
Startup School Advisor Track: You Are In - PieShell
Can anyone add any information on what the &quot;Advisor Track&quot; is for Startup School? I was just accepted, but I only see Founder Track in past applications, so not sure what Advisor Track means or the differenct if any.<p>Thanks!
======
adora
Hi everyone, after all this, we believe the right thing to do is to accept
everyone into Startup School, so we're going to find a way to make this work.
More info here:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17806459](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17806459)

~~~
sanjanamane
I got a rejected email first and then I got the accepted email with an
apology. So I am assuming I was among the originally accepted startups, now
since everyone is going to be accepted, the originally accepted startups will
have a disadvantage and will we still get an advisor? The thing to rejoice is
being accepted out of a pool of competition but now since everyone is
accepted, its just something usual.

~~~
zilongli
I think the originally accepted companies will have an advisor in addition to
other resources, whereas other companies will have access to everything except
an advisor. Src: Their latest email.

------
callen6
My cofounder and I were cheers-ing about our acceptance an hour ago and now
we're texting about this y-combinator screw-up--we're not accepted after all!

For all the other founders and teams who had that momentary confidence of
outside reenforcement -- remember how unstoppable and brave you felt in that
moment! That glow doesn't have to go away with a retraction email. Hold onto
the feeling. Go make great things, go make a difference.

I became a developer after spending odd hours trolling Hnews and finding learn
to code tutorials; I watched all of the previous Startup School videos on my
own time; and despite the discord that can sometimes occur on this platform, I
really looked up to Ycombinator.

While this is a feelings setback, I'd like to just say -- I wouldn't be where
I am in my career without the Hacker News community that got my started on my
way. So I think what I'd like to focus on tonight (while I nurse my hurt
pride) is thanking everyone here who comments and submits links and reaches
out and spreads the openness and community that drew me to software in the
first place.

People who run things will make lots of mistakes; communities will make lots
of mistakes, too; but if we just keep talking, we'll stay moving in the right
direction.

Thanks to all the Ycombinator commenters here responding to the very justified
hurt and embarrassment being shared here. Cheers to a tomorrow full of
possibilities.

~~~
mindcrime
_For all the other founders and teams who had that momentary confidence of
outside reenforcement -- remember how unstoppable and brave you felt in that
moment! That glow doesn 't have to go away with a retraction email._

Exactly. It doesn't make two fucks what YC thinks of you, your company, or
anything else. Just go win without them. Muster up a little outrage if that
sort of thing helps you, be pissed for 30 minutes or so, then buckle down and
start writing code, or whatever you need to do to move forward.

As a wise man once said:

 _Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain 't all sunshine
and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place, and I don't care how tough you
are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let
it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how
hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how
much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done! Now if
you know what you're worth, then go out and get what you're worth, but you
gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain't
where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody._

~~~
callen6
Yes, a thousand times yes! Life is so hard for so many; that's exactly what
we're working for, why we want to make a difference!

And if I may add to your excellent quote, as Leslie Knope said, "This thing we
call failure is not the falling down, it's the staying down."

Thank you mindcrime, we'll be back at again in the morning!

------
jaysonelliot
Mistakes happen, but it should not have taken them over two hours to contact
people who'd been celebrating their acceptance.

We got the "you're in!" email, and the whole team was pumped. Having to go
back to them hours later to let them down was really hard to do.

The fact that Ycombinator sent the "oops, sorry!" email from a do-not-reply
address and basically did nothing to make up for it showed a real lack of
respect for the companies that were affected.

Will it make a difference in the long run? Probably not, no one wants to shoot
themselves in the foot over what is basically just a disappointment. But it
really does lower Ycombinator's brand for a lot of people. Not a great example
to set.

~~~
torartc
The "do not reply" was particularly upsetting.

~~~
depressedfounda
And the “accepted to audit” stings super hard. We were accepted and then
rejected. I’m a stoic person but this really hurts. We were on a pathway to
earning success with help and now we’re off again on our own in the
wilderness.

~~~
dang
You're right. That phrase is lame and in this context is salt in the wound.

People at YC are trying to come up with ways to make this at least partly
better. If you have an idea, or anyone else has, this thread would be a good
place to post it. Or email the team at startupschool@ycombinator.com.

~~~
depressedfounda
Don’t think there’s much that would help short of actual help like startup
school provides.

Giving us a chance to shine is what gave us so much hope. For those 90 minutes
anyway.

I get that it wasn’t malicious but knowing this doesn’t really change anything
for us. Thanks.

------
snowmaker
Guys - we are deeply sorry for this screw-up. I know we got people's hopes up
only to let you down, and I feel terrible about it.

While it doesn't excuse our mistake, for what it's worth, Startup School makes
the classes and all the materials available online to everyone. So even if you
didn't get accepted to the advisor track, we hope you will follow along, watch
the videos, and find the material useful.

