© 2026 All Rights reserved WUSF
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Our daily newsletter, delivered first thing weekdays, keeps you connected to your community with news, culture, national NPR headlines, and more.

Student Rejects Duke's Letter Denying Her Admission

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

Good morning, I'm Renee Montagne. They say millenials aren't used to hearing no. So when Duke University sent Siobhan O'Dell a rejection letter, she turned the tables. The 17-year-old wrote back, (reading) after careful consideration, I am unable to accept your refusal to offer me admission. She continued her rejection of Duke in the exact language it had rejected her. In the end, she's headed for a school that she doesn't have to reject. She was accepted by the University of South Carolina. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Thanks to you, WUSF is here — delivering fact-based news and stories that reflect our community.⁠ Your support powers everything we do.