Program Rejection Letter
Simson Petrol I have a friend who appraises antiques — assigning a dollar value to the old Chinese vase your grandmother used for storing pencils, telling you how much those silver knickknacks from Aunt Fern are worth. He says the hardest part of his job, the part he dreads the most, is telling people that their treasure is worthless. I can empathize. I feel like I do that too, every time I tell a prospective HBR author that their ideas, research, or writing just isn’t good enough to make the cut.
A scholarship rejection letter is written in response to a scholarship request put forth by a student. The application could be rejected based on the eligibility.
Rejection letters aren’t easy for any of us. Whether you’re telling a job candidate that he didn’t make the next round, an entrepreneur that you’re not going to fund her project, or a vendor that you no longer need his services, these are emails most of us dread crafting.
Because it’s unpleasant, too many of us put it off or don’t do it at all, essentially letting our silence do the talking. That’s a missed opportunity (and rude).
Though painful, rejection has benefits: by Linus Dahlander at ESMT and Henning Piezunka at INSEAD has found, for example, that when organizations take the time to explicitly reject (rather than just passively ignore) crowdsourced ideas, it both increases the quality of the ideas they’re being offered and increases the engagement of the crowd. You and Your Team Series Business Writing. Maggy McGloin If there’s one thing that I’ve learned in a decade at Harvard Business Review — during which I’ve rejected literally thousands of ideas, pitches, and drafts — it’s that a quick no is better than a long maybe. Writing a Basic Rejection Letter Writing good rejections does take a bit of time — especially at first. But one of the benefits of learning to write a good, clear rejection letter is that it forces you to think clearly about what it is that you want from other people, and what it is that your organization really needs. For example, I can categorize most of my rejections for HBR into one of five categories: too broad (and thus not very useful to readers); too repetitive with stuff we’ve already published; too jargony; too self-promotional; not supported by enough evidence or expertise.
Knowing this, we were able to distill that encouraged them to avoid these common pitfalls. That said, rejection letters need not be long, and the reason you give for the rejection need not be super-detailed. If you don’t have much of a relationship with the person — you never met them, maybe just traded some emails — the entire letter might be just a few lines. I looked back at some rejection letters I sent, and realized that I usually follow a pretty simple format:. Say thanks.
Deliver the news. Give the main reason. Offer hope. For example: Their name, Thanks for your patience while I reviewed this proposal. I’m afraid I’m going to have to pass. We’ve published a lot on cybersecurity lately, and unfortunately the proposed piece overlaps a bit too much with other articles we’ve published.
I hope you find a good home for it in another publication. All the best, Your name If I were giving bad news to someone I’d interviewed for a job, I might tweak it a bit, but the basic format would stay the same: Their name, Thanks for making the time to talk with me last week.
While I enjoyed our conversation, I think we need someone with more hands-on project management experience for this role. I hope you find the right job for you in the near future. If you can’t think of any hope to offer at the end, then don’t.
“Do not say anything that will give the recipient the impression that the door is still open,” Joceyln Glei advises in her new email writing guide, Unsubscribe, “Such clarity and finality can feel cruel, but adding additional language to ‘soften the blow’ only serves to create false hope. Say your piece and sign off.” False hope is crueler than no hope. False hope just encourages the other person to waste more of their time, and yours. If the idea of ending with an unsoftened rejection makes you unbearably squeamish, you can close with an extra thank you. Consider this example of a rejection letter to a vendor: Their name, Thanks for your detailed proposal. Taking a look at the materials, it seems like your firm’s key strengths don’t quite overlap with what we need for this project. Thanks again for taking the time to put this proposal together for us.
Best wishes, Your name Writing a Detailed Rejection Letter But what if the pitch (or person) was really close to being a good fit, and you might want to work with them in the future? Or you have more of a relationship with them? In those cases, the above messages are probably too cold and too vague.