My apologies on behalf of everyone at YC for letting you down. We're still
trying to figure out exactly what happened, and make sure nothing like it
happens again.

~~~
jaysonelliot
Mistakes happen. Waiting two hours to tell people, then doing so from a do-
not-reply address, however, is a poor way to handle them.

If we make a mistake like this as a company, we at least try to make up for it
in some way, and make our users feel valued.

~~~
zilongli
The 'apologies' email was another bulk no-reply message. Maybe they
misapologised, too.

~~~
samstave
/r/oopsdidntmeantodidntmeantooops

------
sama
We feel awful about this and we're working on a solution. We'll have more to
share in the next 24 hours, hopefully sooner.

Edit: ok, here's what we've got:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17806459](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17806459).

~~~
sama
Update: we will have something to share tonight, and I think people will be
pretty happy :)

~~~
msea82
Thank you so much!

------
patwalls
I was just accepted, and then rejected.

Felt like shit.

You don't need a "startup school" or a YC acceptance to be successful.

This application allowed me to type like 45 words about my company, and that
was it. I imagine they had thousands of applicants.

Once a week with an advisor that's working with 25 other companies? Startup
School definitely won't be the thing that moves the needle for your project.

Pessimistically, I see this more as a feeder for YC. This "software glitch" is
somewhat telling of the care they are putting into this. In other words, "It's
a numbers game".

Keep putting in work. We don't need $120K for 7% in funding for "connections"
to get our products off the ground anymore. We don't need this. We can
bootstrap.

~~~
andreygrehov
Sorry about that. I had a different experience. First rejected and then
accepted. Seems like one of the boolean flags was messed up.

~~~
smartplaya87
Same here. I was rejected then accepted

~~~
embalam
Same here. read the rejection letter and went straight to bed and woke up to
the acceptance email. I'm sure the initial 4k accepted all had the "reject"
email.

------
greysteil
So much love for everyone who received an "accepted" email in error. Don't let
it get you down.

I just got rejected with [https://dependabot.com](https://dependabot.com)
despite $6k MRR and 2,000 active users. I'm sure there are lots of other great
companies in the same situation - let's keep building great things.

~~~
w_allDueRespect
Thank you for that. The worst part though is the part where they say "You got
accepted to audit the course" .... doesn't everyone get accepted to audit it?

~~~
snowmaker
They do. And I apologize for the wording - it was not intended to be
misleading.

~~~
bluesage1
mistakes happen, but great to see you totally owning it up!

------
chriselles
I’m not upset with YC.

The program is free after all.

So I’m not a paying customer.

And I am incredibly grateful to YC for everything they do for the startup
community.

But it is absolutely gutting to get the thumbs up, tell the team, and then get
the thumbs down.

I can handle it, but my team is demoralised.

Time to find something to boost them up.

~~~
snowmaker
I appreciate your understanding, but just because it's a free program doesn't
give us an excuse to hurt people's feelings. I hope you find something to
boost your team soon.

------
dpc10
Here's what I'd do if I were YC, especially having seen in this thread and on
Twitter a bunch of seemingly promising startups that were rejected from
Startup School:

Add a second chance--not just for those who received an incorrect email today,
but for everyone who was rejected but fully audits the program. Toward the end
of the ten weeks, allow startups auditing the course to submit a progress
report or a second application, with some of those candidates--perhaps those
that have shown the most growth over the course of the program?--accepted to
participate in a later 10-week advisory program like the one Startup School
offers on the advisory track. (I'm sure a chance at $10k would be appreciated
as well.)

That would make Startup School a more appealing proposition for those who were
not accepted, relieve some of the sting for those who are upset today, and to
some extent correct for the fact that the selection process is inherently
imperfect. From YC's perspective, it would increase participation in Startup
School without requiring huge numbers of new advisors; you'd have 10 weeks to
find a couple of new advisors for a small batch of accepted second-chancers,
or perhaps some of the first-run advisors would be willing to commit to a
second round. Plus this would give YC another opportunity to get in early with
some of the most promising startups they rejected today.

(I think giving hope to people who were misinformed today would help alleviate
some of the PR problems YC is surely going to face, but I'd add this as a
permanent feature of Startup School anyway.)

------
elvirs
I hope yours was not sent by mistake because I just got another email saying
my application wasnt actually accepted. Which I understand because I was
surprised to be accepted since our demo is passport protected and they could
not have seen what is it that we have built so far.

------
dang
Oh you guys, what a painful fuckup. I'm so sorry. More apologies coming.
(Edit: and hopefully a fix, as well.)

------
foxfired
I received two emails.

1\. Class Begins Next Week!

> Thank you for applying to Startup School Online. We're sorry to say that
> your startup was not selected for the upcoming Advisor track....

What I understood is that I was not selected. But then 1:30 minutes later I
got a second email.

2\. Your Company was ACCEPTED: Startup School Advisor Track

> Thank you for applying to Startup School Online. Your application looked
> promising and we would like to invite you to the Advisor track!

