Himesh Patel reads the most hilarious response to a university rejection letter

When Paul Devlin was in high school applying for a university place, he noticed a grammatical error in a rejection letter sent to him by Harvard. Hehad no choice but to reject their rejection. The event was so therapeutic that Paul then decided to respond to all universities’ rejections with the following letter, which soon became so popular that it was reprinted in the New York Times in 1981.
Himesh Patel joined us at Letters Live at the Royal Albert Hall in October 2022 to read this letter.
Enjoyed this? Watch Himesh read a brilliant letter to Richard Branson, complaining about Virgin Atlantic''s in-flight meal: • Himesh Patel reads a l...
Letter © Paul Devlin

[@rossmeldrum3346]

What I find brilliant is how they used so much of the boilerplate terminology and wording found in rejection letters and threw it back in their face.

[@oz_jones]

*he

[@waynefeller]

@@oz_jones*butterlips

[@RobertSaxy]

@@oz_jonesthey is an acceptable correct usage here. I normally don’t play grammar cop but in this instance found it necessary seeing that it’s a correction I’m correcting

[@kungfutzu3779]

that was my favoiurite part too ;)

[@pippipster6767]

That was the WHOLE point !! 😂

[@neillynch_ecocidologist]

"I wish you all the best in your future rejection attempts..."

[@famprima]

I can only hope they understood what genius they rejected and in hindside, made him the honorary recipient of a scholarship.

[@welshalan]

Hindsight.

[@BrightsonDavid]

@@welshalan That seems to have been an oversight by @famprima 😂

[@rumblynoise918]

@@BrightsonDavidoverside.

[@dan.j.boydzkreationz]

@@rumblynoise918 niiice

[@BrightsonDavid]

@@rumblynoise918 😂

[@jamespatrick1548]

I applied to Stanford. They told me they appreciate my great sense of humor.

[@tkenglander6226]

LOL!

[@daddymuggle]

Speaking as someone who is still waiting on an indication of acceptance or rejection from over 20 years ago, from a certain summer scholarship programme, I too appreciate the effort which it takes to reach a decision and communicate it to the applicant.

[@willdejong7763]

Good news, after a very thorough review of your application status we are excited to inform you that you had been accepted. We sent you an acceptance letter, but unfortunately it appears that someone at your place of residence intercepted the letter and destroyed it. Perhaps a disgruntled uncle? Or perhaps a well-intentioned house elf? Regardless, we encourage applicants contact us and enquire as to their status if they do not receive a response within the expected timeframe. HSWW.

[@daddymuggle]

@@willdejong7763 that's not entirely impossible, given that my partner at the time was very much against me continuing my academic career.

[@Zerpersande]

But the question is…. Did you attend the program?

[@willdejong7763]

@@Zerpersande Obviously he did! He’s a full member of the community now. I don’t know why you even asked.

[@annasahlstrom6109]

I wish I had had the chutzpah to have done this. I was rejected from the college that I had planned to attend from the age of 12 and it shattered my world.

[@AmandaJYoungs]

Surely someone would have given him a second chance on receipt of that letter? It shows such spirit and wit!

[@haydenwalton2766]

what's that got to do with a modern university education ??

[@AmandaJYoungs]

@@haydenwalton2766 Oh, you are too harsh. Modern university educations are not all *that* bad...

[@haydenwalton2766]

@@AmandaJYoungs hhhhmmmm

[@haydenwalton2766]

@@paulbarclay4114 you're telling me. they've set the social sciences back 50 years

[@RasheedKhan-he6xx]

No, because university administrators are stuffed shirts puffed up on their own power and they would have been appalled at his temerity for calling them out. Because his sarcasm is on point, they probably didn't evaluate his application individually and with due diligence, they probably threw it on the reject pile because someone didn't like the font he chose or something as irrelevant.

[@user-im3tb2in6v]

As a retired professor I feel this is brilliant. I have been there.

[@UtahDelaCruz]

Can we all just acknowledge that this Brit just did this in a FLAWLESS American accent?

[@JPatelLive]

exactly - I got that immediately!! gwan, Himesh Patel xx letters live is great!

[@wanstronian]

Yes, but.... why?

