ok, for real, they are seriously confusing me

<p>So, I applied on October 10th, and my materials were complete by October 26. I received email 4/4 November 3rd. Recently I've been calling them and every different person tells me something different. They are now telling me that my application wasn't complete until DECEMBER 12! Apparently, my "student conduct form" wasn't complete until November 27. I didn't even know what this was. On Wolverine Access it tells me that this form was "Not Needed." When I found out that it was a letter explaining something bad that you've done, I was confused, because I checked "No" to those questions on my application. Sometimes when I call they say it was complete in October but now they are telling me it wasn't until December! What is going on?!??! It's freaking me out. What should I do?</p>

<p>wow that really is messed up. now i'm wondering if that's the problem with mine as well. i've been complete since november 28th and i still haven't heard anything. i can't say i'm impressed with michigan's admissions... (compared to, for example, the best uni in the world, university of chicago ;))</p>

<p>Student conduct form = something you have to write out if you've been suspended/arrested/etc. On wolverine access, does it say your application was complete December 12th? If so, there is little you can do except for wait :(. From what I can tell, there is little/nothing you can do except wait. It's painful :/. If you hear nothing in 12-14 weeks (from Dec 12th, assuming that's when it is listed as complete on WA), then you should call them and explain that it's been 14 weeks and you have heard nothing.</p>

<p>BTW chriscap, I don't think having a decision yet is too abnormal. I've heard about many people who had apps complete late november/early december who haven't received a decision yet.</p>

<p>Hopefully both of you will receive decisions in the next couple weeks. Good luck</p>

<p>Here's what happened with mine:</p>

<p>I submitted it in mid-September and they recieved it all September 29th. Then, mid-December rolled by and I started to get suspicious. So I called the admissions officers on December 5th, and they admitted to having "misplaced" the application. In January, I call and they tell me that they would get back to me 10-12 weeks from December 5th, when they had originally recieved it in September. Two days later, I receive the acceptance e-mail. </p>

<p>There is obviously some miscommunication between the admissions officers at Michigan, because my situation sounded very similar to yours. I guess you can't blame them for being a little disorganized when they have to review over 50,000 apps.</p>

<p>Yeah I have heard nothing yet. I finished my application on Nov 28 and they said they got everything in Dec 8. I'm just waiting right now, but I have no idea how long it will take. I'm anxious to find out.</p>

<p>question: Why aren't the ucs as disorganized as umich and they review over 50,000 apps esp ucla and cal?</p>

<p>Umm. Where's your proof for that statement? A couple people posting on CC is not necessarily representative of the whole admissions process.</p>

<p>and one possibility is probably Proposal 2</p>

<p>I still haven't received email four. I called the admissions office yesterday and a person gave me my Michigan ID. However, I didn't get a password. Am I suppose to create my own password?</p>

<p>They screwed up my app worse.</p>

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=284461%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=284461&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>All I know is that I'm mad.</p>

<p>The UCs have chosen a more streamlined system to do admissions...like many other schools. With too many chunks or blocks of papers...things will be disorganized and messy esp. with so many.
Note: it's Umich's choice to do admissions like so. UCs just chose the less messy and more streamlined way.</p>

<p>Once again, what "proof" do you have of "The UCs have chosen a more streamlined system". </p>

<p>It's not like UMich enjoys choosing a system which is inefficient?</p>

<p>I'm sure UMich probably does the best job they can do...</p>

<p>...they send out all their decisions at once. That just means that they don't have to keep track of who's application they receive first. One less thing to keep track of! That's actually quite a bit considering how many apps umich receives.
This translates into fewer deadlines for them to meet. Rather they can just review all the applications during an intensive period instead of trying to focus on answering questions whatever preprep they have. </p>

<p>Basically, the rolling system forces them to create more deadlines and makes the system more complicated on a massive scale. This essentially translates into a higher likelihood for mistakes. Then again I know the UCs have made a mistake of admitting someone and rejecting the other person because they had the exact same name, same year, same school etc..</p>

<p>I'm sure they're doing as well as they can especially with this system. They don't seem like malicious people...but the system they use with so many applicants may be or is fallible as seen by posters. Even though this is only a selective group of people posting. Remember that not everybody comes to this site as well. </p>