So I am accepted? I see others have the opposite happen so I am confused.

When I click on the link and log in, it shows:

> Thank you for applying to Startup School!

> We will let you know whether you’re accepted by August 20th, 2018.

 _Update:_

The website has updated to show that I have been accepted. Good luck to those
who haven't received an update yet.

~~~
pedalpete
Yeah, I got the same, I'm going to let things settle down over the next few
hours and keep coding, I'm wondering if there is another rejection on its way.
:)

~~~
samstave
I see this in a monty python-esque tone:

 __ _" we are happy to inform you that we are very sorry to inform you of our
previous information that you were accepted to starupschool, when that was
sadly, an error on the part of our rejection system falsely telling you that
you were accepted, so I am here to tell you that sadly, you were not accepted
by our rejection system and your rejection has summarily been rejected by our
acceptance department of rejected rejections and sent to the appropriate
signatories for sign-off on your sign-up down-below._ __

 __ _See you next tuesday should this actually be a rejection of your
rejection and an ackknowledgement of your acceptance, whichever may come first
"_ __

~~~
pedalpete
Man, I hope you're start-up has something to do with comedy, that was awesome!

------
w_allDueRespect
Yeah, this was totally not cool. I much like most of you was not expecting to
get accepted, I basically applied for the hell of it. None the less, it was
quite a let down to receive that second email. Especially after telling a few
family and friends. Kind of sucks, but hey it was an accident all we can do is
move past it.

~~~
snowmaker
You're right - it was extremely not cool. We're very sorry.

~~~
jeanlucas
Hey, please, in the good name of YC, explain this on twitter. Some people are
kinda lost over there. I got an invite as participant and got a reply saying I
am not an advisor (but nothing about participating)

~~~
snowmaker
Yes - we're replying to all the twitter threads right now.

------
martin-adams
We just got the acceptance and apology email. I’m not going to get upset about
it. But I’ll float this idea, for anyone who didn’t get accepted, would you be
interested in a discord/Slack/whatever and share feedback of each other’s
progress?

The thing I will miss most is the weekly focus to deliver some progress. No
reason that can’t happen in a non-official capacity. DM me on Twitter if
you’re interested:
[https://twitter.com/Martin_Adams](https://twitter.com/Martin_Adams)

~~~
samknight
Cool idea Martin, thinking the same. I know some founders who may be
interested in this. Feel free to email me at:

AfterSchool.london@gmail.com

------
wkoszek
I'm here because of the same reason -- looks like I'm not alone. I've had a YC
advisor for about 1.5 hours, shared good news with people around, and now I'm
going to tell everyone it was a fake news. How many people received this
email? IMO all the people who got the 1st acceptance e-mail should get in. If
not now, then in the next cohort.

~~~
fabiandesimone
I'm willing to bet everyone that applied got the email.

~~~
wkoszek
It's like two visa lotteries I applied two: I wasn't selected in either of
them, but I knew people who were, and then this happened:
[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-visa-mistake-
idUSTRE7...](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-visa-mistake-
idUSTRE74C44C20110513)

------
chriselles
Accepted.

Told my team.

We celebrated.

Then received apology/rejection.

Honestly, while it would be a low probability of us getting into the YC Batch,
we thought we were high probability of getting into online startup school.

We have an active MVP for 2 months, a Fortune 500 enterprise customer, and a
solid market opportunity using previously validated use cases.

We thought we were a really good fit for this program.

I’m tempted to email to ask them to check again.

One error could be two?

Sigh.

~~~
snowmaker
I'm very sorry to say that the second email was correct. But you can email us
at startupschool@ycombinator.com to confirm.

------
chrisherd
You’d expect this from other accelerators, everyone holds YC to higher
standards.

I don’t think it’s wrong to expect better in this instance. In the age of
social media news travels fast. I’d received congratulatory messages from
several YC alum within 10 minutes of the first email.

That’s life.

------
skanga
I got it too. Went for a nice long walk and made great plans about taking over
the world! Came back and saw the "sorry" email. Crushing!

But what to do. That's life! We all can use this as motivation!

And let's stop with the blame/reputation stuff - it was a mistake and they
apologized. Not like YOU never made any mistakes!

------
meerab
Startup school emails are confusing.

First I received a rejection email than acceptance email - I would have
rejoiced - but the 'Get Started' Link goes to 'We will let you know by August
20th' page.

~~~
mmanfrin
Same boat. I imagine there's still some data to fix on their end.

~~~
snowmaker
This should be fixed now.

------
yoyo83
I was initially accepted and then not. I've started a couple of companies,
exited 1 and my second is doing well (vc funded and growing) if there is one
thing I know is that events "like" these happen all of the time to startups. 1
minute you're flying high and the next you're 6 feet under :) How you react to
these moments define you and decrease or increase the chance of success for
your startup. Go to work!