[@d.e.b.b5788]

@@wanstronian He was acting the part of an American student. Learning other cultures accents is what many actors do, to perform a role.

[@wanstronian]

@@d.e.b.b5788 I know that, but this wasn't an acting role.

[@iammilorex]

Whaaaaaaat? Oh my freaking God. Yes, of course. He's from Yesterday 🙈

[@alias9025]

Decades ago when I was in grad school, there was a story about Oberlin that said they always rejected all applicants and started the year with those that showed up anyway. It was intended as an explanation of why Oberlin grads were so obnoxious.

[@classiclife7204]

As an ex-husband of an Oberlin grad, I can confirm

[@mariacuachon3906]

Tongue in cheek, deadpan delivery works, hilariously witty😂

[@MetalMalc]

I once received a rejection letter that contained the phrase: 'Due to the large number of applicants we have had to create a shortlist of candidates. We regret that on this occasion you have been shortlisted.' I replied 'If you regret shortlisting me then you would absolutely hate offering me the job!'

[@Plethorality]

So you missed out on going to an unintelligent college.

[@unvergebeneid]

​@@Plethoralitythe job was at a college?

[@The-KP]

Himesh puts on the American accent really well! I love his work.

[@woodb51]

But which American accent? I’m from Indiana and I detect no accent whatsoever. 😂

[@The-KP]

@@woodb51 I'm getting traces of native Southern Californian.. but I'm from there as well!

[@lakeireland]

@ woodb51 A generalized American accent, meaning it could be from anywhere in the US but no where specifically. 🙃

[@alexkrycek3359]

This, it’s “General American” but very solid

[@scrapbagstudios]

A brilliant letter brilliantly read.

[@2learn4ever]

One of the best letters I've heard yet. Excellently read.

[@badweetabix]

The universities that rejected Paul Devlin, rejected a man who went on to become a 5 time Emmy winner, director, editor, and documentarian. I wonder what awards or accomplishments had those who rejected his college application achieved?

[@DavZeugme]

It's like every job in the universe. It's not about being ALWAYS right, but having a decent ratio. You will accept a few bad apples, and reject a few late bloomers, but in the end, they are not omniscient, they just have the role of going through the papers to select those who deserve it the most.. or those with very rich parents.

[@theepiphany3560]

Vision is 20:20 in hindsight. At the time of making those decisions universities do not have a perfect understanding of the future.

[@bubbledoubletrouble]

Pobody’s nerfect

[@ev6558]

And every person reading this is learning all these things for the first time, because they've never heard of him or anything he has done. The people who rejected his application achieved a position working at an extremely prestigious university, but I guess in terms of contributions to society that pales in comparison to... making sports movies... about sports that generate little interest to begin with.

[@breakfreak3181]

So what? I'm sure other students of those colleges have also achieved highly, erm, especially Harvard, lol.

[@grumpyboomer61]

That letter of rejection, rejecting their rejection letter, became the basis for that university's reconsideration of their rejection, and subsequent acceptance of Paul's application.

[@burts6896]

What is your evidence for this?

[@Scapestoat]

@@burts6896 Do you take everything literally?

[@gnarbeljo8980]

I wish that to were true. Brilliant.

[@thegraciefighter102]

His name is himesh

[@TheBrandiElizabeth]

@@thegraciefighter102 that wasn’t Himesh reading his own letter lol

[@helenrichmond6373]

I love accents around the UK, America and the rest of the world. As a person that grew up in the UK but travelled worldwide I still find the variances in the Scottish accent to be the hardest to understand.

[@peterpain6625]

More power to Paul. Well done.

[@StimParavane]

I spent nearly two years recently applying for corporate security jobs. I only received one personalised rejection letter. Appalling.

[@sarahjones8396]

That is brilliant! So cleverly written.

[@deanelizabeth37]

Because he actually went to University of Michigan! Go blue!

[@Bgrosz1]

Game on. I'm sorry to inform you, after much deliberation on our part, that we must reject your rejection of our rejection of your application. It turns out that yours is the only rejection of our rejection of an application, so that did give us extra time to deliberate on your rejection of our rejection of your application. Unfortunately, we have determined that rejecting your rejection of our rejection of your application is the proper decision at this time. We wish you luck in finding a suitable institution which will accept your rejection of their rejection of your application.

