<p>I didn’t mean to be rude, I thought she was making fun of the forum! I messaged her and gave her advice…anyways, has anyone heard anything yet?</p>
<p>Nothing Yet Dem!</p>
<p>I am sorry that you thought that my intentions were to make fun of this forum. I really am not and I do take this seriously. It’s just that I have never done anything like this before and am just really nervous about how it will turn out. I didn’t mean to offend anyone with what may seem to be trivial and frivolous questions and statements, I was just curious and wanted to be honest. This is a great opportunity for me since I don’t live in the DC area and I just don’t want to mess it my chances.</p>
<p>Its the friday of the week. Should hear back for rejecteds sometime today or monday.</p>
<p>A friend of mine got a rejection letter yesterday.</p>
<p>Liberal, do you know if they received vitals? </p>
<p>I got a call from a restricted number today and got so excited. Turns out it was a poor old lady with the wrong number… :[</p>
<p>yes, that would be good to know about vitals. it’s been so quiet on my end. i’m sure the news will come eventually, but i’d rather it just be over with. </p>
<p>if you got accepted, would you mind just posting “yes” on this forum, nothing else (you can add more if you want), just so we know if acceptances have gone out yet??</p>
<p>What department did you interview for?</p>
<p>I applied for and was interviewed by M&A.</p>
<p>chief of staff was my number one. has anybody heard from them?</p>
<p>liberalspirit, did that friend who got the rejection letter get a vitals email?</p>
<p>Here’s to hoping Liberalspirit checks in with us. Seems like many people want to know if the individual who received the rejection got vitals or not.</p>
<p>Hey guys, sorry for the late reply. I’ve been trying to get in touch w/ the friend to see whether he did or not get a vitals email but he is out of town. I was reading a few other threads and noticed usually the ones that do not get the vitals email get the rejection notifications earlier than others. Right now I’m assuming the applications for everyone who did get the vitals made it through the 1st screening process and now are being addressed by various departments and are being shuffled back and forth. There is still hope!</p>
<p>Well, I never got vitals and have yet to get a rejection letter. Interesting. I think adnap is in a similar boat.</p>
<p>This speculation will drive me up the wall :)</p>
<p>if it doesn’t work out.</p>
<p>Considering the sheer magnitude of applicants and the few spots available, it is nearly impossible to get into this program already. On top of that, remember that there are plenty of those who might be equally qualified as you, even less qualified than you, but still get in because they’ve got an arbitrary advantage: they happen to be a Kennedy, a major donor or party-player’s child, a member of Congress’s close relative, an executive department official’s close friend, son, or daughter, etc.</p>
<p>Think of how many chairs and heads and chiefs of staff are in the executive department. They alone have enough children and other relateds who would easily get a leg-up in the process because they might know people in a particular White House office. </p>
<p>In the end, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. You may be the greatest applicant but if there is no one there to lobby for you, the climb becomes much harder. Yes, there are those who get in without an extra advantage, but the simple fact that the White House is a political organization that engages in a very non-transparent process should tell you how much of a crap-shoot this ultimately is.</p>
<p>So please don’t be discouraged. Challenge yourself to find something better to do, something more enriching, something more rewarding. I believe in you and I believe you have the wherewithal to forge a better path for yourselves than to let some political appointees decide for you.</p>
<p>I agree with you and honestly hope people don’t get discouraged. However, I couldn’t help but feel as if you were bitter because you either 1) got a rejection notice or 2) haven’t heard back about a phone interview/acceptance.</p>
<p>For example, you said, “the simple fact that the White House is a political organization that engages in a very non-transparent process should tell you how much of a crap-shoot this ultimately is.”</p>
<p>If that’s truly what you think, you wouldn’t have applied in the first place. Just saying. Good luck to everyone else though, and I hope you all won’t be bitter if you don’t receive good news.</p>
<p>You seem never to have heard of the saying,</p>
<p>You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.</p>
<p>Never give up on yourself, my friends. You should always try and do your best without regrets.</p>
<p>I don’t want to encourage “bitterment,” as summer2011 suggests. I just want to help everyone maintain perspective. You are all talented, passionate people. But remembering some of the things I said above–that the currency of political organizations is not just merit but also connections, money, fundraisers, donors, etc.–is something to just keep in mind wherever you go in life. I say this not out of bitterness, but out of respect for having seen how the world works, and, in particular, how this program selects applicants. If you just take a close look at list of interns they bring on board, many, not all, but many just happen to be related to people who might wield a lot of influence in the application process.</p>
<p>@poignantpianist1 Thank you for that insight. I think it’s very pertinent and important to keep in mind. </p>
<p>@liberalspirit Do you know if your friend received an e-mail or a letter?</p>