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raspberry swirl

raspberry swirl

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so today i feel like the biggest ass in the universe. i got a scathing rejection today because i apparently submitted the wrong personal statement to this particular program. with all the things to submit and boxes to check, its not hard to accidentally check the wrong one. the email was pretty hostile (and rightly so, i guess). i can't believe this happened. the program wasn't my first choice, but it is the closet one to home, so i definitely would have ranked it somewhere on the list. i send back a quick email saying how i had no idea that had happened, and that im sure they know that all students can write and submit multiple statements, and it was completely accidental, i apologized and said i understood their decision. has anyone done anything like this? is there a better way to handle it? im not too bummed because i have other interviews but i just feel so completely stupid. the email they sent me was pretty intense.
 
raspberry swirl said:
so today i feel like the biggest ass in the universe. i got a scathing rejection today because i apparently submitted the wrong personal statement to this particular program. with all the things to submit and boxes to check, its not hard to accidentally check the wrong one. the email was pretty hostile (and rightly so, i guess). i can't believe this happened. the program wasn't my first choice, but it is the closet one to home, so i definitely would have ranked it somewhere on the list. i send back a quick email saying how i had no idea that had happened, and that im sure they know that all students can write and submit multiple statements, and it was completely accidental, i apologized and said i understood their decision. has anyone done anything like this? is there a better way to handle it? im not too bummed because i have other interviews but i just feel so completely stupid. the email they sent me was pretty intense.
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I'd say you have two choices: Easy--write it off and don't think about them again--and Less Easy--follow-up your email with a phone call, and ask if they're willing to re-entertain you as an applicant or put you on a waiting list or something. The latter allows you to be more transparent and hopefully will allow them to see that you are a decent human being that made an honest mistake. Good luck. (And here I was just thinking that I wish Psych had been on ERAS back in my day...maybe there are some disadvantages after all.)
 
raspberry swirl said:
so today i feel like the biggest ass in the universe. i got a scathing rejection today because i apparently submitted the wrong personal statement to this particular program. with all the things to submit and boxes to check, its not hard to accidentally check the wrong one. the email was pretty hostile (and rightly so, i guess). i can't believe this happened. the program wasn't my first choice, but it is the closet one to home, so i definitely would have ranked it somewhere on the list. i send back a quick email saying how i had no idea that had happened, and that im sure they know that all students can write and submit multiple statements, and it was completely accidental, i apologized and said i understood their decision. has anyone done anything like this? is there a better way to handle it? im not too bummed because i have other interviews but i just feel so completely stupid. the email they sent me was pretty intense.
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Screw 'em.
 
I think following up with a phone call has two advantages- if you really would like to consider the program you can tell them that, apologise and you're back in with a chance. But also secondly only you know what was in the reply they sent you but talking to them will also give you a chance to assess what they're like as people. Do you want to work for people who treat you like that for a 'simple' mistake?
 
What did your personal statement say that was so inappropriate for that particular program? Did you write "Program X is my bestest firstest choice that I've wanted to attend since kindergarten" and accidentally send it to Program Y?
 
tr said:
What did your personal statement say that was so inappropriate for that particular program? Did you write "Program X is my bestest firstest choice that I've wanted to attend since kindergarten" and accidentally send it to Program Y?
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no, it wasn't that specific, basically, i applied to nyc area programs and the one program in my home city. i would prefer to be in nyc, but i certainly wouldnt mind being at home either. in the conclusion of my personal statement, i basically said something to the effect of being excited to return to the city (i went to college in nyc) and that i feel the city will provided unparalled learning experiences because of its inherent diversity, etc., etc. it was only one or two sentences long, and certainly didnt comprise the majority of my personal statement by any means.

the statement i SHOULD have sent basically said the same thing, only i switched it a bit, saying i was excited to return home to be near my family, and i actually said the same thing about the diverse city, since im from rochester (the program was UofR, btw), which has a relatively diverse city population.

regardless, i think im going to let the whole thing slide. i think the email said what i needed to say. UofR wouldnt have been in my top 3 anyway. maybe my top 5, if that. i had a bad experience with large egos the summer i did research there. it seems to be a common theme there...
 
DrIng said:
Do you want to work for people who treat you like that for a 'simple' mistake?
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Agree with this statement. Also, if this program reacted so strongly and vehemently to a simple mistake, it's hard to believe they would actually give you a legitimate shot, even if they relented and granted you an interview.
 
raspberry swirl said:
no, it wasn't that specific, basically, i applied to nyc area programs and the one program in my home city. i would prefer to be in nyc, but i certainly wouldnt mind being at home either. in the conclusion of my personal statement, i basically said something to the effect of being excited to return to the city (i went to college in nyc) and that i feel the city will provided unparalled learning experiences because of its inherent diversity, etc., etc. it was only one or two sentences long, and certainly didnt comprise the majority of my personal statement by any means.

the statement i SHOULD have sent basically said the same thing, only i switched it a bit, saying i was excited to return home to be near my family, and i actually said the same thing about the diverse city, since im from rochester (the program was UofR, btw), which has a relatively diverse city population.

regardless, i think im going to let the whole thing slide. i think the email said what i needed to say. UofR wouldnt have been in my top 3 anyway. maybe my top 5, if that. i had a bad experience with large egos the summer i did research there. it seems to be a common theme there...
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I wouldnt worry about it. Just make sure that the rest of your statements are uploaded correctly. PS- make sure you get to LIJ in time...
 
just to follow up, i actually got a reply back from them today with a slightly apologetic tone, saying their interview schedule was full, but if i was interested they would keep me on the waitlist ... so whatever 🙄
 
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