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by Mike Masnick

Mon, Feb 27th 2006 1:12pm





Berkeley Law The Latest To Accidentally Admit Thousands Via Email

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

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

    No Subject Given

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

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

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

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

    Woot! I got in!!!

    oh wait....

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  3.  
    identicon
    Aubrey, Feb 27th, 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.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  4.  
    identicon
    Red 1 Jack Foster, Feb 27th, 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?

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  5.  
    identicon
    Susheel, Feb 27th, 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....

     

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

    Re: No Subject Given

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

     

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  7.  
    identicon
    nonuser, Feb 27th, 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?

     

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  8.  
    identicon
    dorpus, Feb 27th, 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.

     

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

    hahahahahaha

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

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  10.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Feb 27th, 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.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  11.  
    identicon
    dorpus, Feb 27th, 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.


     

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  12.  
    identicon
    nonuser, Feb 27th, 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.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  13.  
    identicon
    dorpus, Feb 27th, 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.

     

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

    Re: Negative Correlation

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

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]


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