------
mindcrime
For everybody affected by this, now might be a good time to (re) read pg's
famous "How to Not Die" essay:

[http://www.paulgraham.com/die.html](http://www.paulgraham.com/die.html)

A great quote from the essay:

 _Startups rarely die in mid keystroke. So keep typing!_

------
seanbuff
We were also accepted and then rejected. Doesn't exactly instill confidence.

~~~
snowmaker
You're right. We're going to have to work extremely hard to regain people's
confidence.

------
Mapsmithy
I knew it was a little premature to spend the $10k

~~~
mic500
$10K? There'll be no much money left after you live in the bay area for 10
weeks

------
depressedfounda
From believing we got the first break we’ve had in years of struggle to being
crushed.

Will it stop us from keeping going? It shouldn’t but it might be enough of a
blow to slow us down and depress our chances.

I already told people. I scheduled PTO at work to focus. I was on cloud nine
and now in the deep dumps.

~~~
snowmaker
I'm so sorry for the completely unnecessary emotional rollercoaster we sent
you on. There's really no excuse.

Having said that, there's no reason why this should keep you from working on
your company. I hope you'll decide to give it a shot anyway.

~~~
samknight
Jarred, perhaps this can be a small help. I organised a group of startup
school 2017 alumni in London to do the course together, so we have a large
number of ‘advisor track’ graduates from last year in our community. Been in
contact to explain the problems you guys are having, a number of them have
said they can do weekly office hours style sessions. For us, the structure of
checking in and having a group that you’re accountable to is a huge part of
the value in having an advisor. Perhaps this ‘advisor lite’ option can help
and offer these founders support at a time when they need it?

~~~
mars_b
Great idea! Thank you. I'm in London and really hope YC could offer this
option.

------
major
Would anyone be interested in starting a group for rejected apps? I think we
could all use this mishap as a motivational boost.

~~~
jaredsk
can we start a slack channel and Audit as a group? co-advise each other. we
can call it

"the Slacker Start Up school for Start Ups that Can't Read Good and Want to Do
Other Stuff Good Too"

~~~
aliakhtar
Created a slack group: [https://join.slack.com/t/startupschool-
rejects/shared_invite...](https://join.slack.com/t/startupschool-
rejects/shared_invite/enQtNDE5NTM5ODUxNjY1LTIxOGNhMDA3NGI0NjdlNjU5MWU1MWYxYjc5OTNmN2RjMDRmNmIwM2EyYmU3NjllZGZhOWE0ZWEyZDA1Y2Q3MDg)

------
rboyd
if getting funded on demo day is like getting drafted to the NBA, applying to
startup school was like trying out for JV team.

is being told we got accepted to audit something like being invited to watch
the game from outside the stadium using binoculars as long as we promise to
keep the cheering to a quiet roar?

------
yesimeanno
Whelp, what a mess. Every time I tell my self not to apply to these things but
then it's like Godfather 3. But wait, this time it was different!! Oh, wait.
Nope. Same result. Only this time it feels much much worse. FUBAR.

~~~
snowmaker
Yes, FUBAR is an apt description....

~~~
DoreenMichele
As long as it isn't SNAFU (situation normal -- all fouled up), you should be
okay.

Eventually.

------
epl
So same here. Its a bit of a disappointment but mistakes happen lets move on.
As a solo founder who is not surrounded by a startup ecosystem, what I was
most keen on was the group feedback, discussions and I guess some external
accountability. Would any others here who have been put into the audit group,
be keen to try this in another way? Facebook or hangouts groups? Open to
ideas.

~~~
torartc
I'm in. Also solo here.

~~~
jeanlucas
Let's get over Discord: [https://discord.gg/36jp8H](https://discord.gg/36jp8H)

------
40acres
Getting "accepted" and then rejected made me finally realize how badly I want
to try my hand at creating my product idea and starting a start up. So thanks
YC for the bug, see you at YC W19 applications.

~~~
snowmaker
I am very glad you want to apply for W19!

------
roynal
Startup school's valuable first lesson in customer communication and PR is
right here. Well, software screwed up the experience and crushed the
expectations of so many, including me. Moving on :)...

~~~
snowmaker
You're right - it was a huge lesson for us that we need to have way better
protections in place to prevent something like this from happening.

~~~
roynal
Acknowledge the effort you're taking to correct this snafu.

------
panagioti
having been in a startup for over a decade (i've since exited), i can tell you
that this is something that any team should take on the nose and accept. highs
are very high and lows are very low. mistakes happen, and you will make them
too. big ones. live as a team, die as a team. stop bitching and get back to
work.

[EDIT] ...drink the celebration beers anyways.

------
handymarks
Grrr.. rejection email after 2 hrs! Wish I got the email before I let my
husband know.

------
jettinyeh
YC is certainly doing their best to provide resources to the overall
entrepreneur community. While it can be emotionally upsetting to be dealt the
hands presented - consider it as set-back that entrepreneur face on a daily
basis - It is not uncommon to be dealt rejections and be disappointed by
mistakes of others, the key is to adapt accordingly and move on. (Just ask any
entrepreneurs who try to sell their projects, get a verbal confirmation, but
in the end the "budget" fell through. In this case, what we asked for is free
to begin with.)

