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Students Hurt By Colleges' Digital Verdicts

Schools fawn over acceptees, but can be curt with e-rejections

By Ambreen Ali, Newser User

Posted Feb 26, 2009 12:30 PM CST

(Newser) – College admissions offices are jazzing up acceptance packages—adding confetti, T-shirts, internet videos—to lure students, and are also trying to keep up with the times in their rejections, US News and World Report writes. But some efforts have backfired, with students hurt by brutally short, electronic turndowns—including text messages as brief as “Admissions decision: Deny”—and high schools complaining that midday e-mails disrupt classrooms.

Even accepted students say the fanfare is no replacement for a traditional personalized letter. One senior says a letter that quoted her application won her over: “I’m not just a number to them.” Cost-cutting, tree-saving digital announcements seem here to stay, though admissions officers are listening to the criticism: Stanford has softened e-rejections, while others have rescheduled emails to avoid interfering with school.

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High schools have complained that midday acceptance announcements, which sometimes include clips of rowdy celebratory videos, disrupt classroom teaching. (Shutterstock)

Students say digital rejections, intended to lighten the feelings of worthlessness that come from not getting in to a college, are more brutal than longer paper ones. (Shutterstock)

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They say they won't be sending you an actual letter because that would only make it worse. Ha ha like I didn't cry enough.
- A student who got an electronic rejection

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Students Hurt By Colleges' Digital Verdicts