Eri O’Brien

Makayla Wright entered Simmons in the fall of 2021 as a member of the 3+1 Masters in Social Work program. This winter, despite her 3.94 GPA and participation in multiple campus jobs and activities, Wright was denied from the year-long graduate school portion of the program.

When Wright applied to her Master’s program, she says she was told that she would receive an answer within a week of her interview. As her peers’ acceptances rolled in and as twenty days had passed since her interview, Wright says she started to feel that something was wrong.

Wright told the Voice that she visited the Office of Graduate Admissions on multiple occasions to find that no one was there. After another visit on February 15, Wright was able to get in touch with an employee of the office, who told her that her application was still under review.

The next day, while at home preparing for a surgery, Wright received an email from the office. 

“Before I even opened it, I knew. I had a gut feeling and I knew,” said Wright. 

Instead of being admitted to the one-year accelerated program she had been working towards for her three years at Simmons, Wright was placed in the normal program, which is two years in length.

Wright says her professors, advisor, internship site supervisor, parents, and other trusted counselors told her “there was no need to apply to other schools.” She is the only student in her cohort not accepted into the one-year Master’s program. 

Since her decision letter was sent much later than she had been told to expect, she had “less than 48 hours to scramble” to apply to other schools’ accelerated programs in an attempt to stay on track to graduate with a Master’s in May 2025.

“My entire plan was nonexistent, especially because from [the qualifications listed on] my acceptance letter to undergrad, I had met all the criteria and GPAs,” said Wright.

Wright also pointed to her campus and community participation as a merit on her application. Wright was an Orientation Leader, helped plan Shark Week, and was an e-board member and dancer for the Simmons University Dance Company throughout her time at Simmons. 

Wright told the Voice that her family has been discussing the situation with their attorneys. 

Carlos Frontado, the Director of Graduate Admission for the School of Social Work, gave a written statement to the Voice. 

“For Advanced Standing, it is [the admission committee] responsibility to ensure that students are ready to enter the clinical setting where they will interact with real patients who are often in crisis,” said Frontado in his statement. “If after review of the applicants materials, the committee deems they are not ready to immediately enter the advanced year clinical placement they may be offered admission on a different pathway, including the 2-year program that will provide more time for growth.” 

Wright said that Frontado informed her via email that she had the option to appeal her admissions decision. 

“It’s pretty obvious that Simmons doesn’t value me as a student. I don’t think my hard work that I have put in and I will put in will be recognized,” said Wright. “It just sucks that a school I genuinely loved doesn’t respect me as a student.” 

Following her decision letter, Wright and her family reached out to the Office of Graduate Admissions and President Lynn Perry Wooten.

Wooten called her and her family multiple times after this email, and told Wright to appeal her admission decision, according to Wright and a source within the president’s office.

Wright says neither Wooten nor the Office of Graduate Admissions would give her a reason as to why she was denied from the one-year program. 

Wright says she is currently unsure whether she will appeal her decision. She says that she feels undervalued by the school, and is not yet sure if she sees a future here. 

“All we’ve been asking for is an answer of why. To me, it just doesn’t make sense,” said Wright. “I just don’t want this to happen to any other student.”