Kindest Rejection Letters

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SPQR MD said:
I think the "less is more" approach is the best when it comes to letters of rejection. Just let the applicant know up front that they did not get in (ideally in the first sentence so as to not keep the reader in suspense). Maybe a few kind words after that, but keep it brief. It's been my experience that these rarely actually provide much comfort to someone who doesn't have any acceptances, and that the more verbose the letter, the more disingenuous it comes across. Those are just my two cents, though, I'm sure there are many people who will disagree.
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I agree with you. Even though everyone liked BU's rejection email, it was my first and I read the thing in a haze, especially since, like you said, I didn't (and still don't) have any acceptances.

I prefer short and sweet because you don't know me. I'm actually not a good candidate at all so whenever I read about how great my qualifications were, it just drives home the point that this is a form letter and there's a good chance that no one read my application seriously.

Convey the bad news and move on. Leave the comforting to my mother.
 
Speaking as someone who kicked off the cycle with a Pitt rejection... there is such a thing as TOO short-and-sweet. Maybe it's because it was my first rejection (and the first news I had heard at all this cycle), but a "Dear Applicant" would have been nice. And it was signed "Yours Truly" like some sort of twisted Dear-John letter... :meh:
I liked BU, but Cornell is probably my favorite so far.
 
KungFuPanda123 said:
Can you paste it here for us to read? 🙂
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I apologize for the long delay in getting this information to you. I’m writing to inform you that the Admissions Committee of the UCSD School of Medicine has completed their review of applicants for the entering class of fall 2016. We regret to inform you that we will not be able to extend an interview invitation to you this year.
The Committee’s decision should not be interpreted as an indication that the Committee believes you are not qualified to enter medical school and become a good physician. It is merely a reflection of the intense competition for admission which results in approximately 64 applicants for each position to the School of Medicine. As a result of this intense competition, we must reject many qualified applicants.
For the 2015-2016 application cycle, our Admissions Committee has reviewed nearly 8,000 primary applications, and over 4,600 secondary applications. Ultimately, we will only be able to extend interview invitations to approximately one sixth of the highly qualified applicants completing secondary applications.
Thank you for your interest in the UCSD School of Medicine. We wish you the best in your future education and medical career.
 
I just got UChicago's and I thought it was really good:

"The Committee on Admissions has completed its review of your application and has unfortunately decided not to pursue your candidacy further. We would like to thank you for your interest in the Pritzker School of Medicine and the effort you invested in your application. Every year we receive many applications from highly qualified applicants such as you, but we are limited in the number we are able to accept. So, while we know this outcome may be disappointing, we hope that you understand that our decision is a reflection of a very large pool of accomplished candidates and not a judgment on your abilities.

We wish you all the very best as you pursue your interests in medicine."

To a certain extent I understood the things they were saying before they said it, but there is something nice about recognizing the efforts and potential strengths of rejected candidates.

I think, to a certain extent, a rejection feels like the school is saying, "you're not good enough to be here." I appreciate not feeling like that after being rejected.
 
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cherubb3 said:
I really liked BU's rejection letter, and is the nicest one I have received (so far).

"The Committee on Admissions of Boston University School of Medicine has completed its review of your application. It is with great regret that I inform you that we will be unable to offer an interview this year. This is a disappointment, as much for those who are responsible for the decision as it may be for you, the candidate who is turned away.

Most of the candidates we are considering this year are qualified to attend medical school and are likely to make important contributions to our profession and to society. Sadly, with more than 100 applicants for every seat in the class, we are forced to deny many exceptional people.

We acknowledge and respect your accomplishments and recognize that our inability to offer you an opportunity to complete the admissions process is a loss for Boston University. Please accept our best wishes for all your future endeavors."
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That really is nice, but did it take away the sting--I mean, if you REALLY wanted to attend there? 😉
 
I don't really bother reading my rejections...

Actually, during a week where I was receiving multiple rejections, I just automatically wouldn't read the email if the heading didn't say "Interview" in it. Unfortunately, I then realized some schools wouldn't reveal an actual status (even good ones) unless you read it so I guess we have to read it. I almost missed an II that way.
 