[@christine4223]

Currently hoping my brain will unknot eventually after reading this.

[@FayeKu]

Friends, it could work to do this in many ways because it is not illegal to actually "audit" university classes by sitting in and purchasing a textbook and attending all the lectures. You simply don't get a grade, but if you wish to have the education, you can attend the courses regardless.

[@DavidChong]

it's not illegal to do so but some instructors/classes will have policies against it and will ask you to leave & presumably escalate to campus security if you refuse to do so. that kind of policy isn't common for huge lectures (unless they run out of seating space in the room) but become more likely the smaller the class size.

[@FreakyRufus]

I think you still have to sign up to audit classes. If you are attending the class without permission, you are technically trespassing and they could have you removed on that basis.

[@MTMF.london]

You can audit a class but I think you will have to be registered at the university first.

[@FayeKu]

@MT MF no, you don't. You just don't get credit for the class. I went to UC Berkeley and this was true back in the day in the 1990s.

[@MTMF.london]

@@FayeKu Is it true now though?

[@waynefeller]

I remember when that was reprinted in The Times in the 90’s. Paul Devlin is a clever guy, for sure!

[@ditzygypsy]

This letter sounds like something Ryan Reynolds would write, lol.

[@michaelcherokee8906]

Yes, it sounds *exactly* like something Ryan Reynolds would write.

[@TheBrandiElizabeth]

Close but not smart ass enough

[@KNIGHTJUMPS]

Sounds like something the leader of X Force would do too.

[@RasheedKhan-he6xx]

Ryan Reynolds writes? He's an actor, doesn't he just read what other people write for him? It's like, I don't know, reading Shakespeare and saying its just the sort of thing Kenneth Brannagh might say.

[@TheBrandiElizabeth]

@@RasheedKhan-he6xx You do know that some actors do more than just act right?

[@GrotrianSeiler]

What a wonderful twist. So clever

[@tracytanasiychuk8253]

Congratulations to all the winners. Blessings from Canada 🇨🇦

[@llamasugar5478]

It would be a pleasure to be rejected by this man if he always does it so cleverly.

[@callileahrizzuto2290]

Fecking Brilliant!

[@finknottle992]

Looks like he went to Michigan: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Devlin_(filmmaker)?wprov=sfti1

[@karonmalingo5798]

Thank you for including the Wikipedia page.

[@cindye8307]

I love this!

[@russelleverson9915]

As Groucho Marx put it so eloquently... "I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member." Which means the only organisations to pursue are the ones from which you've already been rejected. 😆

[@user-hg2ih8hf7x]

Excellent, and so well read!😂 Reminds me of a girl at my college, she didn't get in but she just wouldn't leave. She did the course work and handed in all the assignements and did well. After a semester the collage just gave up and let her stay!😂🤷‍♀️

[@skytten64]

Hope this Person through and make a Wonderful step..❤

[@tomhill4003]

Very good!

[@nmbr6kid]

This was AMAZING!!!! 😂

[@JaneDoe-ci3gj]

Brilliant!

[@psquare2260]

Love it. Love it. Love it.

[@megd6343]

I love him he's such a great person

[@morenofranco9235]

Beautiful.

[@ktwashere5637]

I hope whichever university was sent that letter offered him a place after all.

[@sherrinunya4079]

They did!

[@queenbee3647]

Oh so you think thats rejection do you? Here. Someone hold my beer!

[@VangelisGaitatzis]

So well said, that I bet the school should feel glad they rejected him and since he's so graceful they will reject him again in the future, whether he applies or not.

[@altaylor3988]

Brilliant

[@dawnjohnson8739]

Clever!

[@MrHistorian123]

I was accepted by St Andrews, Cambridge, Imperial College and Newcastle. But Bristol rejected me. Ever since that day 50 years ago when the rejection letter dropped on my mat, I have harboured an irrational grudge towards that university and that city. It's not that I didn't enjoy my time at St Andrews (indeed it was wonderful), but I still wonder to this day what I did to upset Bristol, especially given that some of the UK's finest universities wanted me. But not f***ing Bristol. I wish I could have penned a similar letter to them!

