Is it rude to ask why.......

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markus21

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Is it rude to ask why I've been rejected from a school? for the sake of improving my application in the following year? or maybe it's too early to call them to ask since they are inundated with applications right now........ I know some schools like to provide feedback while other don't. why do you all think?

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Some schools interview a lot more people than others and may not want to take the time to help you. THey may view it as a waste of money since there are "plenty of fish in the sea", as it were.

Some schools don't interview s many people and are willing to help you out. One of the schools I interviewed at specifically said so.

-X
 
no it's not rude. some schools actually encourage you to call them to find out the problem. Calling them shows continued interest and persistance. It can only help you. Just don't argue with them when you call. If they give you a bull**** reason, then I would ditch the school for having incompetent people.
 
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Rude? no, it's a great idea. I know a lot of schools actually encourage this.
 
Not at all. If they're rude about it and completely offended that you would ask, what do you have to lose? You've already been rejected! I know a lot of schools set aside a time to do exit interviews to talk to you about your application so you can be successfull there the next year. Good luck!
td
 
i wrote rochester asking why i had been rejected and they offered me an interview.
 
One of the deans at a school I interviewed at encouraged people to call and ask. She said she'd set up 15 min or so to go over your app and talk about why it wasn't successful. BUT she also said to wait until spring.

Why not? Nothing to lose & valuable info to gain.
 
thanks guys for the info... although getting rejection is nothing new to me, this one does really baffle me. And since I still have no interviews, there must be something wrong with me that they can tell me about.....
 
Originally posted by absolutezero
i wrote rochester asking why i had been rejected and they offered me an interview.

Wow! That must've been a pretty good letter...
 
Originally posted by TravellinDoc
Not at all. If they're rude about it and completely offended that you would ask, what do you have to lose? You've already been rejected! I know a lot of schools set aside a time to do exit interviews to talk to you about your application so you can be successfull there the next year. Good luck!
td

I agree with this for the most part. What schools do exit interviews besides U-Wash?
 
okay.. so I called Georgetown to ask for feedback and the dean there was quite nice about it and talked to me for around 15 minutes... he was quite honest about it and now I would encourage everybody to call in after rejections.....

he said I was qualified in terms of academic scores, research, and volunteering, but I scored "poorly" in the secondary application in one of those "why georgetown?" questions. Only if I wasn't working on 4 secondaries on that same day and paid more attention to learning about Georgetown and writing by taking my time, I would have had the interview~ sigh.... all those things people say about handing in your apps ASAP really made me scurry on the important question. I have learned my lesson. Costly though.......
 
Originally posted by markus21
okay.. so I called Georgetown to ask for feedback and the dean there was quite nice about it and talked to me for around 15 minutes
I have come to the conclusion that Georgetown is the worst school to apply to.

At my interview, they were really nice to me calling me by my first name and all that nonsense. Then the interview went really well and my interviewer even walked me back to the admissions office.

Then a month later I get slapped in the face by a rejection. I spent about $400 on Georgetown alone for the application and interview expenses just for this costly rejection.

Georgetown+pissed+
 
well... i guess i'm lucky then... i only wasted $130 ($30 primary + $100 secondary).:p
 
Absolutely, ask to speak with the dean and find out why you were rejected so you can improve for next time. Most schools will set aside some time for you to get help from them.
 
Definitely ask!
But not like "why I got rejected?" but more like "How could I improve my credentials?"

I wouldn't wait until spring. It may be too late. It is only December which means you got lots of chances.

Good Luck all of you~
 
Originally posted by markus21
okay.. so I called Georgetown to ask for feedback and the dean there was quite nice about it and talked to me for around 15 minutes... he was quite honest about it and now I would encourage everybody to call in after rejections.....

he said I was qualified in terms of academic scores, research, and volunteering, but I scored "poorly" in the secondary application in one of those "why georgetown?" questions. Only if I wasn't working on 4 secondaries on that same day and paid more attention to learning about Georgetown and writing by taking my time, I would have had the interview~ sigh.... all those things people say about handing in your apps ASAP really made me scurry on the important question. I have learned my lesson. Costly though.......

I made the same mistake. I worried too much about getting the 2ndaries out early that I forgot about the importance of the content. I think I would have more interview invites by now if I would have sent them in later but answered them better. Very, very costly mistake. Hopefully someone will learn from this lesson.
 
I know UNC and ECU do exit interviews in the late spring/early summer for people who want to improve their applications. It's really a wonderful opportunity to prepare yourself for the next application cycle.

Good luck, y'all.
 
Do schools ever tell people how to improve their applications if they were rejected preinterview or presecondary? It seems like there would be too many applicants rejected preinterview or presecondary to give advice about improving their application. Does anyone know if Northwestern talks to applicants (I have a feeling I will be rejected from them)?
 
yes, they do give you reasons why you were rejected preinterview or presecondary, but you have to ask them to do it (otherwise you're right-- it would be more work).

i'm no help about northwestern. sorry!
 
Originally posted by markus21
okay.. so I called Georgetown to ask for feedback and the dean there was quite nice about it and talked to me for around 15 minutes... he was quite honest about it and now I would encourage everybody to call in after rejections.....

he said I was qualified in terms of academic scores, research, and volunteering, but I scored "poorly" in the secondary application in one of those "why georgetown?" questions. Only if I wasn't working on 4 secondaries on that same day and paid more attention to learning about Georgetown and writing by taking my time, I would have had the interview~ sigh.... all those things people say about handing in your apps ASAP really made me scurry on the important question. I have learned my lesson. Costly though.......

My advisor said to submit a secondary no later than 3 weeks from receipt. Trying to do 4 in a day is really excessive. I spent about 3 complete days on each one. It took FOREVER, but I'm getting results now.
 
Originally posted by DoctorWannaBe
Do schools ever tell people how to improve their applications if they were rejected preinterview or presecondary? It seems like there would be too many applicants rejected preinterview or presecondary to give advice about improving their application. Does anyone know if Northwestern talks to applicants (I have a feeling I will be rejected from them)?


yes, northwestern does offer advising sessions, but they specifically say to call to schedule an appt around april/may... i was rejected pre-secondary--my first rejection was from my own alma mater nonetheless :( ...if i don't hear good news by spring, i'm definitely calling

keep your chin up, though.. one of my friends who applied last year didn't get an interview at NU until february and she was accepted three weeks later
 
Wayne state does the same thing.
 
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