<p>On a grand scale, you want to simplify simplify simplify...which is what mathematicians try to do with complex equations and tasks. The longer the period of reviewing apps...the more likely they'll become messier as well. (I wrote something similar about this type of processing in my application but on the medical field because I witnessed problems first hand.) I work in a pathology lab where they try to process around 300 slides per day. Let's just say it's much easier to do everything in chunks to make sure everything has been done and then move to the next step rather than doing them in small chunks and pieces...then things get lost. Trust me, I've seen quite a few samples get lost when someone new tries to take over and do small chunks at a time.
Unfortunately, I don't have solid statistical data. But perhaps I'll do something on that in college...just for kicks. I'm sure there's a breaking point of where rolling admissions becomes too big of a hassle.
Another indication of this, is that I believe all the other other schools on the 25 best schools and ivies don't do rolling. They know they're going to receive apps on a massive scale and probably are trying to also make sure they have a clean and efficient system.
pm me if you want more? And feel free to try to punch any holes into my args...I think people will tire of this debate so if you want we can carry it on PM or e-mail.</p>

<p>First off, I agree that regular decision has many advantages when compared to rolling. Yes, it is probably more efficient due to the reasons you stated in your post. But what you have failed to acknowledge is that rolling decision also has multiple advantages that regular decision does not</p>

<p>Regular decision send out all of their decisions at once. Yes, they do. But then it makes students who finish their applications very early (Sept/Oct) as opposed to (Dec/Jan) time receive decisions all at the same time. UMich awards students who apply early. The early you apply, the earlier the a decisions is made for the student. My point being, even the students who don't receive a decision within the norm time frame and those that have "problems" with their applications, still usually receive a decision before their respective counterparts who applying regular decision. As a result, a rolling decision process will allow applicants to receive a decision sooner. If you ask around, many students who applied to regular decision schools will tell you almost immediately that they are jealous of their friends/peers that applied to rolling decision schools (or early) and have already received decisions. </p>

<p>Many schools offer EA/ED in order to get decisions to their applicants earlier, but those applicants must apply by usually the end of October. What about all the applicants that apply to schools between Nov-Dec? Well, with rolling decision schools, they will receive decisions in Jan/Feb, but schools that have regular don't release decisions till April usually.</p>

<p>My point being, UMich has decided to benefit applicants by giving them decisions early. Rolling decision schools have decided that taking on the burden of, perhaps a less efficient system, is worth the trouble into helping applicants receive their decisions early.</p>

<p>1) Is awarding students that finish early entirely beneficial? Some of the greatest overachievers I know don't have a lot of time to perfect their apps. I think that they should maintain a standard criteria across the board because it's not necessarily fair that a better student over their 4 years in highschool gets rejected over a student that wasn't as strong but turned in their app earlier. </p>

<p>2) Umich can use ED like the private colleges and California State university, which would also provide the lovely advantage of knowing earlier. I know a lot of students that aren't happy with their early decisions too(Most of those are rejections from Stanford and the MIT deferrals aren't helping either). It's a double edged sword.</p>

<p>3) UC's release around late Feb and early March. I don't think that really makes a different since Umich's system slows down towards the end of the process and it takes just as long. aka they get back to you around feb or march if you submit nov.(Note: that's almost equivalent to the UC period..1 or 2 weeks really don't matter that much)</p>

<p>4) So the debate has essentially boiled down to efficiency and organization vs the knowledge of the decision earlier. As stated before, they can also install the ED or EA option into the normal system, which nulls the issue.</p>

<p>1) Turning in your app early shows interest in a particular school. You stated that "I think that they should maintain a standard criteria across the board because it's not necessarily fair that a better student over their 4 years in highschool gets rejected over a student that wasn't as strong but turned in their app earlier." Well if this so called better student got rejected for applying later, then that student wasn't exactly smart to apply late? By applying earlier the weaker student showed more interest...</p>

<p>2) You stated it's a "double-edged sword", but in reality, it really isn't. If you are rejected early, you'll know you need to work on your other apps harder. And plus, the whole point behind releasing a decision early isn't the result, it's the simple fact that a decision was reached early and therefore you were notified earlier. I'd rather be notified that I was rejected in Nov/Dec, leaving me time to apply to more colleges as opposed to being rejected in March...when it's too late to apply to more colleges</p>

