Missing non-required info session anxiety

[voxveritatisetlucis]

Lately, I have been swamped with work, pulling all-nighters etc. and I accidentally missed a non-required info session at a school where I interviewed. I RSVPed and somehow still missed the event. I feel bad for being a no-show and am worried that it will be reported that I was absent. I am fond of this school and think I may have just gave myself an auto-rejection. What is the best course of action here? The event was led by students so I’m not sure if I should apologize to the admissions office or if that would just bring undue attention.

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[Goro]

Lately, I have been swamped with work, pulling all-nighters etc. and I accidentally missed a non-required info session at a school where I interviewed. I RSVPed and somehow still missed the event. I feel bad for being a no-show and am worried that it will be reported that I was absent. I am fond of this school and think I may have just gave myself an auto-rejection. What is the best course of action here? The event was led by students so I’m not sure if I should apologize to the admissions office or if that would just bring undue attention.

What part of the bolded do you not understand?

 

[soporspelare]

Hey vox, as a fellow neurotic applicant I feel you, but you straight up have nothing to worry about here. N=1 obviously, but I got an A from a school two weeks after completely forgetting about the student q&a, the diversity and equity discussion, and curriculum overview that I had RSVPed to for that same school. It’s my suspicion that even if some schools do track your attendance, their adcoms are likely far more concerned with literally any other variable in your application. At least you didn’t miss the interview itself or anything - and if you can, I’d honestly take a second to prioritize your mental well-being. It sounds like you’re dealing with a lot at the moment.

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

What part of the bolded do you not understand?

Yes, but I figured by RSVPing beforehand it’s like making lunch plans with a friend and not showing up.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

We get no-shows all the time for virtual events. How many people register for recruitment events actually show up? Lucky if it breaks 40% for an in-person event... 30% for a virtual event. Sure if it's not required, you should treat it like it is... like a business casual event doesn't mean you still don't dress professionally.

You'll likely hear everything again at second look virtual or campus events. You'll also probably pay more attention as there would be more urgency.

But we do notice if you don't have your cameras on when we want you to have them. It isn't always fair because some people get fatigued looking at the screens, but you should look like you are engaged (even if you aren't looking at the meeting screen).

Will it make a difference in deliberations? Only if it is a noticeable issue. It's no different if a specific faculty member harps on someone not making eye contact during the interview but have perfect answers. How the committee goes from there you can never predict.

 

[CatDad26]

n=1 but my only acceptance so far was to a school where I RSVP'd to BOTH the adcom info session and student panel but did not attend.... Dumb on my part I know but life gets busy and mistakes happen. Still got the A so I wouldn't sweat it too much

 

[allseasons]

haha, an adcom at Penn and UCLA told me in my interviews "here's your first tip, optional never means optional"
my experience with interviews though has led me to believe this is not the case.