You're in ... um, wait a minute

Parents Forum
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<p>In this morning's Hartford Courant, there's a report about 2,000 University of Hartford applicants receiving an acceptance letter when they should have received a letter asking for additional info, while 60 applicants were asked for additional info when they should have received the acceptance letter. Apparently the mail house the university uses outsourced the job to another provider, which goofed. Here's a link to the article: You're</a> In ... No, Not Yet -- Courant.com</p>

<p>After reading CC for years, I realize that such mistakes aren't uncommon. This year my d received a letter awarding her a scholarship "in the amount of per year." When she called to ask what that meant, the person who answered the phone had clearly taken enough similar calls that day. </p>

<p>So I'm wondering - how many times might a clerical goof result in the wrong decision, not just a resolvable snafu? It must get pretty busy in those admissions offices in high season. Something might go into the wrong pile, GPA or SAT results could have two digits transposed when the first reader goes through the app, high schools have been known to mess up - stuff like that.</p>

<p>Also, though it makes perfect sense, this is the first time I've realized that outside providers and not the admissions department itself might prepare the actual results mailings. So that's why my middle d was waitlisted at Duke! ;)</p>

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<p>I know there was a similar incident at Cornell maybe 10 years ago when tons of kids got accepted emails...can you imagine all those kids calling mom and dad and grandparents and friends...and then I think within a few hours they got a follow up email....oops, NOT in.</p>

<p>I think there is a lot of color coding at different levels at the selective schools, but I'm sure, especially this year, that mistakes happen.</p>

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<p>Thank you for posting this as I had not heard of this widespread situation with U of Hartford. I actually have a client who got an acceptance into the university and then a voice mail that said the acceptance was in error. However, this student is an applicant to a BFA program at Hartt for which one must audition and so that still is yet to come but this was for the admissions into the university. The parents thought the voice mail was because some who apply to Hartt are confused and think they are now accepted but this is only an acceptance to the university. They thought the call was just saying she is not yet in at Hartt and not to be confused. BUT....based on the article you have posted, it sounds like the acceptance to the university is not valid (yet). In any case, I definitely need to clarify this with the client as it is more involved than I thought. They did think it was very odd to get this voice mail over such a matter. When the parent called, she was just told this means D is not yet in at Hartt but we already KNOW that as the audition has not yet occurred. However, based on that article, it sounds like the actual acceptance to the university also is not a done deal. Oy.</p>

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<p>I think it happened at Yale a couple years ago through e-mail... thousands were accepted when they should've been rejected... at least that's what I overheard my mom telling my aunt when they talked about college mailings and why don't colleges e-mail anymore.</p>

<p>With situations like these... sometimes I just pray that the ETS sends my schools wrong GRE scores that are better than the ones I have now :)</p>

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<p>Years ago, when I was a financial aid director at a small school, the assistant director input the figures incorrectly & awarded a Pell grant that the student was not eligible to receive. She sent the award letter with a Pell grant included. I had a habit of scanning files before the clerks filed them away, if only because I am a bit anal ... I wanted to make sure everything that should be in the file was there. The Pell mistake jumped off the page at me, because the AGI on the tax form was too high for Pell under normal circumstances. I checked the figures & found the error in the system. Then I had the task of calling the family to explain (I would never just send a letter, although I did follow up with a written notification). Fortunately, they weren't surprised. Even small schools with relatively few pieces of paper to process (compared to a school like Yale or U of M) can make mistakes. I think that it's important for the school to handle the situation as compassionately as possible. Unfortunately, even being "nice" about it doesn't help in situations like being told you are accepted, then finding out you're really not.</p>

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<p>Applicants to the Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine this year received this email from the admissions office:</p>

<p>"Dear <my first="" name="">,
Thank you for interviewing with us---however, we decided that you are not worthy to be a Feinberg School of Medicine student. Please do not contact us, and realize that sleeping with the head of the department will not assist you to be acceptance.</my></p>

<p>However, if you perceive yourself in the future as <my name="">, MD, I suggest one of our finer international schools."</my></p>