We are all talented. We do not need YC validation / school acceptance to prove
that we are talented. Build your application and let the metrics speak for
itself. Turn your frustration into energy and motivation. Learn from the
experience and move on , good luck implementing everyone.

------
mwseibel
I just want to say we are really sorry for this error. This is not the
standard we hold ourselves to at YC. I personally apologize to the companies
that were both rejected and accepted. Trust that this provides us with even
more motivation to make sure that Startup School is great for all
participants.

~~~
yesimeanno
It's ok, we forgive you. Oh wait, due to an error we meant to say actually we
don't forgive you.

------
alkhatib
See:
[https://www.startupschool.org/about](https://www.startupschool.org/about)

In addition to having full access to all the lectures and class office hours,
you will also:

\- Be assigned an advisor and join their group of companies. Advisors are
members of the YC alumni network.

\- Have virtual advisory sessions, in the form of Group Office Hours, every
week via online video.

\- Have access to a community of international founders through the Startup
School forum.

\- Be responsible for updating your Advisor on your progress once a week.

\- You must submit at least 9 out of your 10 weekly updates and attend 9 out
of 10 group office hour sessions.

\- Upon successful completion, you will receive a certificate of completion
and the opportunity to share what you're working on with the public.

\- 100 startups that complete the course will be chosen to receive $10K in
equity-free funding.

~~~
elvirs
so how many companies are actually accepted into the course?

~~~
alkhatib
Not sure the number was specified, but seems like >100

Since 100 will be chosen to receive the 10,000$

~~~
ModernMech
But only 25 were accepted to the "Advisor" track, and there seems to be only
one set of reject/accept emails being sent out. It seems to me there are only
25 accepted for advising, but maybe even auditing companies are eligible for
the $10k?

~~~
curun1r
My reading of the acceptance email is that it's 25 companies _per advisor_ and
that there's probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 advisors, if last
year's numbers are any indication. So anyone accepted at this point still only
has around 4% chance of getting the $10k. But the advice and lectures should
still be valuable for everyone who doesn't get the money.

------
mwelwa
I got the same email. Accepted then apologies. I’m not sure what the audit
school is? I’m so confused

~~~
soneca
"Audit school" is just watching the lectures online.

~~~
w_allDueRespect
Doesn't everyone who applied get to audit the course .... ?

~~~
soneca
That's my understanding too

~~~
w_allDueRespect
So basically we've just been told that we got accepted into Community College.

~~~
iceboss
Worse! Community college has acceptance criteria, auditing has none.

------
thewizardofaus
I find it interesting how badly this has affected some people. It seems that a
large majority are upset from gloating about it in on their "networks".
Perhaps this is a lesson that you shouldn't need to rely on YC to succeed.

------
poshmiles
Officially the best day of my life. - We almost had a minor heart attack as we
received an email stating that we were not accepted. But we are in ....it was
a Y-Com email trigger problem. (honest mistake)

~~~
aliakhtar
Congrats! Can you share your idea and background?

~~~
poshmiles
We are making an app where you can instantly book experiential homestays for
travellers.

------
iceboss
Accepted, then rejected but “accepted into Audit course”, is this a joke?!

------
RedneckBob
WTF? A rollercoaster for sure. You're in! You're out! Boooo!

------
itsthisjustin
Ha such a roller coaster of emotions for us over at
[https://vrooms.tv](https://vrooms.tv)

Excited, confused, super let down, then came here to see we weren't alone.

~~~
snowmaker
Yes. Startups are an emotional rollercoaster, but YC is supposed to help with
that, not make it worse. We're so sorry that we did the wrong thing today.

~~~
pedalpete
YC is supposed to help with the rollercoaster? I thought you're just helping
to make it go faster! :)

------
Tunecrew
in and then out just like the other posters in this thread - very NOT HAPPY w/
YC today.

------
ewilliamsh
I received the following second email

"We are deeply sorry, but an error occurred in the software that triggers
acceptance emails and you were actually supposed to receive the email below
accepting you into the Startup School Advisor Track."

But now I want to be super sure ... ¿Are We In? If I login into the
StartupSchool page , I don´t see anything yet.

~~~
leokwanbt14
Iikewise... reading this thread is keeping my excitement at bay. Hopefully we
get a more concrete confirmation.

------
torartc
I was also accepted and rejected. Very upset and frustrated.

~~~
snowmaker
That's completely fair - and we're so sorry that our mistake left you feeling
that way.

------
ondiekijunior
Rollercoaster of emotions. First email came in while I was at dinner with my
super nosy girlfriend and I was dejected. Didn't even take my meal well.

