@mamaedefamilia - It’s ironic how not writing an essay causes a school to become more “selective.”
Ah, the admissions game - gotta love it! (not)
Meanwhile, my D17 found out about a scholarship app due today and managed to pull it off – essays and all! – before the deadline (with minutes to spare!).
@Ynotgo well, sinister or not, Kenyon’s process made my D throw her hat in, as it was no-stress, no fee, they superscore ACT, and offer possibility of merit. She did submit an arts supplement (they take creative writing pieces as well - though you may not see that until after the app is submitted. Colby in Maine is similar (they even take self-reported test scores on Common App - you don’t have to submit official score reports unless you’re attending) and D threw one in there as well.
DD received an email from UMich inviting her to apply for an MLK scholarship. The application requires a dreaded essay. Does anyone know anything about it? DH doesn’t want DD to bother applying but I would love to know more about the chances of getting it before the decision is made. Like a couple of others on this thread, DD needs to get the Danforth application for WashU done by 1/15. She is having her wisdom teeth taken out on Friday so I am getting a little worried about her meeting the deadline.
My dd had a phone interview with an alumni from Case. She said it was an odd interaction with odd questions compared to some of her other interviews.
@Testingearly I don’t know about the odds, but if your D wants to attend UMich, I’d encourage her to throw her to apply (and congrats on the invitation!).
D had an alumni interview with Case, and it was pretty standard. No odd questions, according to her…at least not that she mentioned. Maybe she’s odd enough herself that they didn’t seem odd to her? This was more than a month ago. Case seems to be a weird one. People say that showing interest is really important, but I see people getting admitted with large merit all the time who have not visited or interviewed. We did both, got decent merit…but it’s still expensive.
Because it’s actually more complicated than you think. One list is probably in database A, and the other in a very different database in a different department on a different computer. And then there is the bureaucracy, it probably take 6-9 months of committee meetings to decide how & when it should be run.
Great point. “Selectivity” is wholly manufactured these days. The “highly selective” schools are no different than they were 10 or 20 years ago. They just have many more applications, primarily from students that should have been advised NOT to apply.
Any of your DC hear from tOSU Honors program? Looks kids are starting to get notified via email. Its a long shot for S - we have not heard anything.
@STEM2017 Honors decisions have been coming out for a few weeks. Maybe in waves? D received the email on 12/20.
@mamaedefamilia John Green has really been a great salesman for Kenyon, because he’s willing to lend his name for promotion of the school. I wonder if Eckerd College has experienced a “Hank Green effect?” I think as many high school seniors taking APs know Hank from Crash Course, vlogbrothers, etc. as know John from his books (and Crash Course, and vlogbrothers).
Eckerd just doesn’t have the national brand recognition of Kenyon.
BU really has a horrible Admissions Portal plus they are a pain in a rear not accepting unofficial college transcripts for admissions purposes. All you have to do is require official documents for anyone that attends.
@Dolemite. I don’t think the portal is bad. Are you clicking on the right hand side on “admission status” or “financial assistance status”? It clearly shows what’s been received and what is outstanding. I agree about the college transcripts issue, I really don’t want to request official college transcripts for all the colleges D is applying to, but looks like I might have to for several.
@Dolemite you can always email BU, they were helpful with an issue my son had. For some reason they had not received his ACT score, even though we ordered it sent 2 months ago. The admissions person was very helpful and took care of everything. I looked at the portal recently, and my son’s info is clearly and easily found. Good luck!
@Fishnlines29 Do you see a list of all items received? I don’t see anything for my D. Just a message that they will let you know if something is missing. The Financial Assistance Status does show that 2 items have been received - FAFSA and CSS but the Admissions Status doesn’t show anything.
@RightCoaster I called and they insisted on official transcripts. Like I said above there is no real information about the applicant listed. The only link is for the Applicant Address. It would be nice if it listed all items received. The college applied to and things like that.
@Dolemite I’m pretty certain BU portal lists everything out on their portal, as far as received docs go. I don’t remember if it shows what college applied to. I’ll check in a bit for you…
@Dolemite I just checked for you. Portal now only has some wording that says all applicant info has been received blah blah. No docs anywhere. The docs used to show up, because he was missing some ACT scores a few weeks ago. I had logged in, and it showed he was missing the scores, we contacted BU and they updated everything, and now just the page with words on it shows, with a applicant status button on the right.
@RightCoaster So yours is now the same. So what if you had sent SAT Subject scores which are not required - you have no way in knowing if they got them. I’m not sure why they can’t list everything received. I also prefer the portals that allow you to upload additional material to be considered. Basically all of the more selective schools allow this. I could easily upload my D’s first quarter grades and unofficial college transcripts. USCal even has 'Unofficial College Transcripts" as a category of uploaded materials.
@Dolemite Once you click on “admissions status”, it shows the college/start date you’ve applied to and says if it’s not correct to contact them.
No listing of what has been received but it does list what hasn’t:
"Our records currently indicate that the following credentials are still required to complete your application for admission:
Senior Grades (Mid-Year Report) "
Re: BU
D’s portal is the same; only thing “missing” is the Mid-Year Report.