Feeling very disappointed w DUQCOM
Im feeling very disappointed and frustrated with DUQCOM with their lack of response and poor communication.
I submitted my primary very early in the cycle and my secondary on June 17. It’s now October, and I still never received a clear confirmation that my application was complete, nor did I receive any answers or acknowledgment to my inquiries.
I reached out 5 times overall: July, August, and September, basically once a month for three straight months.
In July, I asked about the science faculty letter requirement. My first email went to an address that bounced, so I immediately resent it to a working Duquesne address the same month.
In August, I followed up directly with the Assistant Dean of Admissions and also asked whether my application was considered complete.
In September, I followed up again because I still had no way to determine whether my file was complete. I also never received a portal link or instructions for accessing one; I only discovered the applicant portal on my own. Even then, it simply showed “Submitted,” with no useful checklist or indication of whether anything was missing or preventing review.
In the meantime, I could clearly see movement online. Applicants were getting interviews and even acceptances, which made the silence even more frustrating. The school was obviously actively processing applications, while I still couldn’t get a basic answer about whether mine was even complete.
Later that month, I sent an application update and again asked whether my file was complete and under review.
Nothing.
No substantive response. No application-complete confirmation. No answer to the letter question. No acknowledgment of my update.
That’s what has been so frustrating. I completely understand that application fees do not buy an interview or an acceptance, and I’m not expecting special treatment. But I do think it’s reasonable to expect enough communication to know whether your application is even administratively eligible to be reviewed.
The only reason I kept the application open this long was honestly pride and sunk cost. I paid the primary and secondary fees, and withdrawing made me feel like I had basically donated money to the school and they got to walk away with it without ever really doing what I thought I was paying for: at minimum, processing my application enough to tell me whether it was complete.
At this point I already have three DO acceptances and 6 upcoming interviews, so realistically DUQCOM is no longer a school I would prioritize even if an II suddenly showed up and I will likely officially withdraw later today. Keeping it alive just because I already paid for it doesn’t really make sense anymore.
I’m not posting this to bash the school. I was genuinely interested when I applied, which is probably why I’m so disappointed now.
Applicants are expected to be professional, responsive, and respectful throughout this process. I just wish that same basic courtesy was extended in return.
For other applicants, especially nontrads: would you have withdrawn sooner? Would you have handled this differently or done something else to try to get clarification? Is reaching out essentially once a month for three months without getting basic completion/requirement information enough to call it?