<p>He won’t be going in as a complainer. Once you are accepted the admissions office has nothing to do with the rest of your experience at the university. I’d suggest the OP write a letter (as the Mom not as the student) and explain what the consequences of the delay were. That way the worst that could happen is the student might be thought of as someone with a complaining Mom.</p>
<p>If no one tells them how aggravating it was to be told “typically by Jan 1” and “by Christmas” and then not hear by then, they won’t even know there was a problem. I’ve always had very good luck with these sorts of letters/encounters. I got the elementary science fair process significantly revamped because of a meeting I had with the principal. I did not lose my temper, I just told her which things I thought worked which didn’t and what I thought would work better.</p>
<p>Soze, I’m glad your son got great news! I hope he can move forward and enjoy his Sr year. Congratulations to him. :)</p>
<p>Mathmom - This is college though, not the elementary science fair, and fairly or not complaining on behalf of your adult student is going to risk a label of being difficult, being one of those parents. Word absolutely travels in a university environment. Is this the issue you want to play that card on, or do you want to wait to play that hand in case there is something really important later on where you need to be heard with fresh ears, not as the parent who complained after their son was accepted. It was frustrating, absolutely no doubt, but I would leave it up to the student. If they feel so strongly this is something they want to address with the school then its up to them, not the parent to communicate. I would again use the litmus test however, is this something I really want to stick my neck out on or do I want to wait in the event that two years from now I have a concern with a professor and need to go to my dean. As a student I’d much rater be heard with fresh ears. Thinking that an admissions office lives in a vacuum even at a large university is short sighted. Do you even want to take the risk over something like this. College adcoms frequent CC regularly, doing global searches on their schools name to keep up on what’s being said. It’s my strong feeling that Syracuse already knows.</p>
<p>Just my two cents. I appreciate that others will feel differently.</p>
<p>If the mom writes, I do hope she’ll drop the EDII conspiracy theory. I really think it waters down her argument and clouds the very real issues discussed.</p>
<p>I don’t think this is even a little bit true. You’re right tho’, it’s not a science fair. SU has what? 20,000 kids to keep track of? Whether this particular situation deserves followup, I don’t really know…I’d probably just take my kid’s acceptance letter and run, but a new parent (who they have not yet received a check from…but are hoping to cash many over the next four years) is not going to be put on any sort of watch list for voicing an opinion about a process.</p>
<p>Easy enough to submit the feedback anonymously. Also easy to couch the email with positive spin so that it’s taken as an honest desire to help. Unfortunately, I fear that the OP would send a letter that was more hectoring than helpful.</p>
<p>Another approach would be for the OP’s son’s high school GC to send feedback to the admissions office.</p>
<p>You could always follow the approach of writing the letter, waiting six months, and then re-looking at it, editing as appropriate, and deciding whether or not to send it at that point. </p>
<p>I sincerely doubt Syracuse admissions was intentionally trying to mess up things for applicants. So much has gone wrong with this Common Application season that I suspect that admissions officers are hanging on to their sanity by their fingernails. </p>
<p>If you eventually approach it with the expressed understanding that the Common App problems may have had a lot to do with it, you might find great agreement and fervent hopes from admissions that they never, ever have another season like this one. Most admissions officers try to do well by kids; I doubt that they intentionally tried to trip up ED II applicants even though that appears to be a consequence. Maybe they didn’t think this through – or maybe they did, but really don’t have a mechanism to deal with it. I’d probably start by assuming the best intent. Life generally works better for me that way.</p>
<p>I’m very glad that in the end your kid did get admitted. Is he your youngest? It would be nice to be done with the whole college admissions process, I’m sure.</p>
<p>First, let me add to the congratulations choir. </p>
<p>Most university admissions departments have pretty high turnover and no accountability. </p>
<p>If you like howling at the moon, by all means write a letter. Like many letters it will get filed in the circular file for future consideration as recycled paper. </p>
<p>Otherwise, the problem is solved. It’s time to find a new problem. </p>