Vent your frustrations with the college admissions process: Official Thread

Applying to College
41

<p>"And I agree that USC's application is rather interesting. They don't ask for the same stuff as other schools. They want a physical copy of my test scores printed from my CB account, in addition to the one I typed into their self-reported test score section on the application, in addition to the official CB copy. Good God. Triple checking."</p>

<p>Freaking Aye! What the hell is with that?! I called and asked why I needed to send in my own copy of my SAT scores if I was already sending an official one straight from CB. Her response was "Well, what if we don't get the official ones?"</p>

<p>Another thing about USC; you have to have your transcript sent in right away because they don't work on the honor system like UCs. So why, dear god, did I spend an hour of my life typing in all my high school classes and my grades?!</p>

<p>I really feel better now.</p>

42

<p>^AHAHAHA. They're just VERY... different. xD It would kill me if I didn't even need to do all that work, since I applied ED somewhere. Argh.</p>

43

<p>Kamera,</p>

<p>Loved your shoe story. My D wore brand new shoes on a campus tour last March. After walking a couple of miles, she had ripped holes in both heels that were bleeding out over the tops of the back of the shoes. We showed up for her coach interview/meeting and her feet were a mess. It was a pretty good ice breaker to have to ask for paper towels and bandaids! </p>

<p>Bought a pair of flip flops to use for the rest of the tour. My bad. I made her buy and wear the new shoes.... Coach loved her though, and hasn't fogotten the shoe incident!</p>

44

<p>BC (where I am applying EA) sent me and email that my app could not be considered becuase it is incomplete unless I send them what they need rigth away. But they didn't tell me what I am missing, so I don't know what to send them.
I'm going to call monday but I have been triple checking everything and have no clue what I missed</p>

45

<p>Well, I definitely had a moment of panic, but it's over now and it worked out okay... otherwise I would still be too traumatized to write about it...</p>

<p>My first choice by far is Pomona, and I applied ED 1. However, Pomona had two different deadline dates posted on the common app site.. one part of it said Nov 1st and the other said Nov 14th. College board said due the 15th, another college website said the 1st, etc. However, I didn't realize this until about November 12th all the while thinking the date was simply the 15th.</p>

<p>So I freaked out and talked to a million different people at Pomona until I finally got an assistant dean of admissions who saw the inconsistencies and said that he would accept my app for ED1. Thank god. He was actually super nice and understanding and said it was their mistake, they'd try to fix the website, etc. God, I love that school.</p>

<p>Now I'll just be holding my breath until Dec 15th.</p>

46

<p>I mean Nov 15th the first time not the 14th... I can't even typre write... too flustered just thinking about the trauma :) It said the 15th and I submitted the 14th... in case anyone was wondering.</p>

47

<p>UC deadlines are before I hear the results of my ED app</p>

48

<p>BC just made a mistake my app is fine, but not before I had a small heart attack. Why would they do that?</p>

49

<p>I haven't been back here since last year applying to college. My horror story was with Carnegie Mellon. I applied their ED (looking back on it, I'm glad now I didn't get in) and had an interview on campus with an admissions officer, not an alumni. This admissions officer during my 1 hr-ish interview had my GPA, SATs, APs, senior schedule, and a quick run down of all of my ECs. My interview I stayed close to my 2 essay topics. </p>

<p>After the 1 hr, the ADMISSIONS OFFICER (who said he'd probably be reading my app.) told me I was a "shoe-in" and "not to worry" about getting into CMU and that I'd probably get into jerome fischer (highly competitive). </p>

<p>When decisions came, I got REJECTED from tepper (business) with the invitation to apply to another department in the school. I called the admissions officer who said I would "get in no problem" and he recommended I apply to humanities and transfer into business. I applied to humanities and was wait listed with the offer to be on their "priority binding wait list." At that point after visiting the other schools I got into I realized that the other ones were a much better fit anyways... but I'm still annoyed with their admissions.</p>

50

<p>sigh... a continuation to my SDSU app story and not being able to apply because of a lack of a full 1 year in 1 art discipline... </p>

<p>Anyway, I emailed admissions, and they said that 1, my jewelry/metalworking classes don't count as art (what the ????), and 2, I need to take an extra semester of approved art at high school or a community college. Well, I said f-that, I'm not going to waste my time, told them how ridiculous they were, to withdraw my application, and said thanks for nothing. Polite me, huh? It just makes me angry that I wasted my time considering that school...college admissions is aggravating enough as it is. But that's okay with me, I definitely wouldn't want to go to a school that doesn't want me back, and I know I'll be happy wherever I go (not going to be SDSU, apparently).</p>

51

<p>I'm ****ing annoyed right now... I have to give all forms/envelopes to my guidance counselor by Wednesday and my printer doesn't have any ink... I had planned to give it to her tuesday, but because of this, I have to give it to her on wednesday where there's a lot of people...</p>

52

<p>Power to you, fa-la-la-lena! I'm still trying to brace myself for an inevitable rejection from the college I applied ED for...D:</p>

53

<p>College apps is exciting. I intend to get 10 acceptance letters.</p>

54

<p>well, i'm in a weird situation (as always :@ ) am not an intl student but been living abroad for the last ten years...and neither the intl nor the regular forms accommodate me...i have to write letters for almost everything...the conversions are driving me nuts :S</p>

55

<p>I really freaking hate college essays. They're some of the most ugliest things I'd have to do. Seriously.</p>

56

<p>My frustrations come from not knowing what really goes on behind closed doors at those big universities. I know they say they "don't care if one thing's bad" or stuff like that, but I think there are certain things with which they do.</p>

57

<p>I really hate the fact that SAT scores are so heavily weighted. I have several dream colleges that I'm expecting rejections from just because my SATs were unimpressive.</p>

<p>Sigh.</p>

58

<p>I was applying to a college, and wished to apply for the departamental scholarship. The lady had told me it would be fine for me to send in my information a week ahead of time and they would be able to make an appointment. However, I would have to send in the entire application.</p>

<p>I had wanted to have my application fee waived, so I was visiting the college in five days. It would be worthwhile since I did not know very much about the college. I also had wanted to make my departamental scholarship try-out (oral and written exam) on the same day. </p>

<p>Then I realize that if I send my application before I go visit, I will have to pay the fee. So I call, and I am transferred for a long time until I reach the Dean (!) and he was very kind, and told me he would waive it. That was done with. However, the phone call made me late to the post office, and I only barely was able to submit my application as I chased the postal worker down as he pushed the basket full of mail into that room in the back where only federal employees are allowed. I had everything perfect, except I forgot to mention that my fee was being waived. I only mentioned it on the post-it note I included inside my application envelope, so I was not worried.</p>

<p>But then, I remembered I had to make an appointment for my departamental scholarship test. So I call. And she says, "No, we needed that information two weeks ahead of time, now is too late." I wanted to die.</p>

<p>So I go to the college and sit in a biochemistry class, which I, as a high school student, understood, while the other 8 classmates were confused for most of the lecture. It was a "capstone" senior/junior level class....</p>

<p>I'm most likely not going there.</p>

<p>But I do qualify for academic scholarships....</p>

<p>And the lady called back to ask when I was going to make my appointment for the departamental interview.</p>

<p>So maybe I will go there...</p>

59

<p>Gahhh. I hate, not the essays, but making the essays fit the word limits. I usually spend all my time trying to cut off a couple hundred words to my polished essays, which then become hacked-up crappy writing.</p>

60

<p>Anyone fight with their parents over schools??</p>

<p>I just had a two hour screaming match. My voice has offically died.</p>