<p>3) UMich system this year have been greatly delayed by the computer system problems (datebase crash) at the beginning of this year. Additionally, the BIG factor that have probably caused a delay in admissions this year was Proposal Two. On the average, most applicants will receive a decision within 2-3 months of submitting their application. So students that submit in Nov will recieve decisions in Jan/Feb time as opposed to Feb/March. </p>

<p>4) True, it's part of the argument. But the ED/EA option has still failed to consider the applicants that apply during Nov/Dec, and they will receive decisions about a month earlier then the UC applicants.</p>

<p>-laughs- I'm sorry..we just sound silly but it's kind of fun.
1) so Interest > overall application strength? Shouldn't what we do matter more than some short term easy to achieve deadline aka the person works over the summer on apps?</p>

<p>2) Shouldn't the ideal student try to work as hard as they can on all the schools they care about? Personally, I think that's poor work ethics.</p>

<p>3) UCs also get crashes when they receive apps especially the day before they're due. Yet we don't see delays. I really don't feel like looking up the Supreme Case that determined we can't use AA and looking at the short term impacts...so I guess I'll drop that.</p>

<p>4) Most deadlines end around Jan 2 or 15, except Stanford which is 2nd week of Dec. Students that apply Nov/Dec won't receive their decision before then thus your advantages for knowing the decision earlier won't be able to apply to other schools. Unless they also have rolling..but majoring of the schools don't.</p>

<p>Jw.Are you applying to any UCs?</p>

<p>Nope, I didn't apply to any UCs cause I saw no point in it. UMich is basically the same thing as Berkeley/UCLA but it's in-state therefore way cheaper. I decided that if I was going OOS I might as well choose a private school cause public isn't significantly cheaper. Also, it just so happens that none of the UCs offer BBA's, which is what I was looking for. </p>

<p>The only public I chose was UT - Austin cause it is still cheap OOS compared to private schools and other public schools from OOS. And it just so happens it has a good business program and would be a nice match school. The only school in Cali I applied to was USC (private, has a BBA program, match school) :P</p>

<p>1) It's not as if some MUCH more qualified applicant will get rejected due to the fact he/she applied later then another applicant. Usually BORDERLINE students are determined by when they apply. I mean, let's pretend your an university, would you take a student who applies August 25th with a 3.5 UM and a 30 ACT or a student who applies Feb 1st with a 3.5 and a 30 but happens to have one leadership position in their EC's. Personally I'd take the August 25th student even though he/she is a tiny bit weaker simply because he/she has shown interest in the university more then the one who applies Feb 1st.</p>

<p>2) True, but if I knew that I was rejected with a certain essay, I would certainly think twice about submitting the same essay to another school. I would think about editing or rewriting that particular essay. It also puts some student's sights in perspective. For example, pretend that Student A decides to apply to WUSTL, Northwestern, Duke, and Lehigh as a safety. If I was rejected to all three top schools, I would quickly realize that perhaps I had set my sights too high, and I would apply to a few schools in between my safety/reaches. </p>

<p>3) This particular database crash didn't result in a MAJOR delay, it simply resulted in 500 applications being delayed a month (those were the apps that had to be redone due to that computer crash). </p>

<p>In the California case for AA, A state ban on all forms of affirmative action was passed in California: "The state shall not discriminate against, or grant preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education, or public contracting." Proposed in 1996, the controversial ban had been delayed in the courts for almost a year before it went into effect. Notice it took ONE FULL YEAR to place into effect. In Michigan, they want it put into effect IMMEDIATELY, this takes time...and delays the admissions decisions...</p>

<p>4) True. My brain wasn't working on that particular argument :P. But still, the applicants will still be know earlier then regular decision, though they won't be able to apply to any schools except rolling schools</p>

<p>okay..this i really becoming ridiculous...
Tell me about what living in mich is like?</p>

<p>Cold. :(</p>

<p>I must say Cali is much better. Roads suck in Michigan too compared to Cali. I was just in Cali for xmas break :P</p>