<p>Followed by this email with the same questionable grammar:</p>

<p>"Good evening Feinberg applicants,</p>

<p>On Tuesday November 27, 2007 at 5:33pm, it came to my attention that an email in my name has been sent to interviewed applicants about a decision written in a most inappropriate and offense nature. This email is erroneous. The email sent is completely and utterly false. It disturbs me professionally and personally that this occurred prior to my departure to the Feinberg School of Medicine.</p>

<p>Please disregard any email message sent regarding your status as a Feinberg medical applicant. Your OFFICIAL status is obtained only through an official hard-copy letter mailed to your current residency by the Dean of Admissions. All other updates occur through the secure applicant website on the Feinberg School of Medicine webpage.</p>

<p><name deleted="">"</name></p>

<p>Followed by this email saying that both of the above emails were unauthorized:</p>

<p>"Dear Applicant:</p>

<p>I am writing to explain that you may have received unauthorized emails yesterday from the admissions office at the Feinberg School of Medicine. An employee sent an email with false information presented in a grossly unprofessional and offensive manner. A second email was sent to another group of our interviewed applicants asking that the first be disregarded. Hence you may have received one or two unauthorized emails.</p>

<p>I wish to personally apologize for these mailings and to assure you of the following:</p>

<ol>
<li><pre><code> No action has yet been taken on your application by our admissions committee. All current information regarding your application status is available on our secure website.
</code></pre></li>
<li><pre><code> The responsible individual is no longer with Northwestern University and does not have access to any university property including personal information such as your email address, AMCAS number, etc.
</code></pre></li>
<li><pre><code> Our Information Technology department has assured me that all applicant information is secure.
</code></pre></li>
</ol>

<p>Again, I apologize for this event and the distress it has caused. Please contact me if you have any questions.</p>

<p>Sincerely,</p>

<p><name deleted=""></name></p>

<p>Associate Dean for Admissions"</p>

<p>A few weeks later, people's status pages were changed to reflect Second Look Weekend information (signifying that they had been accepted). The status pages were changed back a few hours later. Northwestern said that everyone's status pages had changed and that changes in status pages meant nothing...except when the final decisions came out, it was obvious that the people whose status pages changed prematurely were indeed accepted and that there were people whose status pages never changed, contrary to the lie told by Northwestern.</p>

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<p>What a fiasco! Sounds like a complete overhaul of that department is in order.</p>

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<p>^^ Sound's like Northwesterns computer system was hacked from outside.</p>

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<p>There was quite recently a link to an article about JHU Admissions Office in the "final days." If I can find it, I'll link it here.*</p>

<p>At that office, staff and student volunteers sat in the room (on every surface, I think - LOL) going over each "pile" (actually bins) to check, re-check and triple check that every applicant was receiving the right envelope. </p>

<p>I guess I figured all schools do it that way. Doesn't mean mistakes can't happen.</p>

<p>What I find odd in the Hartford incident is the numbers - I can imagine 2000 acceptances getting mixed up with 2000 rejections or requests for info. But seems kind of hard to mix up 60 of type 1 with 2000 of type 2.</p>

<p><em>Found it


</p>

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<p>"Sound's like Northwesterns computer system was hacked from outside."</p>

<p>Dean [name removed]'s email makes it sound like it was an employee within the admissions office who sent the emails. It was indeed <name deleted="">'s last week at work as she was leaving Northwestern for another job so she had nothing to lose, so to speak. But, from her other emails and after having spoken to her a few times, I can't imagine that it was actually her.</name></p>

<p>The speculation was fun for a while since it became obvious that some people had not received the first nasty email. Since the person sending the emails obviously had access to applicant data (only interviewed applicants received those emails), people began wondering if they were actually on the reject list. As it turns out, there was no correlation b/w receiving either the first or the second email and getting an acceptance (I never received the first email but did receive the second and third emails). But, everyone whose status pages had changed (you know your status page changed sometime because the date at the top of the page was no longer there when they changed it back) got accepted. Everyone whose status pages did not, were not accepted in Nov.</p>

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<p><<it was="" indeed="" <name="" deleted="">'s last week at work as she was leaving Northwestern for another job so she had nothing to lose, >></it></p>

<p>I hope whoever was hiring this person immediately fired her for acting in a completely unprofessional manner. That is disgraceful.</p>