It’s an unfortunate occurrence, but I disagree that every student applicant that received the email should be accepted if their qualifications are not up to the standards for ED acceptance just because of a computer error . How does that help them when they attend a school that they are not academically suited for. JMO .@loop2loop if your child is a strong candidate , you should have nothing to worry about.
Mistakes happen all the time. Because we are humans and humans tend to make mistakes. The most important thing is we have to own the mistakes (by saying sorry) and find out the root cause and do the recovery immediately. I am just saying it though don’t be mad at me.
@carolinamom2boys There are many students that are accepted to colleges and universities all over the country that do not fit the “standards or qualifications for ED acceptance”. They are commonly known as athletes, legacies and siblings…often students whose parents have the financial wherewithal to build buildings on campus. So …no…not everyone gets in on merit.
@connex2102 And I stand by my earlier comment that does not help a student who is not academically suited for a school succeed there .
At least these weren’t official letters. I don’t think that the admissions office is to blame here. A mistake in the line of communication between the admissions office and tech happened and Jeff owned it and took full responsibility for it. Tulane can definitely go out of their way and extend study abroad offers for incoming spring admits to make up for lost time! While I understand that mistakes were made and they have caused emotional distress for the group of people that loved Tulane the most, I agree with people saying that students who wouldn’t have gotten in don’t necessarily deserve an admission decision because of a tech error. Tulane officers were responding to the confusion within hours. They did what they could. They extended January admissions decisions to people as compensation. Before I applied to Tulane I stalked Jeff’s blog and saw posts explaining how this year’s current freshman class was the biggest yet and had caused some resource strain. They can’t afford another 50ish students on top of this. The admissions process is really delicate and it’s important to understand that in the long run. But for now I would totally understand being angry and frustrated from disgruntled parents.
I agree that this is a tough situation for all involved but Jeff handled it with candor and grace. If it had been my child who’d received false hope, I’m sure I’d be sad and angry, but I hope that I would’ve also realized that he’d be learning a good lesson about life’s curve balls. I would tell him that he shouldn’t allow a glitch like this to get him unglued. One of my colleagues has a copy of Newsweek that says “Madam President” on the cover (I sure wish that I did!) Stuff happens and we bounce back.
Miss Universe 2015
I think a more pressing concern is for the ED students who have not yet received decisions by the deadline (for which there are plenty on the co2021 thread) , good or bad.
I was one of the students who received the mistake email. Was honestly expecting a rejection letter but tonight received an acceptance letter to attend Tulane starting January 2018. I’m glad I was kind of accepted, but kind of side swept because I have not even heard of a spring semester freshman admit…
@789frizbee Honestly, it seems like a really good outcome. It’s not binding which is a huge plus.
I have to say (as a parent) that I have quite a few friends whose kids have been admitted at various schools as Spring admits and that, although not what was hoped for, these experiences ended up being worthwile. Some did their study abroad during that time frame (and getting college credits), some did semesters at other US schools and received college credits, and others received college credit for internships during that period. Not one of them graduated late.
My son’s current roommate,fraternity brother, and Spring admit at WUSTL graduated on-time and works in consulting in NYC.
My point is to digest the news, and make the right decision for you. Apply to other colleges, evaluate your options, and talk to Tulane about ways to make the Fall semester meaningful both from an experience standpoint and to ensure that you graduate with the class of 2021. You have different options to consider- but the great news is that you have options.
