has - and he offered me a spot in the program as a third-year transfer. I told him that they need to find a better way to deal with admissions - that this effects people's lives and it's not fair to give preference to someone who's already sent their deposit in while having a set deadline. He said that they've tried to state it clearly in the initial acceptance letter that it's first come, first serve and it still has the same outcome.
Dammit, I just don't know. I going to feel like a dirty ***** faxing in my deposit. As of today, it's my only option. I feel like I've bashed the hell out of them on this forum just to come crawling back. I guess the tattoo still applies...

 

[jason UCSD2000]

Perhaps I'll change my user name to:
"You can **** on me for my PharmD"

 

[Triangulation]

Don't sweat it jason. Send 'em the dough and keep your spot, but if you get in in CA shut 'em down and come out here.

 

[jason UCSD2000]

Thanks, Triangulation.

I guess maybe I can still get my sleeping bag ready for some possible Haight street action. Hell, it's like a pharmacy there...
I stayed in a hotel on Van Ness during my interview. I got up at 6am Saturday and walked down the street to starbucks. It must've been last call for the hookers 'cause they were still out. Some guy even pulled over and asked me if I needed a ride up the street. I swiftly declined.

Thanks everyone for the support - you don't need to send the Xanax, I'm fine now.

 

[Triangulation]

You've had a profound impact. This friend of mine just got accepted to Albany for med school and he's gonna send his deposit in stat after hearing your story.

 

[jdpharmd?]

Originally posted by Triangulation
jdpharmd makes an excellent point. There is no way in he?! that all the students that sent deposits are going there, not a chance. Unfortunately, this only supports the claim that they're incompetent, short-sighted, and stupid rather than you should send them money and still be trying to go there.

I excuse you for that tatoo thread jdpharmd

Thanks! I suppose it's only fair that I excuse you for saying the word " declasse? " in your next post. Good luck to everyone and hopefully some California schools will open up for Jason, that way he won't need that tattoo. Ouch.

Jd

 

[Triangulation]

touche...er...i mean....nice comeback

 

[tryinghard]

Hey Jason..i'm glad things worked out in the end. i remember talking to Albany. they weren't very nice.

Hey, do you mind sharing your stats that got you into Albany. And your pre pharm gpa.

I just want to see if Albany is all that tehy claim to be. they were a little arrogant with teh kind of students taht they claim to be the average. they stated that if a student did not get an A in a prepharm requirement, taht they were weeded out.

well, thanks for sharing. i'm glad they changed their mind at the end.

btw, did you get in any other places. their 3 academic year program is actually only a few more months that a regular 4 year program (albany starts so early).

 

[jason UCSD2000]

Hey, do you mind sharing your stats that got you into Albany. And your pre pharm gpa.

I just want to see if Albany is all that tehy claim to be. they were a little arrogant with teh kind of students taht they claim to be the average. they stated that if a student did not get an A in a prepharm requirement, taht they were weeded out.

Tryinghard,
To tell you the truth, I don't really know what exactly got me into Albany. I mean, it could have been a number of things. I really don't know what my prepharm gpa is - I'd have to go dig up my transcript(s) and figure it out. Would it make you feel better if I told you that I had a 4.0? I think a lot of schools realize that most people can handle the coursework. I think it's a combination of several factors that'll determine whether or not you get into a school (or just waitlisted UCSF). I can't imagine a school telling someone what they told you. Perhaps they were having a bad day. Then again, it is Albany we're talking about...
-jason

 

[jdpharmd?]

I agree with Jason.. I am almost certain that some schools are only looking to boost their "average GPA" statistic by admitting students based soley on GPA, while others are far more forgiving and look for the "well rounded" student. It's not always so clear cut who is who, but schools with a very late admissions deadline seem to me to be looking for the GPA (whatever the cost), while most cali schools have very early deadlines and look much deeper (interviews, essays, letters of rec, etc). I didn't apply to any cali schools, but I was highly considering UofP for quite a while. I just exhausted myself with class and my other apps and missed the deadline.
I would also agree that you really never know what got you into a particular school. Some have complex formulas, and I think some are just about completely subjective. I suppose you could meet with the admissions committee after you're a student there and try to ask, but I don't know what you would get out of them. I'm not even certain that I WANT to know what got me in. I afraid of what they might say. I just take the offers and run! Also, many (if not all) schools change their admissions criteria from one year to the next based on how the previous class performed and the size and makeup of the applica pool. For example, if a school was accepting high GPAs with low PCATS from out of state or community college and they found that their students were doing poorly, then they might choose to weigh the PCAT more the next year and GPA less and see what happens. The opposite could also be true..
One job that I would not want is admissions advisor/dean/etc, you would have to be prepared to take a lot of heat from irate applicants!

Jd

 

[Triangulation]

Yeah I'm with you guys. I honestly think you get better treatment and in many ways have a better chance if you're a less competitive applicant at the 'prestigious' schools b/c they seem to care more about the other factors that you can't just punch into a calculator. I think lower tier schools are a lot more gpa oriented. I say this only as a matter of course for trying to make sense of the application process. For instance, I didn't land up applying to Western because they were so unforgiving about completed coursework. It seemed so formualic. Not to say that you won't get a good education there and won't have a good job waiting, I probably would've gone there if that's the only So Cal school I got into, but i do think it's important to have a concept of how it works for applicants. This is a stream of consciousness kinda post if I've ever written one, but whatever....

 

[jason UCSD2000]

I have nothing new to add to this, I just missed seeing it up towards the top.
Sigh...the memories of my near-ulcer experience.

 

[jdpharmd?]

I agree, it was a really interesting thread. Good choice.

Jd

 

[Triangulation]

There's definitely a lesson that can be learned from this.....uh....well....uh..maybe not. "Don't be poor because you'll get screwed over". Not quite Aesop's fables, huh guys?

 

[jason UCSD2000]

*bump*
...just because it reminds me of how crazy things were last year.

 

[BMBiology]

memories...has it only been a year ago?