Texas rejection. Mystified, need advice.

Graduate School
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<p>UT-Austin just rejected my application for an M.A. in Government.</p>

<p>I've got a 1410 GRE (660 Verbal; 750 Math; 6.0 Analytical Writing) and a 3.94 GPA with a 4.0 in my major. If you weight my A+ grades as 4.3's, I have above a 4.0 cumulative GPA. My school's arguably as the best school in the country for my major. I've never seen it ranked below No. 5 on any list — anywhere.</p>

<p>I was just named one of the top 40 students in the senior class at my state university, which is ranked, last time I checked, among the top 100 universities in the country. There are roughly 4,000 to 5,000 seniors here, for the record. I've been to the Democratic National Convention. I've won national writing awards, had a killer personal statement and even better recommendation letters.</p>

<p>I've really had the wind knocked out of my sails. Texas was the least competitive school to which I applied, and I'm absolutely terrified there's something innately wrong with my application. To be fair, I haven't studied much government/poli sci as an undergraduate, but that's because I've used my undergraduate major as a practical foundation for my education. I need the master's degree to round out my education and equip me with the skills I need for the kind of careers I'm interested in.</p>

<p>I'm sorry I can't be more specific, but suffice it to say my personal statement articulated, very clearly, why I'm suddenly pursuing political science and why I'm not a complete flake. I just don't know what to do. I won't be hearing from the rest of the schools I applied to for a while, and if I'm completely screwed, I need to start thinking of Plans B,C,D, etc.</p>

<p>I don't want to bother with a post-grad degree if it isn't at a school I can be proud of, which is why I don't have any legitimate back-up schools. I guess I've always been such an avid learner, I thought my credentials would get me in somewhere reputable. I didn't apply to a single school I wouldn't have been stoked to attend. After the Texas news, I'm feeling like I might as well go crazy and write a book, or something. Should I just give up?</p>

<p>I'm waiting to hear from Georgetown, GW, Columbia, Penn and UVA. </p>

<p>I know this is kind of a rant, but I'm feeling incredibly nervous and disappointed. Any perspective you could offer whatsoever would be helpful.</p>

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<p>There could be a number of external factors that may have lead to their decision. There may have been simply too many in-state applicants or the funding was not there. There is also the very real possibility that they knew you were too competitive for their program and that you would likely turn their offer down for a more prestigious program. This happens quite often in PhD programs though I am not sure of how common this trend is when it comes to MA's. </p>

<p>In any case, Schools are obligated to give applicants specific reasons as to why they rejected them and I think you should use that to your advantage. Contact the admissions office at UT Austin and ask them for an explanation as to why they turned you down. You'd be surprised with the answers they give you!</p>

<p>Best of luck!</p>

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<p>I must strongly disagree with sheelo81 on one point. Schools are absolutely not obligated to provide applicants with reasons for denial of admission. As a matter of fact, at many universities, university counsel (the lawyers) strongly discourage (and often prohibit) graduate programs from disclosing such information.</p>

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<p>Don't give up. You have great academic credentials. The whole process is very unpredictable and you really shouldn't be discouraged yet - wait to hear from the other schools and see what happens. Did any of the schools require/suggest a significant amount of work experience? In the event of an absolute fiasco, there's always next year. I know you don't want to hear that, but it's true - you could get an internship/fellowship on the Hill and build up your government/poli sci background in the meantime. That should be your plan B, and taking some time off is always extremely helpful.</p>

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<p>I agree with others; I think theres a chance that UT-A thought you were overqualified and figured you would go to a more competitive program. Don't worry until all the other schools give you a decision. If something crazy does happen, then I'm sure you can find some paid internships or find work in the field. Good luck!</p>

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<p>Don't give up on your other schools. Many years ago I was a rejected from a safety graduate program only to be admitted to the top program in the country a few weeks later. Fifteen years later the graduate program that had rejected me asked my company to take on an intern. The intern was assigned to me and when the faculty met with me they were incredibly impressed by my credentials and asked me if I had worked with certain famous professors. I didn't have the heart to tell them their program had rejected me.</p>

<p>Good Luck!</p>

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<p>Professor X- According to the Council on Graduate School's Essential Guide to Graduate Admissions, "When a student is denied admissions, it is important that the specific reasons are stated in the student's file. A student who requests the information SHOULD be informed of the reasons for the rejection." (Page 34) </p>

<p>Arent most Grad Programs members of the CGS? If so, then by failing to disclose this information from students, they are essentially going against CGS policy.</p>

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<p>"Should" and "must" are very different. When it comes to policy or law, the former is just a fluff verb.</p>

