Frylock, it may help you to think of it this way. When you are applying for a position, whether at a school or a business, you are interviewing with every person you interact with, from the receptionist who takes your initial phone call to the department head who makes the final decision. You need to be on your best social game with everyone at the institution at all points in the process. Socially deficient does not mean dumb, but if it’s a choice between two brilliant candidates, it’s a very good bet that the position will go to the one with better social skills.
It sounds like you had acquired enough of a sense of responsibility and professionalism in order to get in to graduate school. The clods in the OP should perhaps spend a bit more time acquiring those skill before applying.
Like their child? 
Mmmm…seals.
This has been well-handled by TheMerch and others, but it should be noted that grad school admissions is a two-way street. One of my colleagues declined an offer to attend my grad institutions because he didn’t like the way that a professor interacted with him. Poo-pair probably had a similar response to TheMerch and probably feel the same way.
Once we’ve determined that someone has the talent, verve, and test scores to be successful in grad school, there’s that whole issue of collegiality. Are you a pleasant person to be around? Do you pick up on non-verbal and verbal cues when you’re around others? If we’re working late on a project, are you the kind of person who will roll up your sleeves and contribute, or will you piss everyone off and make the process that much more painful? Quirks aren’t a big deal, and the truly brilliant social misfits will be able to overcome those deficits through their sheer genius. (I know of so many academics who are weird, rude, smelly, overly touchy-feely… but they are all brilliant.) Most of us who aren’t going to revolutionize the world need to be a little socially aware.
I’m certain every person that TheMerch discussed this situation has a different take, and they can make their own decision about how this affects their status. But lateness, a sense of entitlement, and a lack of social grace are good ways to be remembered for the wrong reasons. If you aren’t aware of this and you’re interviewing as you consider a graduate degree, you need to do more research before you’re ready to apply.
Funny comment: I have never met so many socially inept people UNTIL I went to grad school! Maybe it’s just my field (library science), but some of these folks are just…off. And not in a quasi-attractive geeky way. I mean annoying, rude, intrusive and ignorant.
It was quite startling to me at first. A friend of mine was told (on the third day of class) by one of These People that, “was she aware that she had a verbal tic of saying ‘maybe we should take this to the bb’ whenever she made a comment in class?” The Person who said this to her went on to say that she knew she only needed to give my friend a hint and that my friend would stop doing this.
I’ve never met people who drill into other people’s behavior and speech patterns before. Sometimes I want to shout at them: get a life! Stop fixating on minutae!
Another one, upon being asked for an example of inappropriate computer use (hint: was supposed to deal with um, a LIBRARY) told us all about her 14 year old son’s porn cache.
So, grad school doesn’t need any MORE of these kind of folk. Sounds to me like they almost didn’t want to get in (?). I pity their child, though. Poor mite.
I once was a counseling intern at a school with a MLS program. Anytime a student from that program came in for counseling, they were referred to senior staff rather than interns because they were, as a group, more unwell. I’ve always thought I’d enjoy being a reference librarian, but this experience dampened my enthusiasm.
So, what are you saying? Huh? HUH?
Hmmmmm… “battered children”, sounds yummy but doesn’t make it right!
Are you talkin’ to me?
I can’t answer for the other poster, but if I were in his position, for me it would be their demonstration.
To be specific:
We aren’t responsible or independent enough to even manage to show up to an interview on time, or without our child or spouse. Neither are we responsible enough to properly care for or discipline said child, while out in public.
Looking at this sort of demonstration of a person’s work and social ethics would certainly cause me to recommend that they try McD’s fry cook Uni instead. People who can’t be bothered to behave professionally at the mere interview aren’t exactly grad school material in my view.
Mmmm…baby seals
bolding mine.
Say WHAT? You’re joking right?
Not knowing that how one behaves in social, educational and career situations has a direct affect on how well one does in those situations goes well beyond “social ineptness” and well along the way toward stupidity.
Please! By the time a person is old enough, and has been through the secondary educational system in order to even be considering grad school, if they haven’t figured out the basic social mores regarding interviews, and how their behaviour affects what they do then …(sputter, sputter) good gracious…!!!
You really believe that someone that old, that educated needs to be told to behave in a professional manner and that how they behave will be observed and may count toward their college career insofar as grad school?
I’m flabbergasted. No wonder people think it’s okay to change their babies’ poopy diapers on counters and lunch tables.
You are way late to this conversation.
-FrL-
Mmmm … Canadian Club.
Sigh, yeah, usually about 4 hours too late into any thread (check my location)
Anyone who NEEDS to be told that they’re being watched during an interview must be a total fucking idiot.
People that stupid shouldn’t be allowed out on their own.
Look on the bright side: you’re not Lust4Life.
Be it ever so late a contributions a contribution.
And why can’t you? Those of us who did not go to graduate school, but left undergraduate classes with our nifty degrees and headed into the corporate world were expected to be professional, to show up on time for interviews, and to not bring extra people of any sort with us to interviews.
Why shouldn’t you be expected to be professional when attempting to get yourself a ‘job’ for the next few years?
I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect people who are 22 or 23 years old to know that you don’t bring your family to an interview, you don’t show up 45 minutes late, and you certainly don’t bitch out the person you’re interviewing with because you were late.