[@CatsJP]

Honours in Communication, Bachelor of Human Resourcefulness and Associate Diploma of Sticking Rejection to Them 🫵 Read brilliantly, and Himesh wearing the “Choose Love” ❤️badge tops it off. 👏👏💯

[@DieFlabbergast]

NOT "Hamish" -- he's not Scottish. It is Himesh.

[@archeewaters]

that's gold

[@skyislands8887]

If he is rejected based on his rejection of the rejection, potentially the definitive factor equate to rejection x 2 ÷ rejection to to power of 1 remaining a rejection or is the primary rejection cancelled by the secondary rejection nominating his rejection as neutralising therefore an acceptance?

[@rshafter4607]

Such an incredible grasp of irony

[@SN-sz7kw]

Bless.

[@sweetpatate2729]

I love it

[@wakiliothniel2539]

How on earth did he get rejected in the first place??😂😂

[@bringyourownsnake980]

I would watch/listen to many of these on different subjects with different presenters. There is no cringe.

[@samw8452]

Benedict Cumberbatch reading a letter to a hotel regarding banning and seagulls is hilarious. Also there is a letter about rehomed cat, and a letter Miriam Margolyes )reads from a care home resident to a bank you will probably like. Same you tube channel, (letters live). Enjoy!

[@christinebirch7906]

​@Sam W l love the hotel room one. I had tears rolling down my face with laughter I have only recently found this gem and have been binge listening😂.

[@carolynm8421]

Clever. Perhaps they changed their mind after.

[@fc4660]

Paul Devlin is a sports editor and documentary film maker he graduated with a B.A from the University of Michigan.

[@andydaniels6363]

Reminds me of the early episode of Coupling in which crazy Jane rejects Steve’s breaking up with her.

[@tiny99990]

I would have immediately admitted him to the school given him a full ride into whatever he fucking wanted to do.

[@sherrinunya4079]

They did!

[@wandalee5010]

I’m using this! Lol

[@hannahgoodman8677]

Wow Himesh Patel can do an American accent!

[@KestrelHarper]

First saw something like this on Jeaney Collects. Clearly not as original an idea as I thought when I watched that, but I like to think that whomever did this first got admitted for the sheer nerve.

[@RasheedKhan-he6xx]

Speaking of nerve, years ago in the UK's top tier universities you'd be interviewed by a panel before admittance. It was called a viva voce examination, "live voice". One applicant, who's interview was the 7th or 8th of the day and all the prior interviews had been predictable and tedious, was asked by the bored panel as soon as he sat down to "Surprise us". He hesitated for a moment, stood up and left the room. After a few seconds of stunned silence the chairperson went outside and told him he'd been accepted. Another? Winston Churchill was a famously a rather poor student. One day in school his class was given an assignment to write an essay about a cricket match. Ten seconds in young Winston walked to the front of the class, deposited his essay on the teacher's desk and left the room. The teacher looked down to read the words. "Rain Stopped Play". We do not know if Winston got any marks for that.

[@KNIGHTJUMPS]

This is why "learn to weld" became a thing.

[@erika021]

Sounds like the letter writer was a fan of Black Books. Should have added the flugel horn comment.

[@aimeekeel]

OK they should give this kid a second chance, just for this year effort of this satire. I know I would.

[@jameslucena1020]

I hired a virtual assistant to bulk apply for over a thousand jobs in a week. Cost ~200USD for a job in 7 days...def worth it. 6 years later, I'm still getting automated rejection letters hahah. Spray and pray is the only way.

[@johnleake5657]

"Dear Paul, while it is with some disappointment that we received your rejection of our rejection letter, we feel incumbent upon us to extend to you the offer a position within our admissions team. Yours, Dean of Admissions"

[@theadministers3533]

I guess that I thrive on rejection. I set myself up 4 it on daily basis.

[@canavar1435]

I too failed the educational system successfully and I am satisfied with the degree of independence it has bestowed upon me for my entrepreneurial courier.

[@jarrodsio]

He went to Michigan

[@claire-christmas-august73]

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 🤣😂🤣 ~class.!~ ✌🏻🇦🇺🌏🤘🏻

[@seanwebb605]

The entire time I was thinking it must be Ohio State. Who could accept being rejected from their safety school?