When rejecting people I want to encourage, I keep the format much the same, but am generally much more detailed in my reason for rejecting and more explicit in encouraging the person to try again. (In the I mentioned above, Dahlander and Piezunka found that providing an explanation about why an idea was being rejected bolstered the beneficial effects of rejection — eg, motivation and idea quality.) I also often end with a question, to try to signal that I’m genuinely interested — not just making an empty, softening-the-blow promise. For example: Their name, Thanks for your patience while I reviewed this proposal. I’m afraid I’m going to have to pass. We’ve published a lot on cybersecurity lately, and unfortunately the proposed piece overlaps a bit too much with other articles we’ve published. For example, take a look at the article we published on August 6 by Professor Joe Schmo, and the August 16 article by the CEO of Acme Corp. Although we won’t be able to publish this particular piece, I really enjoyed your writing style and the way you supported your argument with extensive research; would you be interested in pitching us some other articles in the future?
All the best, Your name For the job interviewee, it might look like this: Their name, Thanks for making the time to talk with me last week. I’m sorry to say that your candidacy did not make it to the next round; we’ve had a very competitive pool for this position.
At this point, our organization really needs someone with more project management experience. However, I really enjoyed our conversation and think you could be a good fit here in the right role.
Please do keep in touch — and is it OK with you if I let you know about roles that open up that might be a better fit? All the best, Your name Now for the vendor: Their name, We were lucky to get some strong proposals in on this and we deeply appreciate all the info from your side — and for your patience. After a lot of careful thought, we have decided to go with another firm for this project.
While we certainly have no doubt about the superior quality of your team or that you could deliver on this skillfully we decided to use this project to expand our bench of development partners and, since this is part experiment for us, this was a good opportunity to do that. We’d really like to continue talking with you about future projects we have coming up this year. I definitely look forward to collaborating in the future.
Thanks again for your help and your time, Your name The more specific you are about the way you reject something (or someone), the more information you give them. A smart rejectee will use this information to come back with a stronger pitch the next time. I’ve actually had a few people thank me for rejection letters I wrote to them, because it gave them the kind of concrete, specific feedback they needed in order to make a better pitch in the future.
It’s a good reminder that people, even though most of us dread giving it. Writing a Rejection Letter When You Disagree with the Decision It’s especially tough to pass along a rejection decision that you disagree with. Maybe you fought hard for a job candidate everyone else was unimpressed by, or championed the cause of a vendor that the executive committee thought was too expensive. I know I’ve argued for articles that other editors thought weren’t ready for prime time. It’s not a good feeling. When this happens, it’s tempting to hide behind passive voice or other people — eg, “It has been decided that we won’t be pursuing this” or “The bigwigs have decided to go in a different direction.” Resist that temptation.
It’s not any easier to get rejected in that fashion, and writing that way undercuts your authority as a decisionmaker. If you’re the one issuing a rejection, own the rejection. It’s fair to say something like, “After a lot of discussion and back-and-forth, we’ve decided X” or “It was a really hard decision, but we’ve ultimately decided Y.” But say “we,” not “they.” A rejection letter in which you’re hiding behind someone else’s skirt inhibits your ability to give useful feedback. It also makes your organization look fractious or contentious, which undermines other people’s desire to work with you in the future. Writing a Rejection Letter After a Ton of Back and Forth The other kind of rejection that’s really tough to deliver is the one where you’ve both put in a lot of time and effort to make the thing work — but it’s still not working. Now, despite the sunk costs, it is time to cut your losses and move on.
In some cases, a phone call is the best way to deliver this kind of news — use your judgment. But if you decide to write an email, it’s OK to keep it brief. Usually, at this point, you and your counterpart will have spent so much time talking about the problems with the project or the piece that your counterpart will already know the reason behind the rejection; you just need to recap it briefly. Here’s an example: Hi Their name, Thanks for taking another stab at this. I really appreciate all the time and effort you’ve put in.
Unfortunately, despite both of our best efforts, I think problem X still applies and we’re still not hitting the mark. At this point, I’d say let’s set this one aside and move ahead. Your name The other thing I try to do when delivering this kind of tough news is position myself on the same side as the person I’m rejecting: We have made a good faith effort; and despite that effort, we have fallen short. This isn’t just window-dressing; if you’re rejecting something after a lot of involvement, then some part of the failure is yours, too. (And maybe a sign that you should have sent a quicker rejection sooner in the process, when it would have been less painful for both of you.) Delivering bad news is tough, and in different companies or cultures these examples may sound either overly harsh or too nice.
