How Rude!!!!

[Ashanti Rock]

Has anyone dealt with really rude admissions offices? I understand that they are probabably sick of applicants calling in to check on thier status, etc. but that still does not exuse rude attitudes and responses. One school in particular that I have noticed this at is Temple. I have called twice during this cycle and both times the receptionist has been extremely rude.

On a positive note, schools, there are some schools that are just absolutley amazing....U Michigan and UWisconsin for example. Anybody else experienced this????

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[odrade1]

Has anyone dealt with really rude admissions offices? I understand that they are probabably sick of applicants calling in to check on thier status, etc. but that still does not exuse rude attitudes and responses. One school in particular that I have noticed this at is Temple. I have called twice during this cycle and both times the receptionist has been extremely rude.

On a positive note, schools, there are some schools that are just absolutley amazing....U Michigan and UWisconsin for example. Anybody else experienced this????

My school has moved all the admissions info stuff online, and applicants can check every part of their secondary, interviews, and post-acceptance information online. Every question I had was anwered online, or through the numerous FAQs & memos available. Problems, contradictions, & bad info are directed to a secretary through email, and academic planning questions are directed to the dean of admissions through email. We were explicitly instructed NEVER to call with a question about our apps that could be handled via email.
I liked this procedure because I didn't have to pester anyone or rely on someone to get me the information I needed. Questions by email were returned within a day or two, which is timely if you think about what a crazy time of year this is for an admissions office.
Maybe they adopted this strategy because the secretaries were struggling with being polite to applicants! It worked, insofar as I never had to speak with an angry, bitter, or exhausted secretary, and it left me feeling good about the application process. I know how weird and difficult me and my friends have been about all this application/interviewing stuff. Could you imagine having to deal with 1500-3000 freaky pre-meds?

 

[Karim]

I've had a bad experience with Northwestern. I called a while back inquiring about their 6 year MD program (straight out of high school), and the lady (she was the Dean of Admissions) asked me what college I'm going to. I said that I'll probably go to UNLV (I'm staying home to be with my family), and she straight out laughed at me, and said that I probably don't have a good chance of getting in. I didn't even tell her my GPA, SAT score or anything. Now that's just rude.

Someone that rude doesn't deserve my my time, money or effort. Because of her arrogance, I'm not even going to apply there. I'll so rub it in her face if I do get accepted to a top-10 school.

 

[bubbleyum]

Has anyone dealt with really rude admissions offices? I understand that they are probabably sick of applicants calling in to check on thier status, etc. but that still does not exuse rude attitudes and responses. One school in particular that I have noticed this at is Temple. I have called twice during this cycle and both times the receptionist has been extremely rude.

On a positive note, schools, there are some schools that are just absolutley amazing....U Michigan and UWisconsin for example. Anybody else experienced this????

yes i heard that the temple admissions office is scary. i was afraid to anger anybody on the phone, so i sent them email instead... hopefully i won't get an angry reply back!
ashanti, were you trying to ask for an interview, or just checking up on your file status?

 

[Ashanti Rock]

yes i heard that the temple admissions office is scary. i was afraid to anger anybody on the phone, so i sent them email instead... hopefully i won't get an angry reply back!
ashanti, were you trying to ask for an interview, or just checking up on your file status?

I was trying to figure out if my file had been reviewd yet, cuz for the past week my status page has been acting up, names moving around... fees paid one minute and then not paid another. And also if they sent out rejections on a rolling basis or waited until may. I didn't even get a word out, the moment I said application...she started giving a speech about status page, etc. and stating all this info was available in the e-mail we recieved. Unless I got a different one....mine says nothing about the concerns I had. Oh well....I guess now I know better!

Did the e-mail thing work for you bubbleyum?

 

[tigress]

Temple was extremely rude to me twice. I'm sorry, but I think it's pretty normal to wonder what's happening with my application after I've been complete for over 3 months and not heard anything from them. But no, apparently the only thing they can say on the phone is to check the status page, and when you try to talk to them any more than that they just get nasty.

 

[bubbleyum]

I was trying to figure out if my file had been reviewd yet, cuz for the past week my status page has been acting up, names moving around... fees paid one minute and then not paid another. And also if they sent out rejections on a rolling basis or waited until may. I didn't even get a word out, the moment I said application...she started giving a speech about status page, etc. and stating all this info was available in the e-mail we recieved. Unless I got a different one....mine says nothing about the concerns I had. Oh well....I guess now I know better!

Did the e-mail thing work for you bubbleyum?

well i just sent the email today so have not heard anything yet. i'll let you know if i get anything positive in reply, but at this point i kind of doubt it... maybe they will just trash it and not reply, yikes!

