Graduate school failed to respond to my application on time

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the experience of a participant who applied to a prestigious engineering school in France and faced delays in receiving a response regarding their application status. The conversation includes concerns about the timing of responses, potential bureaucratic delays, and the impact of the Easter holiday on the admissions process.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expressed frustration over not receiving a response by the expected date, speculating that the Easter break might have caused delays.
  • Another participant suggested waiting a bit longer before contacting the school, emphasizing that delays can happen.
  • Some participants noted that if responses were sent by snail mail, it could take additional time to reach the applicant in Iceland.
  • There were comments on the differences in bureaucratic customs between countries, with one participant sharing their experience of French institutions potentially being behind schedule.
  • A later update from the original poster indicated they were admitted, attributing the delay to the holiday.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agreed that delays in communication can occur and suggested patience, but there was no consensus on the specific reasons for the delay until the original poster provided an update about their admission.

Contextual Notes

The discussion reflects varying assumptions about the efficiency of bureaucratic processes in different countries and the impact of holidays on application timelines.

Jarfi
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I applied to a fairly prestigious engineering school in france, taught in english. I was taken for an interview 2 weeks ago and it was very casual, didnt go great nor badly. I was told I'd receive a response to my application by the "end of next week", problem is that was last friday, and I still haven't received anything.

I'm pulling my hair here, why would they do this, is it because there is Easter break in France so they just went on vacay? according to their website I should've gotten a response, i.e refusal or acceptance by 31st March.
 
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Jarfi said:
I applied to a fairly prestigious engineering school in france, taught in english. I was taken for an interview 2 weeks ago and it was very casual, didnt go great nor badly. I was told I'd receive a response to my application by the "end of next week", problem is that was last friday, and I still haven't received anything.

I'm pulling my hair here, why would they do this, is it because there is Easter break in France so they just went on vacay? according to their website I should've gotten a response, i.e refusal or acceptance by 31st March.

Stop pulling your hair, give them 1 more week, and then write to the contact person or e-mail address or phone number that you were given.

Zz.
 
+1

If they posted it by snail mail it might take awhile to get to Iceland.
 
CWatters said:
+1

If they posted it by snail mail it might take awhile to get to Iceland.
They said the answer(refusal, acceptance or waiting list) would be E-mailed to me "by 31st". I'm assuming they were just behind schedule, It's not "known" in my own country that official institutions are behind due dates, but France might be different, I am not sure about their bureaucracy customs.
 
Jarfi said:
They said the answer(refusal, acceptance or waiting list) would be E-mailed to me "by 31st". I'm assuming they were just behind schedule, It's not "known" in my own country that official institutions are behind due dates, but France might be different, I am not sure about their bureaucracy customs.

Given what I know about France (I used to work for a company with an office in France), my suspicion is that they are indeed behind the due dates, especially given the fact that this is the Easter weekend, that Easter Monday is a statutory holiday in France (as it is across continental Europe -- perhaps it's different in Iceland?), and the fact that many people in continental European countries have very generous vacation schedules.
 
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Given that they specifically told you they'd get back to you by the 31st and that date has gone by, you're perfectly justified in contacting them to inquire about your application status, but I concur with the above. Give it a few more days. Its easy to get behind schedule on things like this. It doesn't mean anything one way or the other.

And try to do something that will take your mind off of it. I know how hard it can be waiting for results to come in.
 
UPDATE: Seems I was admitted! You were right, it was the holiday, just got the results this morning
 
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