You’ll need to find your own language depending on the context and the culture. That said, remember: don’t soften the blow just for the sake of blow-softening.
False kindness just gives people false hope. And there’s nothing kind about that.
If I fail more often than you, I win I have written before about the importance of becoming an and how this is a fundamental part of becoming an epic success. I was cleaning out some of my old file cabinets today and came across my PA school application documents from 2001. I will be sharing three of them below. If you are experiencing setbacks on your path to becoming a Physician Assistant I want you to know that this is a normal part of the process.
Do not be discouraged: failure met with perseverance, is the key to long-term, sustainable success. My PA School Rejection Letter #1 (Ouch!) To help you reach your goals, it is important that you see my failures along with my successes. Otherwise, you will be fooled into believing that success is a simple, pain-free process when in reality the path to each of my successes has been lined with the road kill of my many. You may also like -.
Leslie Mean is a 26-year-old single white female who presents to the PA school admissions committee on her first attempt to get into PA school. She has a 3.5 overall GPA and a 3.47 science GPA.
She is holding a bachelor of science. Life is full of obstacles. They can be as simple as getting out of the bed in the morning, or as arduous as writing the perfect physician assistant application essay. Most of the time the biggest obstacle is ourselves. The excuses. PA School Letters of Reference Here are two letters of recommendation I received when applying to PA school. I am not posting them here as a way to fluff my feathers but merely to serve as an example of what I included as part of my.
Thanks for this. I am a 32-year-old returning to school AGAIN. I already have an MA in theology and lots of years of wasted effort as a pre-med student under my belt. Returning to the school was the last thing I ever wanted, but after hitting dead ends and brick walls in my search for a career that would satisfy me, I realized that the medical field was still a passion of mine. I decided last month to return to school. I have about a year’s worth of prerequisites to complete and just today received an overdraft notice from my bank. My current job won’t accommodate my school schedule, so I am currently searching for a new one that will support me.
Already the opposition is overwhelming.and I haven’t even gotten started yet!!!! Rejection letters?!?!! Nonetheless, this was an inspiring read. Thank you so much for your support.
This cycle was my first after working 5 years after my bachelors degree towards being more competitive. I have had unfortunate life events that derailed my potential in undergraduate. The “trend” is dramatic but the overall effect on my GPA stats was marginal. My GRE was considered competitive by most programs.
Only 2 out of 12 programs gave me the opportunity to tell the story beyond the numbers. I assume it was because I had a strong personal statement. One was a waitlist, but I have not moved up the waitlist enough to be admitted. I am trying to get back on the horse and give it my all for round two. Finances limit taking more classes.
I took a giant pay cut in switching careers in order to have direct patient contact. Almost all of my savings and emotions were invested in being admitted this cycle. I am hoping if I secure more PA shadowing opportunities, apply earlier, and retake the GRE that will improve the results of next cycle. Thank you for keeping the hope alive! Congrats on your acceptance and completion.
I was just rejected 8 hours ago by University of Wisconsin Madison. I am a practicing Speech Therapist (20+ years) including graduating cum laude with BSE and a 3.89 with MS, I am a veteran of the Army, and have had cancer and a stroke so I’m familiar with both sides of the bed rail. At this point am very dejected because I’m not sure what else to do. I doubt very seriously they are waiting for the 23rd year of experience to let me in. Didn’t even get an interview.
Am a little frustrated right now. I suppose there is always barber college. Hi Dave, As you have experienced in life (more than most) some things just aren’t fair. I am so sorry to hear that you weren’t accepted this year because you sound like an excellent and deserving PA school candidate. I felt very dejected and hopeless after my 5’th rejection letter, but if this is something you truly believe in I would encourage you not to let this stop you. From what you have told me you are very qualified and have assets and experiences that will make you an excellent PA.
Can you apply to other programs or is your heart set on just this one? I appreciate the kind words of encouragement. After the rejection email I had come up with many words too but they weren’t as kind. I am in the process of checking the requirements for 3 other schools that are within a 1.5 hour drive.
