<p>If one applies to a graduate school and gets declined, is it considered okay to ask for the opinions of admission staff or committee, about their thoughts on his application package (gpa, experience, personal statement, how supportive the recommenders wrote their letters, etc), for better adjusting his plan of applying to other schools and career?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>They would not likely respond unless you were already in casual contact with a professor and that individual chose to offer you advice. They won’t remember your credentials after reviewing possibly hundreds of applications. And did you waive your rights to read the recommendations? It sounds as though you do not completely trust the individuals who wrote your letters. Keep in mind that admissions counselors are not career services or personal advisors for non-students at their schools. Imagine if every individual who was declined asked for that feedback, how much time that would take to address. </p>
<p>You should really be asking your current professors/advisor on their thoughts before sending out your application package, rather than doing so after a decision is made. You should have already done the research necessary to know how competitive you are for the programs you are applying for, what they’re looking for in prospective students, and what else you could do to spruce up your application. Sometimes even well-suited candidates are turned down due to space in the department.</p>
<p>It is okay… but they are extremely unlikely to respond. As NovaLynnx noted, they are unlikely to recall specific reasons, and even if they do they are unlikely to have the interest or obligation to do so - indeed, they may be prevented from doing so by the rules of the department! In many cases there isn’t necessarily an identifiable reason anyway - they just liked someone else more! And some items may not something they can or want to discuss, like the strength of your letters of recommendation (which may be confidential anyway).</p>