@valletta well said
Is there any reason why the link isn’t working? It’s just a white page for me…
I’ve been reading, and now feel I have some words to contribute. First, I do feel for the kids who received the erroneous emails. I am a parent, and, of course, when our child hurts, we hurt. However, like someone said before, this is an amazing learning experience for kids who need crucial learning experiences at this time in their life. Mistakes happen. Hopefully, sincere apologizes are given, as Tulane did. Very often, in life, mistakes happen and no apology is given. Very often, especially at work, people do things to actually intentionally hurt us/keep us down. This is not the case. This was an honest mistake, and I agree that it wouldn’t be fair to simply accept kids ED who weren’t going to be accepted ED. And, I also agree with another post: why would you, or your child, want to be accepted because of an error? And that brings me to the elephant in the room. If I understand correctly, this only affected ED applicants. Many of us would have LOVED to have our child apply ED, but we don’t have the financial resources to make the commitment. So OUR kids apply EA, if it is offered. That is us; my child is waiting to hear EA. And you know what? I feel so blessed for my child to have the health, intellectual gifts, and access to great foundational schools, to be able to apply to a fine school like Tulane? I could go on and on about what we have to be grateful for. So much of what we have in life are gifts. Remember that. Yes, if you have an education or substantial financial resources, you probably worked hard for it. But, you are also living in a country that gives you the opportunity to be successful. You also most likely had supports/advantages in your life that allowed you to achieve your successes. I could go on and on about this, too. We all have hardships, but let’s remember the gifts and advantages. So, correct me if I’m wrong, but those who applied ED have the financial resources for their children to attend many, many fine universities across the nation, if Tulane does not work out for your child. I would thank my lucky stars if I were you. Remember, attitude is everything. Your kids are watching your behavior and listening to your words. Have a wonderful weekend.
@SetAnExample
‘An amazing learning experience’ Really? Sounds more like at best an unfortunate experience or at worst a cruel joke. Yes, you can learn from experiences like this, but you make it seem as if these kids are fortunate to have this 'learning experience '.
And you seem to have a little bit of contempt for those applying ED. Would you feel the same if it happened to the EA kids? It almost sounds as if you are saying yippee, the rich folks got screwed for once. Some of these ED folks are in that pool because they have been scrimping and saving and putting money in 509s for 18 yrs. And at Tulane also perhaps getting some merit, instead of accepting a place elsewhere.
Your kids are watching your words and actions too. Somehow capitalizing the word OUR, makes your post an us vs them, and feels divisive.
@wisteria100
I do apologize, and I will change some of my choice of words. I have no contempt for those applying ED. There is a reason for it, and I understand that. Good for you that you are able to do it. I certainly did not mean to be divisive, so I apologize once again.
@wisteria100
Well, I’ve never used this system before. Apparently, I cannot edit it. You are correct: the word “amazing” shouldn’t be there. And you are also correct: The capitalization was wrong. Sorry, once again, And, yes, I would feel the same if this happened to the EA kids. I would be upset. But, my child and I would discuss, decide, and move ahead. Further, you shouldn’t make assumptions. I, too, have been scrimping and saving. Everyone’s circumstances are different.
@SetAnExample
Thanks for the apology. I’ve got no skin in the game, don’t have an applicant this year, but your reply is appreciated all the same.
Every year you hear stories like this and I can’t help but wonder how do schools let this happen. Sure mistakes happen, but you would think schools would be triple and quadruple checking so this kind of stuff doesn’t happen
I don’t understand at all why Schiffman concedes that just admitting the 140 students would be “the right thing to do” in a “perfect world”. If a bank made an error and credited my account with someone else’s $5000 deposit, perfect world or not, it would never be the right thing to just let both of us have the money, no matter how thrilled I was to get the windfall, what plans I made to spend it, or how many people.I shared my good luck with on social media in the few hours I thought I had the cash. Why not? Because it would be absurd to give me a benefit I didn’t deserve just because I was caught up in a short-lived computer glitch. How can admitting a bunch of random applicants because of a computer mistake seem “right” to anyone?
The overall hyperbole in the blog post is just kills me: “an immense sense of anxiety for a population of students who want to go to Tulane more than anything else in the world.” Oh please. Being thrilled and then abruptly disappointed is a regrettable experience, but what the unfortunate 140 feel is sadness or anger or some combination of the two, not “anxiety”, immense or otherwise. And while these students may have wanted to attend Tulane more than any other college, it’s ridiculous to say it was something they wanted more than “anything”. More than world peace? More than a cure for cancer? More than health and happiness for the ones they love? Rather than validating any obsessive feelings about getting into Tulane, Schiffman should be reminding these applicants that admission to one particular college isn’t the be-all and end-all of their lives, and that they can find success and happiness no matter where they attend. His apology is fine. His characterization of the error as a tragedy is laughable. Any hand wringing over this event by students and parents is absurd.
If any of the 130 would have been admitted at the expense of any other more deserving candidate, then there is justification in hitting the reset button. To that effect, I believe Tulane got to the right answer. I suppose we all know what went wrong. There is a system in place without appropriate quality controls. That’s not on the technology department. It’s on the admissions department. The buck stops there.