The one I had applied to had the lowest requirement burden (no GRE, 4 prerequisites I had not completed) but I should be able to complete enough for at least one other by next cycle. The frustrating part was not even receiving an interview. Very upsetting.
Will take some time to decompress and reassess and then continue to drive on. Any one in particular you had go over your personal statement? I had a PA and several therapist go over mine. Should I try a different route? Appreciate the time. Hi Dave, Sue (who literally wrote the book on it) works with me as part of our essay collaborative.
We have helped a lot of applicants, many who are on a second application cycle. We would be happy to help if you need another set of eyes.
I think it is good to apply to other schools. Don’t worry that you didn’t get an interview, that means nothing when it comes to your other applications. Honestly, from what I can tell, it is their loss!
I truly wish you the best of luck and am rooting for you! Hi Muhammad, As you and I both know the PA applicant field is very competitive and schools may favor a candidate with equal qualifications who also have a strong science GPA. Does this mean they are a better candidate?
Not necessarily, but it may stand in your way of getting an interview. Research school on the paschoolfinder website to find those that accept applicants with a science GPA of 2.9 or below: (that is just for 2.9) and here are a list of schools that accept a sceince GPA of 2.8. Then you must cross reference this with the overall GPA score and see if you qualify. As you may have seen I applied to a school with a lower than required overall GPA and was accepted even above other applicants with 4.0 GPAs who were waitlisted. So experience, and letters of recommendation etc. But there are no guarantees.
And you should have a “backup plan”. I don’t think it should be to give up on your dream of becoming a PA, but if you don’t get in this time around, what could you do?
There are always options so don’t sell yourself short by giving yourself and ultimatum. I truly do wish you the best of luck and I am rooting for you! I am a non traditional student and had a very low undergrad gpa due to health reasons (I was diagnosed with epilepsy and found it very hard to concentrate on school under the meds). I had the option to appeal those grades with a note from a dr.
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Problem is this happened over 10 years ago and I can’t get in contact with the physician who was treating me at the time. How do I put this info in a personal statement without sounding like I’m making excuses or like I’m not capable of succeeding in the program. I have a dilemma. I have a GPA of 2.98 overall GPA and science of 2.65.
Reading your quick blog is helping me push through. I was a pre-pt student in undergrad and then worked at PT clinic for almost 5 years and noticed it wasn’t what i wanted.
Then i went to a post-bacc program and re-took some classes (as i thought i wanted to do DO), i applied one year and was told to re-take the MCAT. I took it and got the score they wanted considering my low low overall GPA. I am not a medical scribe, and work for a PM&R doctor alongside a couple of PA’s. I am now noticing, that god has plans for us because my route has been extra ordinary.
Do you think i should keep applying? It is disheartening and need some advice! Hi Jennifer, it sounds like you have been able to accumulate a good amount of healthcare experience! It is not my place to tell you what to do, I am sure some people would have told me not to bother applying to PA school, my undergraduate guidance counselor probably would have been one of them.
But there are things you “want” to do and then things you “have” to do. For me, this was something I “had” to do, so I am not sure there is much that could have stopped me. Of course like you, I also took a winding path which led to PA school, when I got there I knew it was the right path.
When I received my first 4 or 5 denials I knew that I had to change my approach, that is when I opened up a can of honesty and poured that into my application and my personal statement. With a lower than average GPA you have to be excellent everywhere else, it is like being short and wanting to play professional basketball. You better have a good jump shot. 🙂 The good news is that you can work on your jump shot, ball handling and your vertical leap and prove that you can hold your own on the court.
But in the end you have to ask yourself, is this a “have” to do or “want” to do? How you answer this is likely to determine your success. Stephen, reading this gave me tons of hope. I had an interesting undergrad experience and was in and out due to illness. I was not smart enough at the time to withdrawal and kept trying to push through.
Which brings us to now. My GPA is in the whole and now I am older more mature and ready to go after my goals. I have enrolled in an MA program to help with my health care hours and have a plan to e try pre reqs and redo some other classes to have a solid 40-60 hours to show my true potential.
So I say all that to ask this question. Do you think that this will be enough?