Then acceptance email. Good thing I had a long list of things to achieve
before I went public with rwjwction/acceptance. I am happy to be accepted. For
all those rejected, I have applied to YC 6 times since 2012 or 2013 I think.
All rejects. One business was adapted by government (it wasn't going to be
super profitable, but was really key to my government ops plus led to a
scholarship at MIT). Two startups floundered but led me to my current
startup(pivot after pivot supported by a somewhat sufficient consultancy).

All in all continue executing. That's what important.

~~~
bradenreamneal
Keep going. Persistence is everything. YC isn't the endgame, but a step along
the way to building a great business.

------
PatriciaR
Obviously this situation is very confusing. Seems like an honest mistake. On
the plus side, really love the sense of community this has created. Best of
luck to those moving forward. Whether accepted or auditing this will be a huge
learning opportunity.

------
wasimu
#startupschool

Let me guess. That would be a hack to engage a list of post-rejection
uninterested users.

~~~
jeanlucas
I really think it was an honest mistake, especially because it was an email
asking to be an advisor.

------
hhw3h
I received an emailed that said I wasn’t in then one said sorry you did get
in. Is this accurate?

Sorry to everyone who received the opposite emails. If you believe in your
vision, keep focused on serving your customers and growing your business.

~~~
snowmaker
Yes, the second email is accurate.

------
runesoerensen
Fixed: [https://blog.ycombinator.com/startup-school-every-company-
th...](https://blog.ycombinator.com/startup-school-every-company-that-applied-
is-now-accepted/)

------
brentadamson
Got the rejected email then was accepted.
[https://www.startupschool.org/courses/2](https://www.startupschool.org/courses/2)
doesn't seem to fully confirm I am in - just says:

    
    
        Thank you for applying to Startup School!
        The course will start on August 28th, 2018
    
        Share with fellow entrepreneurial friends.
    
        Course videos will be available soon after filming has ended. In the meantime, you can check our library of Startup Material.

~~~
mmanfrin
I am in the same boat, and there are a few others who have commented
similarly. My guess is that there's just a bit of repair that needs to be done
on YCs side.

------
beautybasics
Applied for the program and got acceptance -> shared with team -> rejection ->
shared with team.

And it didn't really bother me much.

Can understand that getting into the program can be a great thing. But these
things are expected. With strong conviction on the idea small hickups doesn't
seem to have any impact.

BTW, for those applied to this program should consider applyin g for
[https://unusual.vc/academy/](https://unusual.vc/academy/). They invest 100k
in convertible notes.

------
Techasura
I'm still confused. I got rejected and then accepted. I'm sure it's a fuck up
but I urge YC to send a mail again to shed some clarity to those are seriously
affected by this.

~~~
snowmaker
The second email is the correct one.

~~~
Techasura
Thanks snowmaker. But if If my company is selected, I should see some related
content right? I'm still seeing the message we will let you know by 20th
August.

~~~
Techasura
Thank you, i'm all excited about the journey now!!

------
craze3
I guess this is more motivation to work on my actual YC application :)

~~~
mindcrime
I look at it as motivation to succeed with or without them, so I can give them
all the finger and big hearty (but good-natured) "Fuck You" in a couple of
years. _shrug_

------
L_226
I just got the acceptance error email, I feel pretty let down.

I even woke up early (AEST) to check emails and was wonderfully surprised when
I got the first email at 6.30am. Not a great start to the day.

------
mic500
I received the ‘accepted’ one in the midnight, and We celebrated the whole 15
minutes, bought a round ticket as well, I was thinking about book a room on
Airbnb, but we still have work to do. I got the 'sorry' one just before I
shutdown my laptop, I don't know how to tell my friends, it'll take 2 or days
to forget it. We're absolutely gonna keep going. There was a mistake, we were
not accepted by Startup School, that's all I need to say. Everyone will be
fine.

------
hudson155
The first email I received was

Thank you for applying to Startup School Online. We're sorry to say that your
startup was not selected for the upcoming Advisor track.

I then received a second email

We are deeply sorry, but an error occurred in the software that triggers
acceptance emails and you were actually supposed to receive the email below
accepting you into the Startup School Advisor Track.

It seems like this is the opposite of what most other have experienced
according to the comments. I guess regardless, everyone is still in?

------
m00dy
I got the same and this is not cool

~~~
dang
You're right. It was very far from cool.

------
mic500
Hi everyone, I have an idea, why we just live YC along for a few hours, let
them do what they need to do and waiting for the result. If they have to
answer almost same questions in here or on twitter, they'll have fewer people
to do the 'update', let's just wait and talking to each other.

Here is the key info: 'Update: we will have something to share tonight, and I
think people will be pretty happy :)'

------
iceboss
The emotional roller coaster ended at confusion & frustration at reading
“accepted to audit”, is this a joke?! What’s there to be accepted to audit?!

