After 29,000 Mistakes, UCSD Acted “Quickly”

Just in case some 29,000 or so University of California, San Diego (UCSD) hopefuls had never known disappointment before, UCSD was there to give them their first lesson in a big, electronic way. Instead of sending a welcoming email to about 17,000 accepted students, the communications office mistakenly welcomed all 46,377 applicants. Assistant Vice Chancellor Mae W. Brown said officials quickly realized their mistake.

Let’s check our college dictionaries, shall we? “Quickly” would’ve been before the emails were sent. Brown added, "No member of this department is more acutely aware of the emotional roller-coaster that this could cause for our applicants."

Oh, I’m betting there’s no “could” about it:

Seventeen-year-old Arya Shamuilian called it a catastrophe, saying UCSD was his first choice. “It was one of the greatest moments in my life and then, boom, it was one of the lowest,” he said.

Eighteen-year-old Cole Bettles’ mother made arrangements for a hotel in San Diego so Coles’ family members could join them at the campus. “It was really thrilling for a few hours; now he's crushed," said Cole’s mother, Tracy Bettles. "Unless you have a high school senior, or remember what it's like, you don't know. It's really tough on them."

While not alone in their blindsiding blunder (Cornell University and the University of North Carolina have done the same), UCSD certainly let all accepted applicants know they might want to check their tuition bills and grade postings twice.

Article Author: Diana Hartman

Diana Hartman is a (ret.) USMC spouse, mother of three in college and a Wichita, Kansas native. She is a contributing writer to Holiday Writes and can be found on Twitter.

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