Will my GPA haunt me forever? I just recently applied to CASPA this cycle (first year applicant). I feel as though I have a great chance at getting in, I’ve been preparing for this day for the past 3 years- however, upon my CASPA submission I noticed one error in my personal statement (I used the word “chose” instead of “choose” i.e. Wrong tense). I am unsure and very scared if this will hurt my chance of gaining entrance into my program, and have contacted a few of the schools admission counselors in order to see if I could send a separate document of my corrected statement to them as CASPA does not allow editing after submission.
I was wondering how you felt about this? Hi Chelsea, I am not sure I have ever read an essay that is 100% free of errors.
Program Rejection Letter
Even upon rereading my PA school personal statement I was able to find several errors. If your personal statement is strong they most likely will overlook small errors or not even notice them. If it is not strong, errors in spelling or grammar help the committee confirm their bias. In other words, very small, “forgivable” grammar and spelling errors will not make or break your application especially if your essay is a real winner and you were able to avoid the.
Best of luck! This cycle will mark my 3rd consecutive year applying for PA school. Each year I gain more insight into my flaws from the year previous and each year I also gain more direct patient care hours through my profession as an athletic trainer (think sports medicine not personal trainer;)) I am still on the fence about re-applying this cycle or taking a year off and re-applying the following cycle. The reason being, at my job I have the opportunity to gain full time employment now, which I would think, would be a positive when I apply for PA school next year due to the fact that I will gain a large quantity of direct patient care hours working full time. I have be given advice to just apply this cycle because it would look poorly that I took a year off. Any Advice would be helpful!
Hi Alicia, I would apply again this year. You don’t have a lot to lose. I would also cast as wide a net as possible applying to at least 12 schools which meet your prerequisite coursework and experience. I would make sure I had a brand new personal statement – you certainly don’t want to reuse one from previous years, and if you are in contact with those who wrote your recommendations, try to get some new ones and also been up the existing ones.
Make sure that in your personal statement you talk about what you have done over the years that have thought you more about the professional and why it has solidified your place in it. Consider taking a language course in your spare time such as Spanish or other classes like Anatomy of Advance Physiology if you have some spare time. Join the AAPA and local PA organization, become a healthcare advocate for something you are passionate about and make sure you go to and PA conferences in your area. Put yourself out there!!! Warmly, Stephen Pasquini PA-C. Hello Stephen, Thank you very much for providing us with all the information!
I am currently working as Medical Technologist and wish to go to PA School. My GPA is 3.2 and my science GPA is only 2.7. I graduated two years ago, and some schools require classes be taken within certain period of time. I took Immunology post bacc last semester and received an A.
I will be taking Anatomy and Physiology I and II this semester as I have never taken it before. I did my own calculation, even if I score an A in A&P I and II, my science GPA will only be 2.8 max. My GRE is in the 50th percentile. I worked as a Clinical Research Assistant and have about 2000 hours of patient care.
Would that be count as direct patient care? I performed EKG, vitals, assisted physicians when I was a CRA. What should I do to become more competitive? I really hope to apply this year; however, most of the deadlines come before I complete my A&P I and II courses. Hi, I am currently a junior Medical Laboratory Science major hoping to go to PA school but this major is destroying my GPA. They keep telling us that if we can make it through this program, we will have no problem making it through medical/ PA school.
Butttt the problem is getting in I came into the major with a 3.2 but I’m a about to end my junior year with a GPA below a 3.0!!! I’ve talked to my advisor about PA school and she told me that it has become so competitive over the past few years, that I would need at least a 3.5 to even be considered. My patient care hours are through the roof from working as an EMT, a medical assistant, and working at the health center, but my grades are holding me back.
I also plan on working after I graduate, just not as an MLS. What schools would take an applicant like me in todays competitive application pool? I worked closely with Duke and Sue for the revisions on my personal statement. They must have edited my original version half a dozen times before they felt it was good enough to send off and never made it seem like an inconvenience. They always responded to my e-mails within a 24-hour time frame but usually got back to me within a few hours. I am very pleased with how my personal statement turned out thanks to all of their time, ideas and direction. The service the PA Life provides is well worth the money spent!