I'll have to look through...it's funny, but I haven't actually read any of my rejection letters. Usually I can tell what they are from the subject line (anything saying "Final Decision" when I haven't interviewed, for starters), or at least the first sentence or so. Once I know what it is, I've never felt the need to torture myself by reviewing the specific platitudes they decided to use. I know their job is hard, they know my position is hard, we're all on the same page, and I just leave it at that in my mind.
 
Why can't all medical schools send out nicely, well-written rejection letters? While rejection is unsettling to the applicant, you would at least hope that they take some thought in composing a letter that makes the applicant feel at ease when he/she reads it. Shouldn't doctors be compassionate and empathetic toward others in situations like these?
 
PsychoPass987 said:
Why can't all medical schools send out nicely, well-written rejection letters? While rejection is unsettling to the applicant, you would at least hope that they take some thought in composing a letter that makes the applicant feel at ease when he/she reads it. Shouldn't doctors be compassionate and empathetic toward others in situations like these?
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One of my fav series...
 
KungFuPanda123 said:
Siiiiiiiiiiiike 😍
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tumblr_static_breakign_bad_-_you_got_me.jpg
 
The odds of the Snake getting a school of medicine named after him are somewhat lower than the odds of him getting into the Hall of Fame. Since he played for the Crimson Tide, perhaps the University of Alabama will name their program after him. They have a snake on the rod of Asclepius in the logo, after all.
 
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I have to say the UCSF rejection letter was way more positive (and actually longer) than my lone acceptance letter.
 
Wake Forest was the nicest one I got.
"It is with regret that we write to inform you that we are unable to offer you admission to the MD Class of 2020 at Wake Forest School of Medicine. Although your application was reviewed, we can only interview a small percentage of our applicants. Please know that this decision does not reflect any deficiency or weakness in your application.

The number of applications we receive each year has been growing tremendously while the number of slots available in our program has not. This has made it a very competitive and difficult decision for our Committee on Admissions.

Our decision is not a reflection of your potential to be a successful medical student, nor is it
meant to minimize your accomplishments. Rather, it is a reflection of the highly competitive admissions process at Wake Forest School of Medicine. If you wish to re-apply, we will consider an application from you in the future. Application materials are available by June of each year.

We very much appreciate the interest you have shown in Wake Forest School of Medicine. We hope that you will accept the best wishes of the Committee for success in all your future endeavors."
 
1. Timing - the faster the rejection the better. I submitted to some schools in July that I still have not heard from. If we have only silence/holds how do we truly plan for a reapplication?

2. Having ANY reason, even if generic like MCAT not high, GPA not high enough, MCAT and gpa issue, not enough [blank], would help immensely. While some schools are able to give feedback once the application cycle is finished, how does a pre-med "fix/improve" for the reapplication without that feedback first?

The generic rejection emails are probably like personal statements, mostly the same. If we could get any reason for why the rejection that would be awesome. Especially as an above poster mentioned - we invest a LOT of money into school research, specific secondary essays, flights, interviews, etc. When we withdraw an application, we are often asked why we are withdrawing. So if med schools could do something similar and select even from a drop down menu the reason for the rejection that would be cool.
 
I've been fortunate not to receive one but the fact that Drexel sent out some pre-II rejections via snail mail is crazy to me... An email or even a portal update would more than suffice! This strikes me as unnecessarily cruel and probably also a waste of time for the folks in admissions. 😡
 
Michigan sent mine addressed to only my last name. So if my name was John Doe they wrote "Dear Doe, ..." Little screw ups like that don't make you feel like the school cares about the applicant or that they even read your application. Also, as applicants we are held to a high standard and are expected not to have errors in our applications. So as much as there is no way to reject someone that is going to make them happy, there is definitely ways to do it that are unprofessional or negative.
 
md-2020 said:
I stop reading when the first word isn't "Congratulations!"
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If I'm ever on the adcom, I'm going to start letters with,

"We regret to inform you that you have been accepted to the class of 20xx, and will thus lose the next four years of your life to our institution."
 
