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Berkeley Law The Latest To Accidentally Admit Thousands Via Email

Email

from the careful-with-that-send-button dept

Mon, Feb 27th 2006 1:12pm — Mike Masnick
There have been quite a few stories over the years concerning universities accidentally sending out congratulations emails to applicants when they didn't mean to. By this point, you would have figured that most universities would have put in place a decent process to prevent this from happening -- but apparently not. The latest is Berkeley's law school. The director of admissions there was apparently teaching a new hire how to use the email system, including (uh oh) how to send a single message to many people at the same time. He just so happened to pick the "you've been accepted email" and the list of all 7,000 applicants and then, naturally, pressed the send key. Seems like those first year classes might get a little crowded this year...
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14 Comments

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  1. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 27 Feb 2006 @ 2:32pm

    No Subject Given

    haha, seems like someone needs to teach this giy how to use the system himself.

    [ link to this | view in thread ]

  2. identicon
    Ben McNelly, 27 Feb 2006 @ 3:08pm

    I'm in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Woot! I got in!!!

    oh wait....

    [ link to this | view in thread ]

  3. identicon
    Aubrey, 27 Feb 2006 @ 3:09pm

    Re: No Subject Given

    Berkley Law? No, no, no. I just recently got a mistaken acceptance letter from MIT. Now that hurts.

    [ link to this | view in thread ]

  4. identicon
    Red 1 Jack Foster, 27 Feb 2006 @ 3:31pm

    Re: No Subject Given

    Ouch... that sucks. My brother did also. I should warn him about this, but where would the fun in that be?

    [ link to this | view in thread ]

  5. identicon
    Susheel, 27 Feb 2006 @ 3:33pm

    No Subject Given

    I attend law school at Berkeley and I'm not too surprised. We have one of the best Technology Law programs in the country, but the actual technology infrastructure is quite dated. Anyways, Dean of Admissions Tom is a good guy, I feel for him....

    [ link to this | view in thread ]

  6. identicon
    intel_killer, 27 Feb 2006 @ 5:04pm

    Re: No Subject Given

    I am glad the out-dated infrastructure caused him to press the send key.

    [ link to this | view in thread ]

  7. identicon
    nonuser, 27 Feb 2006 @ 5:48pm

    whaddya mean, this isn't valid?

    I'll be consulting with my law professors, these are some of the best in the country. Then I'll... umm, do you think I audit your Contracts class?

    [ link to this | view in thread ]

  8. identicon
    dorpus, 27 Feb 2006 @ 6:38pm

    Negative Correlation

    Is it just me, or is there a negative correlation between a school's reputation and the quality of its buildings? I've been to more than one prestigious school where the buildings were old, dirty, and miserable. I just got accepted by one of my backup schools that would put Beverly Hills to shame -- I've never seen such nice buildings or athletic facilities anywhere else, public or private. They're not only brand new, they're building many more even better ones.

    [ link to this | view in thread ]

  9. identicon
    Atul, 27 Feb 2006 @ 6:45pm

    hahahahahaha

    somebody needs to teach that person how to use a basic system. thats REALLY sad.

    [ link to this | view in thread ]

  10. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 27 Feb 2006 @ 6:48pm

    Re: Negative Correlation

    The reason they possess the prestige is because they have been around so long, they've seen many people. Hence the older buildings.

    [ link to this | view in thread ]

  11. identicon
    dorpus, 27 Feb 2006 @ 6:59pm

    Re: Negative Correlation

    I've heard that argument before, but the backup school has been around since 1821. In the weird dynamic of prestigious schools, they supposedly have billions of dollars in pocket change, but it is never spent on basic building improvements. Other non-prestigious schools manage to score big with government funding and build futuristic sci-fi campuses.


    [ link to this | view in thread ]

  12. identicon
    nonuser, 27 Feb 2006 @ 7:18pm

    Re: Negative Correlation

    Heh, congratulations, you're normal.

    That's not how rich people think, though. It's hard to explain... maybe try to scare up a copy of "Money and Class in America" by Lewis Lapham, now out of print.

    [ link to this | view in thread ]

  13. identicon
    dorpus, 27 Feb 2006 @ 7:30pm

    Re: Negative Correlation

    If you're wanting to argue that old buildings are more elegant, it wasn't that either -- the buildings at "prestigious" schools were mostly built in the 1950s or 60s, with dirty concrete walls, plastic light fixtures full of dead moths, and balding linoleum tiles. The attitude was that they could make students sleep on thin straw mats, and the students will still want to come. The professors there were often militant, since they were working in conditions well beneath their dignity.

    [ link to this | view in thread ]

  14. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 27 Feb 2006 @ 8:22pm

    Re: Negative Correlation

    Well what schools in particular are you referring to? Which ones are deteriorated, and which are flashy?

    [ link to this | view in thread ]


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