<p>Like you I interview for my school and don’t give a pass to kids who don’t respond to calls or emails. Sorry Redpoint, I get that kids are busy and are just learning how to handle/schedule appointments, but if having a college interview is important – they’ll find time around their sports practices and memorizing lines.</p>
<p>As for calls, I get that lots of kids and adults don’t pick up if they don’t know the number, but if I leave a v/m there is no reason to call back. And I don’t buy the whole – kids don’t do email anymore line. Nearly every kid (it seems) has a smart phone on which you can set up an email account. They’re really so busy that they can’t go into the mail folder once or twice a day – while they are on their phones texting or on the internet constantly? I think kids do read email, I think they just don’t respond – it is one of those “I’ll get to it later” and then they forget.</p>
<p>RTR: what I’ve taken to doing is texting the student’s mobile phone no., identifying myself and my purpose and to check their email. I’ve not had issues going that route.</p>
<p>I have been interviewing for my Alma mater for a number of years. I always travel to the closest, most convenient location to the student’s home or school to avoid transportation snafus. The majority of students get back to me in a timely manner and show up promptly for their interviews. Now and then, I do have those who do not respond to my contacts. I am not offended and conclude that they have lost interest in the school. Maybe it’s due to the 6 percent acceptance rate!</p>
<p>It’s called “Adolescent Brain Syndrome,” a serious, but usually transient illness, which I just made up. It has to do with pubertal hormones adjusting synaptic formation and transmission – and by adjusting, I mean messing it up good. The notion that most teenagers can put together a daily routine in proper sequence which still includes putting on shoes before leaving the house can be a miracle. But seriously, the multi-tasking demands of modern adult life can be pretty lofty for most kids whom at age 12 start to have the world get thrown at them. Expect some errors as we make this transition to a new operating system. (Just look at Obamacare).</p>
<p>Haven’t read all the replies but yes, this is a big issue. It’s a huge frustration I have as a parent. My child is so terrible at communication. She has over 2000 unopened emails in her box. She won’t even delete them. She just leaves them there and assumes by the header that it’s not important (and there has been several cases where she was WRONG!) She can take weeks to respond to a phone call even when it’s about something really great! She has the craziest schedule ever and yet she expects waiting to the last minute to ask others to get together is reasonable.</p>
<p>I will say, she’s been getting better this past year. She’s on the other side of the table now. She leads a student group and tearing her hair out over the ability for her peers to totally ignore her correspondence. She yells “why can’t they just say yes or no!” I then look right at her and say “yes, why can’t THEY do that.” So, D’s a frustrated mess over having to organize other unresponsive teens and thus, being a little more diligent herself.</p>
<p>This generation has more ways that ever to communicate… or better said, This generation has more ways to ignore people than ever lol.</p>