~~~
snowmaker
I'm very sorry to say it is not a joke - it was a very serious mistake.

~~~
beautybasics
Are we(in audit) eligible for 10k grant?

------
aliakhtar
For those who didn't get in but would still like to join a slack group of
founders: [https://join.slack.com/t/startupschool-
rejects/shared_invite...](https://join.slack.com/t/startupschool-
rejects/shared_invite/enQtNDE5NTM5ODUxNjY1LTIxOGNhMDA3NGI0NjdlNjU5MWU1MWYxYjc5OTNmN2RjMDRmNmIwM2EyYmU3NjllZGZhOWE0ZWEyZDA1Y2Q3MDg)

------
upandup
Guys, maybe it will be reasonable to send emails with text like “check out
your acceptance thru the following link”? Doing this you will track openings
and if smth is going wrong, you will work only with guys that saw the wrong
info. And what about the last your decision: it will be really hard for you,
but it’s the only one way to fix everything. So, good luck to you with this
and thank you!

------
nickwalter
Hey I was like really cool there for an hour or two :)

~~~
segmondy
Lol, likewise, I didn't share it fortunately. I was busy looking through the
FAQ and what to expect and looking through my calendar to figure out
scheduling. Oh well, ish happens, at least they will let us audit. As usually,
those of us rejected can self organize in groups of 4-5 for a mastermind group
as a substitute for the advisory track.

------
wasimu
I will never believe this. It is not by mistake.

~~~
snowmaker
Hard to imagine a reason we would screw something up so badly
intentionally....

------
bigwheeler
I'm glad I only told one person, because it is pretty heartbreaking to get un-
accepted. But I get it- software glitches make mistakes, people make mistakes,
companies make mistakes. If something THIS small was going to deter me, maybe
I should just give up and go get a regular job. But that's not gonna happen!
Let's do this!

------
MVallesC1
I got an email that we were rejected, and then two hours later that we were
ACCEPTED to the Advisor Track... basically the other way around to what most
people has commented in this thread... but still waiting for tomorrow to find
out if there is any clarification to this. When I login I do not see the
famous Auditor Track...

~~~
hudson155
Likewise... I have also heard that others ONLY got the acceptance email. Seems
like something went wildly wrong.

------
syedafzal
Got in shared the news with everyone, Got out waiting hoping the second email
is an error, before letting the team know.

------
dimasf
We've got a rejection email and then a couple of hours later a follow up email
saying that there was an error and we were accepted! Super stoked about this
opportunity. If anyone is interested, we're here -
[https://skillmint.com](https://skillmint.com)

~~~
poshmiles
We got a rejection mail too and then an acceptance email...hope this is legit
now and no more changes.

------
beautybasics
Are we(in audit track) eligible for 10k grant?

P.S.: If there teams in this situation, upvote so that someone from YC may
answer it.

~~~
torartc
No, it's only the people accepted into the program. The audit track is just a
fancy way of saying you didn't get picked.

------
cetalingua
First email, "you are in! ",second email "ups, actually, you are not".
Crushing...

------
proofread
Cannot describe how shitty it felt to tell everyone I told that I actually
didn't get accepted.

~~~
proofread
I would also like to add how genuinely excited I was, I am going through a
difficult time right now and this felt like I was actually going to turn
things around. Sure this was bad for everyone but really just terrible timing
for me.

~~~
callen6
Hey Proofread, if you decide to audit the course and want to do remote
hangouts to discuss, my (also accepted then rejected) cofounder and I will be
following along and would love the company!

I applaud your honesty about how things like this can really lift you up and
knock you down. Hang in there, we're with you.

~~~
proofread
Sounds good, I will reach back out to you. Thanks!

~~~
callen6
Wonderful! I look forward to it!

------
samstave
Got the same, was pretty upset after also sharing it with the team and with
others...

Lame.

So what exactly is "audit track"?

~~~
snowmaker
The audit track has the course materials - all the lectures and other notes.
If you follow along, you can keep on the same timeline and learn about
startups.

~~~
beautybasics
Are we(in audit) eligible for 10k grant?

~~~
wkoszek
Also trying to understand this, because it's unclear how "audit path" differs
from: "not applied, will just watch stuff on YouTube"

~~~
torartc
It doesn't differ. They just named it the audit path so you don't feel as bad
about not getting in.

~~~
wkoszek
Yup. That's what I believed too.

------
nancyp
How about we start our own accelerator by auditing their course? Nothing stops
if we are motivated.

~~~
jeanlucas
I'm not actually into building an accelerator, YC does a great job, but I sure
think we could teach each other something and get to know our own projects.

I put up a Discord Server, if anyone wants to talk and support each other:
[https://discord.gg/36jp8H](https://discord.gg/36jp8H)

------
jakubwaw
Tough moments build resilience.

Mistakes happen, rejections happen, failures happen.

Keep your vision laser-focussed and go turn something people want into
something people love.

<3 from the accepted/rejected
[http://www.joinluma.com](http://www.joinluma.com) crew.

------
buttminer
I got an email 2 hours ago saying that I didn't get in, then just one one a
few minutes ago saying that I was in the advisor track? Sounds great... but is
the system sending correct emails for round 2?

