Parents flood Admissions with calls

After regular decision letters were mailed to high school seniors on April 3, admissions officers had approximately two days to rest. And then the phones began to ring. On the other end, unhappy parents of rejected applicants are attempting to understand why the University did not accept their children. "We get 40 to 50 calls a day during the first week," Admissions Director of Planning Tim Ryan said. According to Admissions Dean Lee Stetson, there has been a 10 to 20 percent increase in the number of phone calls this year. "We've had more parents who are just perplexed and confused," he said. "And I think because we've become more selective, applicants and their families are having trouble gauging the criteria for admission." But Stetson explained that the increase in calls is due in part to the higher number of applicants -- more than 11,000 -- who were rejected. The University accepted 4,725 students to the Class of 2000 out of a record 15,858 applicants. The admitted students must inform the Admissions Office by May 1 whether they will attend the University in the fall. There is a general phone number for the Admissions Office from which employees field most calls, before transferring the callers to their regional director. "You try to assure them that their son or daughter are worthwhile and they're people that could have well been admitted," Ryan said. "Sometimes it makes them feel better and sometimes it doesn't." If parents still have questions after speaking with their regional director, the call is forwarded to Stetson. "I will talk to them and reinforce what's been said by the staff," Stetson said. "But sometimes it's hard to judge some cases why a student didn't make it." But not all phone calls received by the Admissions Department come from parents. Several students on the University's wait-list also call, asking for advice on how to improve their chances of being accepted to the University. "They either call or write about how they want to come to Penn," Ryan said. "It helps them stand out from the rest of the group." According to Admissions Officer Bill McCumber, many wait-listed students receive scholarships from other schools, but would still rather come to Penn. Alumni Council on Admissions Director Harriet Joseph said she attempts to offer other alternatives when speaking with alumni parents who call her office. "Unfortunately, it's the unhappy ones who call, although the excited ones drop by when they're on campus," Joseph added. McCumber said although taking parents' calls is a stressful part of his job, he tries not to be bothered. "The biggest thing I do is remind myself that despite all of these angry calls, the students who are going to show up in the fall are incredible and they're the ones we're excited about," McCumber said.