When an applicant to the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health got an email on Wednesday saying it was “delighted to welcome” her, she said she was overcome with euphoria.

She began sobbing, and her body shook.

“I couldn’t even control my body,” said the applicant, a 23-year-old for whom Columbia was the No. 1 choice. “My teeth even started chattering. I didn’t even know that could happen.”

That jubilation lasted only about 75 minutes, however, as a second email arrived informing her — and 276 other prospective students — that the acceptance notices had been sent in error.

When the applicant got the follow-up email, she said she had the same physical reaction as before — but for opposite reasons. She said that when she called the admissions office, a person who answered the phone apologized but could shed no light on why it happened.