Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Please be patient

Let me start off by acknowledging that I am *NOT* the most patient person on the planet!

I know that it can be frustrating waiting for something to happen. Waiting to hear news. Waiting for the next phase of your life. Waiting... waiting... and still more waiting.

But the reality is you need to be patient.

Right now the colleges are completely overwhelmed and back-logged with applications that they have been receiving. Each year at about this time we received notification saying that they are at least two weeks behind on getting everything processed and updated in the computer. They send that notice to us because they are also automatically generating letters that they are sending home to students to remind you that you need to send your transcript and test scores and a recommendation letter - or whatever that particular college requires. People tend to panic when they see that notice and want to send the materials again. They do not want that happening as that will simply back up their system even more. Unfortunately this is a very common occurrence at this time of year, but it does create a lot of panic in homes of seniors across the country.

Try to be patient. If you get one of these letters (from any college) take a moment and double check - did you send your transcript? Have your teachers written their recommendation letters and did you submit it? If your information was submitted and it is within a 2-3 week time-frame of when your materials were mailed, then take a deep breath and relax knowing that it is likely just because their system is backed up. Continue double checking on the college website (most will give you access to see your application status) and see if they have everything. If you are nearing the end of the 3rd week and they still don't have all of your items you can give them a call to double check. Chances are they just haven't made it there yet, but there are times where things get lost in the mail or filed in the wrong area. If items need to be sent again then we will work on taking care of that, but first make sure that they really are missing it.

As always, swing by my office to see me if you have any questions.

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