I worked with Duke to edit and complete my essay. It was a terrific experience that I would recommend to everyone!
Duke has an amazing ability to help you move things around and change it a little, while still making it feel like 100% your own work. We talked out every change we made, and we both conceded to each other in different places. He made extra time for me when I got stressed out about the deadline, and worked with me for a while each time we sat down. I paid $199 for this service, and I think that was the best bargain I ever got! I have been invited back to submit supplemental applications to some schools, and I will keep the team updated about my interviews. Thanks Duke!!!
I wanted to let you know I have been accepted to PA school. I will be attending the, Class of 2019 in West Lebanon, NH. I cannot thank you enough for being part of my journey. If you are reading this you might have been like me skeptical and trying to find a way to write a stellar essay for your PA application.
I want to share with you my exceptional experience using this service. First, do yourself a favor and BUY the eBook, “” I read it twice. Once before I started my essay draft and then again during. I cannot stress how helpful the book was in clearly stating what the Admissions Directors are looking for in application essay.
Next, the book reviews how to formulate a proper essay with clear instructions, easy reminders of the writing process, and excellent examples of good and bad writing choices. After several drafts of my essay I, one of the authors of the guide, through the internet and via phone to help with editing and my length issue. Duke’s professional experience and kind and straight forward demeanor allowed me to create a winning essay that was an authentic representation of me. Not only did I receive an interview from my top choice of PA school I was accepted a week later into their Physician Assistant Program, Class of 2019.
Thank you, “PA Life” for being a part of my journey. I really needed. I wrote many copies and finally sent my favorite to the PA life to get some assistance editing. I thought I would have a hard time with the constructive criticism because I spent so much time already on my writing, but the editors were great in suggesting edits and why as well as complimenting appropriately. I’m very proud of my end product and am excited to send it to PA schools. I haven’t finalized my application yet but will definitely let the PA life know if and when I get an interview (or hopefully 2)! I worked closely with Duke and Sue for the revisions on my personal statement.
They must have edited my original version half a dozen times before they felt it was good enough to send off and never made it seem like an inconvenience. They always responded to my e-mails within a 24-hour time frame but usually got back to me within a few hours. I am very pleased with how my personal statement turned out thanks to all of their time, ideas and direction. The service the PA Life provides is well worth the money spent! I was extremely stressed out about writing my personal statement, and finally decided to search the internet for advice and assistance. I came across the, and decided to give it a try. I received a response within a day, and my stress was instantly relieved.
I worked personally with Duke to edit my statement, and he is a phenomenal writer. He didn’t change the content of my statement, but rather helped me tell my story in a way that is much more desirable! I cannot recommend this service enough to others seeking help on their personal statement. Duke was friendly, sincere, and definitely experienced! I felt 100% confident in his editing abilities, and we worked together the entire time so that we were both pleased with the results!
Thanks again, Duke, for all of your help! I’m so happy with the amount of time and attention that Duke and Sue put into helping perfect my essay. I’m extremely fortunate to have come across Stephen’s page and this opportunity- I would have sent in an essay that unknown to me at the time, had issues and needed many improvements. I’m almost to the point where I’m going to submit my application, and will definitely update the team on prospective interviews. I cannot thank you guys enough for having this available, you definitely make it worth every dollar and more. I can’t begin to explain how thrilled I am to have stumbled on this service.
Like many other PA applicants, I was unsure of whether I was on the right track with my personal narrative. Reading Stephen’s showed me how to come up with something unique and creative, but really made my essay shine. Duke was so kind and helpful in helping me understand what admissions committees look for in a strong essay. Our phone conversations were so thorough, as we read through and discussed every word in my essay. Sue’s guidance helped me cut out the fluff to reach the character limit.
I wanted to take a moment to thank you for helping me with my personal statement. I have been accepted at Cornell, and will most likely be entering their program in March 2017.
I have also received interview offers from Wake Forest, Duke, Pitt, Quinnipiac, Oregon Health Sciences, and Chatham so far. I am happy to share my success up to this point, because I would not be in this position without your guidance, wisdom, and talent. I thoroughly enjoyed working with you, and I am profoundly grateful for your help. I wish you all the best in the future.