<p>So I heard that rejection letters are thin and acceptance letters are thick.
Is this true for all schools?</p>
<p>So...would I just know the decision before even opening the mail? Is it that obvious?</p>
<p>You can’t generalize like that</p>
<p>That fat and thin envelope theory is not always true. As fredkay told, you can’t generalize things. Everyone I know received their acceptance letter in a very thin envelope!!</p>
<p>dhs911230, skim through the best/ worst decision letters thread. Acceptance letters come in all shapes and sizes, including small, thin envelopes (and, apparently, sometimes poster tubes).</p>
<p>Back in the last century, acceptance envelopes were fat because in addition to the acceptance letter and financial aid offer, they normally included all kinds of information about housing, meal plans, etc. Rejection envelopes were thin because they only contained a one page rejection letter. Hence the “fat envelope” and “thin envelope” terminology. Now most of this information is exchanged electronically, so the envelopes that you do receive from your college(s) can all be thin.</p>
<p>All of the schools I have already been accepted to sent me a packet (acceptance letter, deposit form, college information, scholarships if that was their release date, all in a colored folder). So I knew once I got it (or once my mom called asking me if she could open it).</p>
<p>However, I know some schools (eg. Georgetown) send regular business-size envelopes for both. In Georgetown’s case, there’s just one or two more pages, so it might be a little thicker.</p>
<p>^Georgetown’s is definitely a little alarming.</p>
<p>Generally speaking acceptances will contain more information and therefore likely be thicker.</p>
<p>While it’s true that “one size doesn’t fit all” I’m reminded of the Damon Runyon quote, “The race is not always to the swift or the fight to the strong, but that’s the way to bet.”</p>
<p>Besides, in today’s day and age aren’t we really talking about thin and fat emails?</p>
<p>All my enveloppes were fat and all were acceptances.</p>
<p>
Or exciting. Wouldn’t want to know I was rejected by just opening the mailbox. Still, I like the acceptance packets I’ve gotten so far.</p>
<p>
Haha, good quote.</p>
<p>
Actually, whenever offered the option of email decisions, I always declined. I’m willing to wait a few more days to find out by letter, it just seems more real to me.</p>
<p>
Congrats.</p>
<p>If it’s big. you got accepted.
If it’s small and thick, you got accepted or deferred (or offered admission at a satellite school or something like that; requires additional information).
If it’s small and thin, could go either way.</p>
<p>Summary, big is good, small and thick/thin really don’t tell you anything, though small and thick is a good sign.</p>
<p>April 1st roles around…</p>
<p>Dear Johnny,</p>
<p>Congratulations! I’m pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Harvard College.</p>
<p>APRIL FOOLS</p>
<p>I think it really depends on the school. I’ve heard back from 5 schools so far and the only one with a big envelope was from a UC. I’ve been accepted to other 3 schools as well with letters in small envelopes, and the scholarship packages and housing information and such came later in several other letters. At the same time, I was rejected from University of Miami and that was in a thin envelope.</p>
<p>I agree with happymomof1. It seems to me that more and more acceptance letters are “thin” because schools are either e-mailing information, putting it on their website, or spacing it out in several letters instead of one large one. </p>
<p>Hope that helps!</p>
<p>Maybe a consolidated list of thick and thin acceptances would be helpful. I think we can assume all rejections are thin.</p>
<p>Plus for me I already knew my decisions before I got the letters since everything was online before the mail. Expect for the Pitt but the suspense was spoiled because it had the word congratulations written across it lol.</p>
<p>^ Got three acceptances so far and they all said “Congratulations!” on the front too. </p>
<p>Andd one rejection that I had to view online. They didn’t even bother wasting an envelope on me. ;-;</p>
<p>If you get a thick envelope or a large (paper-sized) envelope, it’s most likely an acceptance.</p>
<p>If you get a thin envelope, it can really go either way. I’ve gotten both thick/large and thin acceptances so far.</p>
<p>Plus, the thin envelope could be something else entirely.</p>