Calling all Kellogg Fall 2009 Applicants!

Hi Guys,
am in same boat. Got an email with accept and the online system had a reject email in it.
Tried calling 3 times today but no reply. Had a few questions:

1. Does any one know if all the people got the accept email and a reject status online were REJECTED?

2. If its reject for all does anyone plan on writing a email to the adcom at Kellogg and asking for some form
of action taken against Beth. I mean for this emotion torture that she has caused(may be an honest mistake)
she should resign.

Let me know what you guys feel.

I don't think that's appropriate. eventhough this had some devastating results I think it's pretty clear at this point that it was an accident. Someone in IT seems to have sent out the wrong e-mail.

I know I'm not in your position right now and I'm sure it really sucks what you're going through, but Beth should not resign. For all we know, it was some mistake by a kid in IT pressing the wrong button. It was also very professional of Beth to personally call everyone who was affected (I'm sure you will be called tomorrow) and apologize and I believe that she is offering everyone who was affected like this a detailed feedback session.

Look, I empathize with what you must be going through... I dread getting a ding from Kellogg.

I have made a lot of changes in my life, including months away from my wife, and relocation to a new city without a job, in order to make attending Kellogg next Fall possible. Getting this conflicted message from the adcom is an absolutely **** thing. It sucks. It must be terribly difficult. Clearly, there was an error or an oversight somewhere, and it should not have happened.

But.... do you really think that someone deserves to lose their job over it?

"Emotional torture?"

Really?

There are worse things that can happen to you in life. Especially at this time of the year, thank your lucky stars that you have your health. Learn from this experience. Figure out what was lacking in your application. Address those things if you can, and if at all possible, reapply next year with a new perspective on the experience and what is has meant to you.

This is all coming from someone who hasn't heard anything yet. With each passing day, I expect that I will not get in. I've put myself out on a limb to get into Kellogg, because I really deep down believe the experience will not only make me a better business professional, but a better person as well. But you know what? If I don't get in, I will keep going, and I won't blame anyone else for the result.

Take a look at your motivation for applying, and what drove you to say that someone deserves to lose their livelihood for this mistake. Take care of yourself first, then look outside.

Well, just my two (or ten thousand) cents, anyway.

So I assume everyone here who is up in arms over this has never made a mistake (boy those must have been boring failure essays).

The mistake wasn't Beth Flye's...so saying she should resign is silly. She personally was calling people all day to inform them of the bad news which is the stand up thing to do. These people dont take pleasure in dinging people, so having to call a bunch of people who thought they got in and breaking this to them probably was "torture" to them. Also, they are offering students feedback (we will see how valuable that is) and that isnt something that Kellogg has given to people in years...so they definitely are trying to do something to payback people for the crap they put them through.

As for calling and no one getting back to you that is the first I have heard of someone in the US. Everyone else was called as far as I have heard...including some pm's from people on here who didnt actually post. If you called three times I would have thought they would get back to you unless you are overseas and they wouldnt want to wake out at 3am to tell you bad news.

I agree that, while this screw up was a major disaster as far as admissions goes, the swift and personalized reaction to it by Kellogg's adcoms is admirable and deserving of forgiveness.

In everyone's defense, they're still hours away from finding out what happened, so I'm sure their judgement is somewhat clouded. I'm sure cooler heads will prevail after a few days.

It didn't happen to me, but I'm pretty sure if it had, I wouldn't have looked at the website, I'd have told everyone under the sun I got in, then I would've had to shamefully admit it was all a mistake. After that I'd probably want to get in my car, drive down to Kellogg and have a sit in in the admissions office until they caved and let me in.

I don't think anyone should be fired over it or that any decisions should be changed, but I wouldn't probably be very forgiving of them. What choice did they have but to treat it like they did? It's already a PR problem, what were they going to do - have some admissions assistant call and say just kidding?

For Leverandon

For all we know, it was some mistake by a kid in IT pressing the wrong button.
--- Who gave you this information?


But.... do you really think that someone deserves to lose their job over it?

For Manbehindthecurtain

"Emotional torture?"
Really?
-- Yes Really. I don't care if I get an outright reject. But here you get an email saying ur accepted. You start thinking about possibilities and then everything is just snatched away.

But you know what? If I don't get in, I will keep going, and I won't blame anyone else for the result.

-- Manbehindthecurtain I am not blaming anyone. If they had sent me an email stating a reject in the first place and then If I was saying the person from adcom should resign it would be called blaming. If your working on a trading desk and instead of hitting a buy button for 100K MSFT stocks at a lower price you land up hitting 100K sell button for a lower price
I have seen people being let go for that.....

yeah, but have you seen the manager of another department let go over it? especially when they went out of their way and instituted special measures to sort it out the best they could?

I think not

Who ever did that mistake was let go...I am 100% sure they did not see his designation....
btw he was an Associate at our desk[higher designation than me]

Do you think Beth Flye actually runs the online system and sends out the mass emails? Incase you aren't sure...she doesn't. She will take the hit on this but she wasn't the one who hit submit.


But do they fire the MD who was above that button pusher? No.

I dont think anyone is debating that its a completely terrible situation and you definitely have a right to be pissed off. I know I would be too if I were in your shoes. However, you dont know what happened on their end, whose at fault and what is going to be happening to that person. Do you really want someone to lose their career over this? You never made a mistake at work or in real life? I sure hope you aren't my boss with a trigger finger that is that happy.

Let me say, I am not a victim of what happened. I have yet to hear either way.

But if possible, I do empathize with the people it happened to. Consider the tremendous amount of time and reflection we each put into our applications, not to mention the money spent in travelling to Chicago and interviewing there.

Then the application is handled as poorly as I could possibly imagine.

I don't think if it was a mistake anyone should lose their job. And if its true Beth called everyone, I think that shows tremendous professionalism.

Its not my decision obviously. But I would reimburse all those individuals their application fee this happened to, along with detailed feedback on why they were not offered.

Hold on Beth has not called everyone...I have tried to call up 3 times today. They were not giving me any information. I said atleast tell me if i am rejected or not. I want ask why/who messed up etc..but no ans at all...so the wikipedia saying she calle d up everyone is FALSE.....

I don't mean to be a jerk, but you are making the assumption that mistakenly sending you an acceptance email is as important or valuable to Kellogg as losing a couple thousand bucks on a bid/ask spread is to a brokerage firm.. People make mistakes, and when those people retain power through their position, they do not owe you anything even if you feel wronged by their errors.

**** happens man. I think you are better served by self reflection than anger right now, but do what you have to do to feel better, I guess. I still think you should take advantage of the unique opportunity for feedback and then try again next year. You sure will have a compelling Kellogg story then, at least.

riverripper - Nothing personal but I am happy that you are not working for a hard ass team in wall street. Its not the best
place for you. I guess it has always been a hire and fire policy for me and may be I am just used to it. But this is a major blunder....honestly none of the bosses I have worked for on the street would have let this go....

I think it is best that we all move on from this.

As painful as it was for everyone involved, and as much sympathy as we all have for everyone it happened to, it won't help anyone to debate whether or not person X should be fired.

Honest mistakes happen, and while this is a horrible, egregious error, rehashing the details here won't solve anything.

I think we should let this lie, and concentrate on supporting each other as we wait for decisions or work on other apps.

Edit - SBS, lose the personal attacks, GMAT Club isn't about that.

I agree they don't owe me anything and **** flows downhill...but I can write to the dean and let him know what I feel....
U can't just neglect this as IT fault or some one from IT fcked up...