[@thomasbenjamin8337]

Hilarious

[@stanlevox2291]

Didn't a youtuber do almost this same exact bit a few years ago?

[@lowelllipe9125]

❤❤😂❤

[@michaelodonoghue7464]

An Australian Teachers College rejected Me in 1975, but Welcomed Me in 1977, because I was 2 years older. Go figure.

[@Heart-Core]

😂😅👏

[@sammalone6714]

This is like the Seinfeld episode when George refuses to answer the phone because he knew his girlfriend was breaking up with him. By not picking up the phone he is rejecting her rejection.

[@yzzxxvv]

Hahahahaha

[@Georges_Haussmann]

The memes have arrived

[@Dina-md3ji]

It's a long way to the top if you want to grovel and scold

[@user-gimmechickenwingz]

Just let it be, go somewhere else

[@mofomoco]

Being smart but lazy gets you tons of rejection letters.

[@RasheedKhan-he6xx]

Word.

[@griffinreitz7041]

With luck he'll get in. LOL If you make enough money, you don't need collage. You can hire people with a collage education :)

[@doublevisionmedialiaisons2235]

Imagine if we sent letters of refusal of rejection letters to employers and they were received by humans rather than Ai bots?

[@androidfarmer8863]

Particularly sad as degrees for fields that don’t require accreditation or testing for entry are, essentially, worthless. Perhaps the biggest scam in US history.

[@hooker4749]

YEAH ....it seems to all listening that this man is genuinely not capable of learning anything,........... teaching may be his forte.

[@RabbitTeaPot]

Why is Tamwar reading this in an American accent?

[@thiagoleobons390]

was it generated by chatgpt?

[@noitallmanaz]

My response would be to write a letter to Paul, expressing how proud you are of his academic record at our institution to date, but am severely disappointed in learning his rejection of our rejection letter was plagiarized from our earlier submittal of a rejection letter, and we regret to inform you that you have been expelled from the institution. Next time you choose to write a rejection letter, try to write it using your own words and thoughts.

[@EstrellaViajeViajero]

But, wouldn't that be hypocritical, since the University doesn't write an original rejection letter to each applicant?

[@JPatelLive]

Re: Description of this clip; Where's the grammatical error??

[@JulieWallis1963]

Do you think you can hear the difference between their, there and they’re? Or hear and here? Maybe your ears are finely tuned, but I don’t hear a difference between, to, too or two.

[@JPatelLive]

@@JulieWallis1963 yes i can; in the right context yes ofc-u could, too! ;p my comment is re the description of this video, as aforementioned

[@kilohotel1202]

Where?

[@JPatelLive]

@@kilohotel1202 IN THE DESCRIPTION!!

[@ash_17406]

Read the description again. While on first glance, you might have gotten the impression that he would mention the error in his letter, he didn't. The error was just the impetus for his first rejection rejection letter.

[@adrianmanship2546]

What the heck happened to his voice ? He sounds American ?

[@lillic8522]

Was that written by Trump or Kari Lake?

[@ThePerpetualStudent]

Is this a thing?

[@perryhunt2909]

Who was rejecting who? 😳

[@nickdejager8873]

Okay, funny letter. But what was the grammatical error? It arguably would have been better if he rejected the rejection based on the mistake. It also wouldn't leave us KZbin watchers hanging.

[@freshpootube]

Hang on…he’s not English?

[@ash_17406]

He's English; Paul was not.

[@buddyneher9359]

@@ash_17406 do we know for sure the actual accent of the original letter-writer?

[@ash_17406]

@@buddyneher9359 Google's not broken, you know.

[@buddyneher9359]

@@ash_17406 well thank you for that bulletin. Google might know where the person lived who wrote the letter. That doesn't mean that person's accent is known.

[@ash_17406]

​@@buddyneher9359Go away, Buddy. No one cares.

[@jdubb6591]

I saw a comedian do this bit in 1989. Not original.

[@jeanpierreagostiniderisi-sy3tb]

Your opinion about the matter is irrelevant. You’re rejected.

[@andrewmack2161]

It's sad that he's so desperate to get into such enormous debt... Funny but sad.

[@adamgarrick3778]

This letter was far better than its delivery.