As always, thanks for the kind comments. I’m glad my rejection letter prompted this post, because I’ve lamented this for years.

I’ve been in the “working world” for nearly 10 years and can honestly say few things aggravate me as much as how organizations handle rejections. As you mention, there are dozens of stories I could provide of job-search communication gone MIA. Although I tend to excuse larger corporations that get inundated with applications (grudgingly, I might add), it does bother me that a doctorate program can’t be bothered saying more than, “We reviewed your file, but sorry, it’s not you, it’s us.”

My recent experience applying for Ph.D. programs definitely illuminates this. Frankly, I don’t care that I got rejected by Ohio State. But, yes, I would have liked something a bit more personal than a form letter. I applied to five programs, all of which I carefully researched for compatibility. (Maybe I should talk to eHarmony about starting an eDoctorate spin-off site?) Rejecting me without speaking with me seems curious.

Of course, maybe I’m strange because I don’t mind the cold, hard truth about why I was rejected from a job or doctorate program — I see that as a way to learn and take it as an opportunity to better myself. I regularly banter with my students about something similar. They moan about the fact that I return papers bleeding with ink, but don’t seem to understand that getting corrections/suggestions now will make them better in the long term. In my mind, a job/program rejection should be no different, especially if we’re talking about a doctoral program.

In a way I can accept the reality that maybe every organization or company doesn’t have the time to provide a personalized response to everyone who contacts them. And maybe that attitude is a product of the social environment I know — I just don’t expect anything better.

That said, I do hold institutions of higher learning to a different standard (fairly or unfairly). I dropped a day’s paycheck to apply to OSU and getting a form letter IS insulting and was not something I expected. No one pays to apply to jobs, and in my mind that’s what sets a university (especially at the master’s and doctorate level) apart from other corporate entities. Add in the fact that universities are, simply, universities. They should see it as a responsibility to guide and teach, even if they’re simply giving a rejection. A student pays to take a class – it’s my responsibility to teach by pointing out successes AND mistakes. Likewise, if someone is applying to a Ph.D. program, they should be treated as though they’re capable of rational thought and seeking an experience that will teach them, even if the lesson is a hard one. People don’t apply to Ph.D. programs as if there’s nothing better out there — it’s a commitment. The fact that I haven’t heard a peep from three of the schools I’ve applied to (unless I’ve contacted them) has definitely raised my eyebrow. I never expected the process to be quite as detached as it has been. If anything, it makes me value PSU all the more because they’ve made concerted efforts to speak with me, find out what my plans are, and even beat the mail by calling me to tell me they had an offer for me.

So there’s my rant. In other words, I agree with you (shock, I know). But this is also an experience I’m mentally bookmarking. As you know, I’ll never be happy just being a professor — I’ll get bored with that within a few years and will start working my way up the academic ladder. When I do it, though, I’ll definitely take a more positive communication approach than what I’ve experienced and at least will do what I believe is the right.

- Mel