Here's a good way to do a rejection letter. First, increase the secondary application fee by fifty bucks.

Next, use that fifty bucks to buy an Amazon gift card. Split letter into two pages, with gift card affixed to first page.

Congratulations, Mr/Ms Applicant, you've won a $50 Amazon.com gift card from Mad Jack's School of Medicine. Thank you for participating in our application process!

amazon-gift-card-4.png

The Committee on Admissions of Mad Jack's School of Medicine has completed its review of your application. It is with great regret that I inform you that we will be unable to offer an interview this year. This is a disappointment, as much for those who are responsible for the decision as it may be for you, the candidate who is turned away.

Most of the candidates we are considering this year are qualified to attend medical school and are likely to make important contributions to our profession and to society. Sadly, with more than 100 applicants for every seat in the class, we are forced to deny many exceptional people.

We acknowledge and respect your accomplishments and recognize that our inability to offer you an opportunity to complete the admissions process is a loss for Boston University. Please accept our best wishes for all your future endeavors. Which can start with a $50 gift card from Amazon.com, so at least there's that.
 
thatwouldbeanarchy said:
I've been fortunate not to receive one but the fact that Drexel sent out some pre-II rejections via snail mail is crazy to me... An email or even a portal update would more than suffice! This strikes me as unnecessarily cruel and probably also a waste of time for the folks in admissions. 😡
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I think a rejection absolutely has to be an email. Snail mail is crazy, of course, but a portal update and an email saying that your status has changed is pretty heartless too. You haven't interviewed so you're hopeful that it's a interview invitation so your hopes are raised before they come crashing down.

Or, it's the end of the cycle, you haven't interviewed so you know it's a rejection but you still have to find your username and password, sign in, go through all the options (potentially seeing your secondary application), and then click decision/status to see a big fat rejection. You don't want to do it, of course, but you have to have closure. It's like needing to go to the morgue to identify a loved one. 🙁
 
Dr.Smexy said:
Most of them are the same with the same old core message of "too many qualified applicants, it's not you it's us" which is fine because that's probably is true. I can only comment one worst rejection letter and it gotta be USC by far. The letter using font that is ridiculously small and with the most generic/lame message ever. USC left a bad impression for me after that letter.
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I felt Vandy's rejection letter was unnecessarily haughty. No one likes a snoot--it is as unbecoming of an AdCom as it is of an applicant.

Albany's quoting their incoming MCAT was a little on the nose too (especially since I have many shortcomings, but the MCAT isn't one of them). Perhaps it's best to leave the stats out of it, as most applicants have done their due diligence and are well aware of where one might fall among the stats bar.

Rochester's was pretty decent-- the typical "it's not you, it's me" but also here's why it's you.

And Hofstra's was short and sweet "it's you. peace out." I can dig it.

I guess the nice ones either don't BS the applicant, or acknowledge in some way that for the applicant, having often poured one's heart and soul into medicine, a rejection strikes where it really, truly hurts.
 
cherubb3 said:
I really liked BU's rejection letter, and is the nicest one I have received (so far).

"The Committee on Admissions of Boston University School of Medicine has completed its review of your application. It is with great regret that I inform you that we will be unable to offer an interview this year. This is a disappointment, as much for those who are responsible for the decision as it may be for you, the candidate who is turned away.

Most of the candidates we are considering this year are qualified to attend medical school and are likely to make important contributions to our profession and to society. Sadly, with more than 100 applicants for every seat in the class, we are forced to deny many exceptional people.

We acknowledge and respect your accomplishments and recognize that our inability to offer you an opportunity to complete the admissions process is a loss for Boston University. Please accept our best wishes for all your future endeavors."
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and yeah, that's a pretty great one. Takes the sting out without being generic, and I feel like they understand the pain, and validate the effort. At least I know I have something nice to which to look forward! :/
 
Oooooh, I hate the ones that say that they were "unable to offer you an interview" and therefore, this takes you out of consideration (Georgetown). Just say rejection--it's like the equivalent of a classmate handing out party invitations and then getting to you and, with the full stack behind their back, claiming they ran out.
 
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