<p>I am having a go-round with my son about his email account. His email is the account listed on the common application but he is very bad about checking it. </p>
<p>How much do colleges use the email to communicate with applicants? If, say, a transcript were missing, would a college send an email or a snail mail letter? I am assuming all will send paper acceptances and rejections--might some also send those through email?</p>
<p>Some have a web site that updates with the information. Colleges were overwhelmed with the number of applications and this was behind schedule last year. Only call when its close and after they updated the web resource.</p>
<p>some schools have a sign in where you can see what has been received. Others have nothing and if you do not call and check that all has been received and filed you will never know. And the schools do not process any apps until all is in. Since you S put his own e-mail address then you will have to decided if you need to look at it every few days and see if anything has come in. Any school that does not have a way to see on line you need to call (S's transcript went missing and thank goodness he called (then I called as it went missing a second go round). I really suggest that you do not just let it go...</p>
<p>To me, not checking your e-mail is equivalent to not checking your snail mail and not answering the phone. Especially at this time of year!</p>
<p>All schools are different, but if they ask for your e-mail on the app, chances are that it's not just because they want to see if you have a goofy e-mail address. :)</p>
<p>If your son rarely checks his email, perhaps you can tell him that if he doesn't check it, then you will need to have his password and you will check it. That could shake him up enough to get to it. He really should do it every day these days. He can relax afterward. However, colleges give students school email addresses once they enroll and register, and they always communicate through email. Assignments, changes in class, important info before actual enrollment, after acceptance. So, he really needs to get into the habit now.</p>
<p>Your son should definitely check his e-mail because as others have stated, It will be the standard form of communication because the information goes out quickly.</p>
<p>Even at schools who have a sign in so that you can check the status of your application will provide you with the initial sign in information usually via e-mail (if provided).</p>
<p>Just the other day I called a college to check the application status of some of my students rolling admission applications, the admissions department told me that a one of my students (who I knew should have had an acceptance by now) was sent e-mails about some missing information, application fees, test scores and the students had not responded. I literally went to his class, pulled the kid out of class, took him to my office and made him check his e-mail so that he could send in the missing information.</p>
<p>sybbie--you are the gold standard for GC's! D got an e-mail from her 1st choice telling her things were missing from her app. If she hadn't checked her e-mail her app would have been discarded!</p>
<p>S2 got a letter in the mail from the state u. last year when a piece of his app. was missing.</p>
<p>Colleges use a variety of means of communication but are increasingly relying on the free method of email. It is of the highest importance that your son regularly check his email account.</p>
<p>I don't have a senior, but my friend does, and her daughter has received MANY e-mails from colleges. She's gotten phone calls about the acceptances she's gotten so far, but any requests for additional information, acknowledgements of receipt of applications, etc., have been by e-mail. My friend checks the e-mail for her daughter (with the D's permission) as sometimes her D doesn't get to it every day.</p>
<p>My husband and I were very hands-off during the admissions process. If our daughter needed information or help, she asked, but other than that she did it all by herself (her choice). I don't think we saw a single application or essay.</p>
<p>However, she did not use her personal email regularly, so she used our home email for all the applications, knowing that I would let her know about anything she had to deal with.</p>