Hope of Deliverance

I have to say I am really impressed with Pepperdine. I got my class and orientation schedules at least a month ago. I have been receiving lots of e-mails from staff and faculty about orientation, classes, career services, financial aid, etc. I have even been assigned a mentor and received e-mails from her. At this point, I think I know everything I need to know to start my program.

It seems though that not all schools do the same. A friend of mine - who was accepted into a graduate program at another private university in Los Angeles - was very concerned because she is starting school in a week and has still not received further information. Her program, she said, seemed so disorganized that she was not even sure if there was anybody else attending it. She was obviously exaggerating a bit, but I could relate to her story to a certain extent.

Last year, I applied to that school’s MBA program. I knew that the program - though a very good and competitive one - was not a good fit for me, but like everyone else, I thought I needed a back-up school. I got all my documents together and sent in my application. Surprise! To this day, I have not heard back from them one way or the other. To their defense, they did contact me once to ask for my original transcripts. When I called to follow up, I was told that they received everything, and that if there was anything missing they would call me. I have not heard from them since, nor did I call back again.

The point of this story is that I know my case and my friend’s are not unique. I have heard similar stories from other people as well. Some found out they were accepted three weeks before their program started, some had to call the school to find out that indeed they were accepted, but were never sent a letter. To me, that is just bad customer service. And it is really sad to see that a reputable university with great programs is sabotaging itself. I was told that this happens because of the very high number of applications. From a business standpoint, I do not see how that could be an acceptable explanation. If you, as an organization, promise something, you have to deliver. If you cannot, then let your customers know! I am happy to see that so far Pepperdine is not only great at marketing, but also at delivering on its word.

Orientation starts tomorrow! Brace yourself for my next entry! ☺