Don't want to get my hopes up.

~~~
snowmaker
The second email is the correct one - if you're unsure, email
startupschool@ycombinator.com

------
Ch3ck
Hi Guys, I created a slack channel to connect all interested entrepreneurs
whether accepted or not. Here is the link:
[https://bit.ly/2LaSxtH](https://bit.ly/2LaSxtH)

Spread the word!

------
KhoomeiK
What does it mean if I received a rejection email first and then an acceptance
to the Advisor track? Is there still a Founder track that I didn't get into or
am I about to receive a rejection email? I'm confused.

------
Rain89146
Honestly, I'm pretty graceful even though I didn't get in the advisor track,
but accepted of audit track. What's really matter is that we can all get
something from the free course while others can't.

------
Brandwagon
I just got Steve Harvey'd

~~~
curun1r
Or Beatty-Dunaway'd

------
msea82
They need to do something to make it right, they impacted relationships and
businesses in a real way. They have the power to make it right in some way,
it's a morale test to see if they will. I emailed them.

------
justme24
Well, I got mine then requested to attend a lecture in person and after about
5 mins I get the email saying “nah nah” I was thinking I shouldn’t have asked
to attend the lecture if they’d kick me out for that

------
tchaffee
Fortunately I was busy coding so I saw the two emails at the same time.
Disappointing, but I was always planning on making this successful on my own.
I'll still audit the course to see what I can learn.

------
jfornear
Started an open chat to follow Startup School—will post videos, etc.
[https://chat.dog/startup-school](https://chat.dog/startup-school)

~~~
DoreenMichele
If folks just want to talk at each other:

Startup school rejects

[https://groups.google.com/forum/m/#!forum/startup-school-
rej...](https://groups.google.com/forum/m/#!forum/startup-school-rejects)

(It's the mobile link. I'm failing to find the link I want.)

I have no affiliation with YC.

------
nickmandal
I got a rejection email first, then an acceptance email to the advisor track -
what does this mean for me? Am I a part of the proper course or am I just
accepted because of the mistake?

------
chelak
Considering that it’s easier to get into Startup School than the regular YC
batch, should founders that were rejected interpret that as a signal that
they’ll likely not get into YC?

------
mmanfrin
Snowmaker/any other YC employee: how many cohorts are there?

------
plumeria
Disappointed... Are all the emails signed by the same people (Geoff and Adora)
or does it depend on the cohort you were (incorrectly) assigned to?

~~~
wkoszek
It doesn't help it came from "noreply" email, so it's hard to clarify
anything.

------
akshaydipali
So I am confused. I got accepted in advisor track and then now its saying I am
accepted for auditor track. So am I in? or am I not?

~~~
dang
It was a gigantic mistake on our part. We sent out emails that accepted
everyone that was rejected and rejected everyone that was accepted. It was a
big boolean fuckup and we're deeply sorry.

As for whether you're in or not - stay tuned. People have been working
feverishly on this for several hours and an announcement is almost ready.

~~~
eddieh
What if I didn't received either a rejection or an acceptance email?

------
julee04
Are both cofounders allowed to attend a startup school lecture in person? Or
is it only one seat per company?

------
hellojebus
Was also accepted into the same Track. 25 companies per track it seems, there
are probably many cohorts.

------
getcloser
I only received the acceptance email at 4pm EST. Does it mean i was in the
real 25? What a mess...

------
getcloser
I only got the Acceptance email. Does it mean i was in the real 25?? What a
mess now

------
Chloro
Damn, I shared this with friends and family. Never been so excited...

------
w_allDueRespect
I guess were just a bunch of ... angry nerds. _cue CSI music_

------
PieShell
And we are like everyone else, not really accepted. Bummer.

------
nautical
Not cool at all ...

~~~
itsevrgrn
Am I the only one who finds this ironic coming from the top tech incubator in
the world?

~~~
jackconnor
No

------
jaredsk
MR. Y Combinator ....I don't feel so good...

------
mwelwa
Congratulations to everyone who did get in xoxo

------
allxflores
First rejected, then accepted :)

------
bradenreamneal
YC - you made the right move

------
womezy5
This is heart breaking!

------
eip
"We are deeply sorry to have to send this email, but unfortunately an error
occurred in the software that triggers acceptance emails. The acceptance email
was sent to you even though we are unfortunately not able to include you in
the Startup School Advisor Track.

Although you are not in the Advisor Track, you have, in fact, been accepted to
audit Startup School and will have access to all of the content just as soon
as it is made available.

Again, we regret having made this error and raised your expectations
unnecessarily. We hope you continue working on your startup and that Startup
School is a huge help."

~~~
mwseibel
Once again I just wanted to say we are really sorry for this error. This is
not the standard we hold ourselves to at YC. I personally apologize to the
companies that were both rejected and accepted. Trust that this provides us
with even more motivation to make sure that Startup School is great for all
participants.

~~~
torartc
Very upsetting. :(