 

[Flopotomist]

The worst admissions staff in terms of friendliness was NYU. They would NOT check on the status of my file for me, even though it had been over 10 weeks. Every time I would call, they would say, "just wait a little longer" and hang up before I could explain that I had waited for quite some time. At the TWELVE week mark, I finally got somebody on the phone kind enough to check, and it turns out that my LORs never made it. I had my LORs resent, but lost any advantage from applying early. This interaction left a really negative taste in my mouth about this school -especially when contrasted with schools (Loyola) where the admissions staff are SUPER friendly.

 

[tigress]

Yeah I just have to say the woman I spoke to at Penn was amazingly nice. It really does make a difference with regards to how I feel about different schools. Like Penn State admissions people are just weirdos who make no sense, Temple is extremely rude, Drexel is in the middle (not bad but not great...at least they aren't mean), and Jefferson is pretty good. But after interacting with the Temple people I feel fairly negative towards the school, whereas calling Penn only made me have an even higher opinion of it. No, the admissions staff doesn't make the school, but it does have an effect on my gut reaction to a school.

 

[Mike4284m]

How about Tufts? I've been complete there for months and just wanted to see when I would finally hear anything. When I called their line was busy but I left a message with all my info. That was about 3 weeks ago and I haven't heard anything back.

Don't schools realize that applicants can be pretty turned off just because of rude admissions offices?

 

[medicomel]

I've had a bad experience with Northwestern. I called a while back inquiring about their 6 year MD program (straight out of high school), and the lady (she was the Dean of Admissions) asked me what college I'm going to. I said that I'll probably go to UNLV (I'm staying home to be with my family), and she straight out laughed at me, and said that I probably don't have a good chance of getting in. I didn't even tell her my GPA, SAT score or anything. Now that's just rude.

Someone that rude doesn't deserve my my time, money or effort. Because of her arrogance, I'm not even going to apply there. I'll so rub it in her face if I do get accepted to a top-10 school.

i basically got that response a year ago when i was contemplating applying to NU. this was before i got my MCAT score, but the admissions staff basically told me to not bother applying.

 

[jhrugger]

Northwestern: on the phone the lady I spoke with was really polite and friendly... she said I would hear something from the school within 4-6 weeks of my complete date. I hung up decently content with the conversation and some tangible numbers being thrown around.

So, 10 weeks later, I email with my story and a specific question: Are applicants reviewed on a rolling basis whereby each hears back 4-6 weeks after completion (what I was told on the phone), or are notifications sent back in huge batches at a much later time (unlikely). I got a quick response informing me that "When a decision is made, I will be notified". Gee thanks Northwestern.

jhrugger

 

[Camillekc]

I've been complete for 3 months at a lot of places, all of which have already started handing out not only interviews, but acceptances. Some places have at least been polite when I've called them, but the only place I've found who would look at my file for me was vermont. Yay to them, they definitely have way more points in my book for being nice enough to do that and also for being so friendly every time I call them.

Which schools have y'all had success in asking about your file?

 

[Karim]

I don't see where they get off judging people with no basis to judge whatsoever. I thought it was the admissons people, especially the Dean of Admission's job to attract the best and brightest students, not to deter them. And although it says nothing about the school in terms of how well they can provide a medical education, it is a huge turn-off. I can only imagine what the rest of the staff is like when even the Dean of Admissions can't deal with people. I won't even bother applying.

 

[gdbaby]

I've been complete for 3 months at a lot of places, all of which have already started handing out not only interviews, but acceptances. Some places have at least been polite when I've called them, but the only place I've found who would look at my file for me was vermont. Yay to them, they definitely have way more points in my book for being nice enough to do that and also for being so friendly every time I call them.

Which schools have y'all had success in asking about your file?

Yeah for Vermont. I ditto that. They are as sweet as syrup and ice cream up there!

--Loyola was super friendly on the "Thursday Status Check."
--RFU/CMS: hit or miss for me
--OHSU: might be helpful if I could contact an actual person. They may be outsourcing their admissions to another country.
--CU: so incredibly unhelpful and the status check page blows

I'm too scared to call any others for fear of what I may find out.

 

[Freakedout]

I love it when secretaries are so polite and unnecessarily apologize "sorry for taking so long for finding your file" Those schools get bonus points

 

[anomic]

Rush's Office Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucks!!!!!!!

 

[bubbleyum]

How about Tufts? I've been complete there for months and just wanted to see when I would finally hear anything. When I called their line was busy but I left a message with all my info. That was about 3 weeks ago and I haven't heard anything back.

Don't schools realize that applicants can be pretty turned off just because of rude admissions offices?

is tufts non-rolling? i have not heard anything from tufts either and there aren't any "wall of famers" from there either.

