Reply to MIT accidentally sent out welcome emails to some Deferred kids

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Poor kids.

And what hypocrisy. . .  MIT holds 17-year-old kids to such high standards that mistakes are fatal to an application. But adult admission officers make mistakes like this, without regard to these kids’ feelings and without apology.

Really makes you wonder wonder about the competence of whomever is making the admission decisions.[/quote]

But the students didn't get anything. It was just an email to parents about admitted student events. I think parents of MIT-ready students should be competent enough to know it was a mistake. If they aren't...that's just willful ignorance.

[/quote] DP there is no excuse for this, having a second or third set of eyes for this process is a no brainer. You check and recheck the intended audience for any mass emails. I do not think it is unreasonable to expect a school that specializes in STEM and costs almost 90K to attend to get it right. [/quote]

Agree; it's embarrassing look for the school. But [b]these kids who were so traumatized by it? Please[/b].[/quote]

DC was one of the deferred Duke students who got the mixed message the PP above described.

Did they experience a moment of emotional whiplash? Sure. Trauma? Absolutely not.

If I were running the show at Duke (or MIT, for that matter), any deferred applicant who called or emailed to claim trauma or some other harm as a result of a mistaken mass email should be moved straight to the RD reject list. Seriously.

Yes, it sucked for a second or two. But it was a coding error that was rectified immediately - once the kid read the actual letter with the deferral decision.

Ultimately, if a kid is too fragile to bounce back from that situation without reaching out to the school, I think it's safe to say they're not likely to thrive in an environment like Duke. Same for kids who are cynical enough to try to capitalize on a school's administrative mistake by claiming harm. Pretty sure they're not the type to add much to the community, beyond efforts that would immediately benefit themselves.

[/quote] You sound like PR not a parent. [/quote]

DP also with a Duke deferred kid. Agree with PP’s observations. Kids are resilient. They are upset for sometime and move on. My kid was upset for a couple of days and he now says oh well. That’s life. [/quote] Your kid is not every kid. [b]No one gets to dictate feelings and say get over it or you’re too fragile or cynical or determine what harm was caused.[/b] These schools want perfect essays, applications, grades, scores etc for the luxury of graving their overpriced halls. When they mess up they don’t get to just say oops and turn it around on the student. [/quote]

Of course not. A kid’s going to feel what they feel. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that! Including at the extremes in either direction - whether they shrug it off immediately or feel immensely harmed or anything in between, it’s all good.

My point was that attending a school like MIT or Duke will bring immense challenges, both academically and socially. (Speaking as an alum here.) It’s a rare kid who does not experience a significant failure or massive disappointment, often due to events outside their control.

There’s tremendous emotional risk involved in attending a highly selective (rejective) school. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with kids who were deeply affected by the email error.

But I do consider it a red flag in terms of their ability to cope with the inevitable pressure, disappointments, and failures inherent in attending a school like MIT or Duke. There are too many posts and cautionary tales on this  site about brilliant and high-achieving kids who are away from home and crack under the pressure. Know your kid and stay vigilant. [/quote] yep definitely PR. [/quote]

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