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<p>Here's the problem: If the school says "we did not admit you because your GRE score is 50 points too low", then you retake the test and get your GRE score up by 50 points, are they now obligated to admit you next year? If they don't, can you sue them for admission? After all, they just created a had criterion for admission and you met the criterion.</p>

<p>What if they try to be more ambiguous by saying "Your GRE score was too low", and you find out later that your score was above the average of the admitted class? Can you sue to be admitted? What if you retake and get a 1600? Are they legally obligated to take you next year?</p>

<p>It's a different situation when you're admitting 8000 undergrads and have hard cutoffs on SAT/GPA. When you're only admitting 20 grad students to a program, it gets much more complicated.</p>

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<p>i heard there is a thing called "over-qualified".
Maybe UT Austin ad comm thinks that you are over-qualified for their program and you will definitely have a better chance at other schools you apply to?</p>

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<p>CGS recommendations (not policies) are very often rendered irrelevant by mandates enforced by university administrations.</p>

<p>And I know of NO humanities admissions committees that record reasons for denial of admission in applicants' files.</p>

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<p>I think sheelo81’s guess about there being too many very well qualified in-state students is really a very good guess. I think you will be accepted at one of the other schools to which you applied.</p>

<p>The state of Texas is a bit quirky about the study of “government”. In order to graduate from a Texas college, you need a full year of college level “government” which must include study of Texas government specifically. Maybe they didn’t like that you had no academic background in “Texas government” on your transcript. :wink: Good luck with your other applications!</p>

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<p>Thanks, everyone. I’m feeling a lot better now. Well — not too much better, since I’m stuck in an anesthesia-induced stupor after getting my wisdom teeth yanked out. That said, you’ve all comforted me a lot. The whole “my academic life is over, might as well jump of a cliff” urge has subsided. Now, I’ll just be keeping my fingers crossed 'til I hear back from the other schools.</p>

<p>BTW: apologies in advance if this post doesn’t make much sense. I’m still dizzy from pain meds!</p>

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<p>That drowsiness sounds like fun :D</p>

<p>Anyways seriously don’t sweat it. Not that you can really judge people from statistics but considering your profile and the way you post here on the board I have no doubt you will eventually make it into research given adequate ambitions. What you have to realize, and I know this is hard as I am struggling with it myself, is that even if you do not get started now, if it is your calling then you will make it down the road. Especially when you do not have crappy stats hindering you. Should you get in nowhere chill out for a year and then just apply again.</p>

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<p>My Application was rejected too. They noted my GRE and TOEFL scores was too low (800/70). I am an International student applying for post prof master in architecture.
Anyway, I am changing my mind to a bussiness/economics program -MBA.
Good luck to all.</p>

<p>Carlos Eduardo</p>

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<p>I know this is an older thread, but here is my story:</p>

<p>Last week, I also got rejected by UT after applying for an MA in Comparative Politics. I don’t have LackLuster’s credentials, either - I went to a Top 20 liberal arts college, had a 3.65 GPA, and a 1290 combined GRE (710 on math, 580 verbal) with a 5.5 in Analytical Writing. I graduated with a BA in History (I wasn’t even a double major). Besides a Varsity letter (for 3 yrs on the crew team), I have received no honors whatsoever (I was initially an Honors candidate my senior year, but wound up dropping out of the program). I would say I’ve done respectably, but I’m no standout. So UT turned me down. I was shocked, too, because it wasn’t that highly ranked compared to most of my other programs. I figured my chances of getting in anywhere else were screwed, besides King’s College in London (which already accepted me last year, though I didn’t go).</p>

<p>And here’s the thing…just yesterday, I found out that I was accepted at DUKE of all places, for an MA in the same field. And Duke is the most highly ranked of the schools I applied to, WAY above UT! I also got into UVA, which I just found out today. I haven’t heard back from U. Chicago yet, but I’m now far more optimistic about my chances with them.</p>

<p>Crazy, huh? If things worked out this way for me, then maybe the same will happen to you.</p>

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<p>Well, sure enough, the world DIDN’T end. MTBananas — I got into UVA today as well. It’s a huge burden off my shoulders. Still waiting on Georgetown, GW, Columbia and Penn, but suffice to say I’m feeling a LOT better.</p>

<p>…I only applied to one undergraduate school because the program for my major was so strong, and they gave me a massive scholarship. This whole admissions thing is, for lack of a better word, weird.</p>

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<p>Great news! When I received my admissions notice today, I figured that meant you would get yours, too.</p>

<p>Stay optimistic. You really never know what’s gonna happen. Admissions are a really strange game.</p>

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<p>Yaaay congrats LackLuster</p>