 

[Mike4284m]

is tufts non-rolling? i have not heard anything from tufts either and there aren't any "wall of famers" from there either.

I'm not sure. I got concerned because someone I know with very similar stats got an interview almost 2 months ago.

 

[theunderdog]

temple is the worst. the old hag working the phone is mean as hell.

 

[45408]

Northwestern: on the phone the lady I spoke with was really polite and friendly... she said I would hear something from the school within 4-6 weeks of my complete date. I hung up decently content with the conversation and some tangible numbers being thrown around.

So, 10 weeks later, I email with my story and a specific question: Are applicants reviewed on a rolling basis whereby each hears back 4-6 weeks after completion (what I was told on the phone), or are notifications sent back in huge batches at a much later time (unlikely). I got a quick response informing me that "When a decision is made, I will be notified". Gee thanks Northwestern.

A small group will find out in a few weeks if they're accepted/rejected, but most won't hear until mid-February.

 

[Thundrstorm]

Mt. Sinai was really nice to me, commisserating over lost letters, but that could be b/c they only accept status calls twice a week for a couple of hours.

MD/PhD offices tend to be really nice in general... I guess b/c they deal with a much smaller pool of applicants. The lady at Einstein picked up from my voice that I had a cold and was really nice, telling me to feel better.

I called Temple once and I'm not doing it again, not b/c they were rude, but they seemed disorganized and just didn't really help me at all. I did actually get a call back after I left a message there though.

 

[Rendar5]

just to all those people who aren't into applying to certain schools cause of adcoms: those are admissions committees, not the school themselves. I know of some schools where the adcoms are much meaner than the school itself (and others where it is vice-versa). Just to think abotu before you say "i'm not applying there cause ur secretary was mean to me"

 

[Flopotomist]

just to all those people who aren't into applying to certain schools cause of adcoms: those are admissions committees, not the school themselves. I know of some schools where the adcoms are much meaner than the school itself (and others where it is vice-versa). Just to think abotu before you say "i'm not applying there cause ur secretary was mean to me"

I have to say that I somewhat disagree with this post. Institutional culture can be predicted based upon how individuals in the institution behave. Of course, there may be an individual that does not conform to the institutional culture, but when MANY people (eg everybody you are able to get on the phone) refuses to help you, hangs up, is curt - you can predict that this treatment is condoned by the administration, and will bleed over into other departments that will affect you as a medical student.

Likewise, if a school's administration sets up a support structure (eg web page, phone status check hours, etc.) designed to make the process easier and friendlier, it suggests a culture of support.

We as applicants are careful to put our best foot forward in this process, and would never be openly rude or hostile to the schools that we are applying to. I think it is perfectly reasonable to expect the same treatment from the schools. Frankly, we are spending $100 per school (on average) for the privelege of applying, and deserve to have simple questions answered without all the unnecessary attitude.

 

[Rendar5]

hey floppy, just gotta say i love your avatar

 

[Turkeyman]

Anyone up for some assassination missions?

 

[SpiderMD]

is tufts non-rolling? i have not heard anything from tufts either and there aren't any "wall of famers" from there either.

Bubbleyum,
Tufts doesn't send out their first round of acceptances until the end of December.

 

[MDCali]

Yeah for Vermont. I ditto that. They are as sweet as syrup and ice cream up there!

--Loyola was super friendly on the "Thursday Status Check."
--RFU/CMS: hit or miss for me
--OHSU: might be helpful if I could contact an actual person. They may be outsourcing their admissions to another country.
--CU: so incredibly unhelpful and the status check page blows

I'm too scared to call any others for fear of what I may find out.

Vermont people are EXTREMELY friendly!!!

 

[DrHuang]

Vermont people are EXTREMELY friendly!!!

yup, they're the nicest ive talked to so far

 

[IAMS]

... be sure NEVER try to talk to a human being at Johns Hopkins if you're not in the 2 hour window on Monday-Wednesday, even if it's not an application status question. I called on a Thursday to ask about dates, and got my head chewed off and spat out.

 

[Rjuza333]

I've read a bunch of posts exalting the Howard adcoms but my experience has not been quite so enlightening. I must have a big red X across my application because every time I call, the lady refuses to give me any information and wants to immediately get off the phone. I had been waiting two months to receive confirmation of receipt for a LOR, not knowing which one was missing mind you, and every time I called all the lady would tell me is that I would receive an email when it got there. THANKS, I already knew that! Now could you tell me which one(s) you have received so I can ask the author of the missing letter to resubmit?

After being accepted to a school higher on my list I promptly withdrew my application from their school. No need to subject myself to further aggravation.