Disorganized admissions offices

[Elle7077]

After months of preparing all of my applications, I am now getting calls from St John's and LIU Brooklyn (clinical psychology) that they are missing my transcripts and GRE scores....Why are they telling me this NOW? When invitations to interview have already started??? Couldn't they have taken a peek a month ago?? Is anyone else experiencing this?
I hope I still have a chance!!!

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[Therapist4Chnge]

After months of preparing all of my applications, I am now getting calls from St John's and LIU Brooklyn (clinical psychology) that they are missing my transcripts and GRE scores....Why are they telling me this NOW? When invitations to interview have already started??? Couldn't they have taken a peek a month ago?? Is anyone else experiencing this?
I hope I still have a chance!!!

Unfortunately this is more common than uncommon....especially for clinical programs.

 

[lucyguard]

you really need to cal and check BEFORE the deadlines. I had several problems with ETS (they literaly split my scores in 2 files as if I were 2 dif people) so I had to triple check with every school. If I wasn't on top of it, most school would never get my Psych GRE or my highest GRE scores.

Lots of schools are very bad with keeping track of application stuff. One school said they didn't have one of my LORs. I freaked out cause it was 2 weeks past the due date. I called again and someone looked in my file and said it was there.

 

[schoolpsych]

you really need to cal and check BEFORE the deadlines. I had several problems with ETS (they literaly split my scores in 2 files as if I were 2 dif people) so I had to triple check with every school. If I wasn't on top of it, most school would never get my Psych GRE or my highest GRE scores.

Lots of schools are very bad with keeping track of application stuff. One school said they didn't have one of my LORs. I freaked out cause it was 2 weeks past the due date. I called again and someone looked in my file and said it was there.

I completely agree with lucyguard! I thought I had everything in early for all my applications - I requested my GRE scores be sent to schools many many weeks in advance (I even received the confirmation report) and my recommenders also mailed their letters out weeks in advance. Had I not checked up on all of my applications before their deadlines, three of the applications would have been incomplete due to missing GRE scores or LOR. Luckily, two admissions offices allowed me to fax over my GRE scores (even though they weren't considered official) and the other allowed my recommender to email her LOR (which was quite an inconvenience since she mailed it over a month ago and then had to take time out of her busy schedule to send it to them again because of the office's disorganization).

 

[Elle7077]

um thanks....

id actually called every single school i applied to just to make sure that they know my materials are under two different names: my married and maiden name. they made is like everything is under control....

whatever, it just sucks that they can't be more organized.

 

[magpie77]

um thanks....

id actually called every single school i applied to just to make sure that they know my materials are under two different names: my married and maiden name. they made is like everything is under control....

whatever, it just sucks that they can't be more organized.

I understand completely. I did the same thing and checked up on all my apps, and I've still found out there are two places where my app wasn't even considered because it wasn't 'complete'. It's ridiculous. I really think that at that point, we deserve application fees back at least (or maybe automatic admission to make up for the mistake!).

But seriously, I do want my fees back. I paid for a service, and the service was not rendered, despite me checking to make sure the admissions office is doing their job.

 

[nononora]

One thing that helped me when I was applying was to send everything in one big brown envelope... LORs, transcripts, photocopies of my GRE scores, personal statement etc. It's a lot of work initially, not to mention the paper cuts, but I applied to 20 schools and (as far as I know) all my applications were complete!

Of course I realize this is a little after the fact...

 

[deleted176373]

They are trying to get you ready for grad school... no one seems to know what is going on, what books you need, or even who will be teaching the classes. It won't be a big deal. You'll expect them to be acting like this is the first time they have ever done this.

Mark

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

One thing that helped me when I was applying was to send everything in one big brown envelope... LORs, transcripts, photocopies of my GRE scores, personal statement etc. It's a lot of work initially, not to mention the paper cuts, but I applied to 20 schools and (as far as I know) all my applications were complete!

That's the way I did it....of course, they didn't really have online options when I applied. Some schools had the general app available to submit online, but then required everything else be mailed in....so I just did it all at once to save myself the hassle of tracking the online submission.

They are trying to get you ready for grad school... no one seems to know what is going on, what books you need, or even who will be teaching the classes. It won't be a big deal. You'll expect them to be acting like this is the first time they have ever done this.

So true.

 

[moondreamer9989]

One thing that helped me when I was applying was to send everything in one big brown envelope... LORs, transcripts, photocopies of my GRE scores, personal statement etc. It's a lot of work initially, not to mention the paper cuts, but I applied to 20 schools and (as far as I know) all my applications were complete!

Of course I realize this is a little after the fact...

funny thing is I did this for two schools I mean GREs and Transcripts THE LOT (because both schools had said that was acceptable)...and I received emails from both schools saying I was missing things - yet not other items sent in the same envelope....INTERESTING

 

[Elle7077]

actually most of the schools i applied to required transcripts directly from my school, scores directly from ETS, and LOR's directly from my professors....at that point, there is only so much one can do...
so all my materials were sent out in one shot, and only some were received...

but thank god at this point i think everythings complete....

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

actually most of the schools i applied to required transcripts directly from my school, scores directly from ETS, and LOR's directly from my professors....at that point, there is only so much one can do...
so all my materials were sent out in one shot, and only some were received...

but thank god at this point i think everythings complete....

What I did was get everything in sealed envelopes with signatures/stamps across the flaps. The GRE score was what I had to keep on top of....as I submitted that electronically.

It may be different now as everything seems to be online.

 

[kyril]

What I did was get everything in sealed envelopes with signatures/stamps across the flaps. The GRE score was what I had to keep on top of....as I submitted that electronically.

It may be different now as everything seems to be online.

i did all of that too, but had many many gre problems, especially with the psych, because while my other GRE score came in in time for me to include a photocopy of the scores with my packet, the psych one was later, and i elected to send in my apps earlier than wait for my confirmation report. i called ahead of time to check on my apps, so for many of the schools resending was in order, which is a pain but not the worst, but a couple said that they were too busy to check, but would contact me later, and almost none of them did. once i called 3 times, and when i finally heard back they had already sent all the other apps up, but not mine, because, you guessed it, no GRE score, and they toold me mine would have to be considered after all the "complete" apps were looked at. shockingly,i just got an invite, but i was really convinced i wouldn't. i know that this is a rough time for admissions, but much like christmas and the post office, it's not a surprise, it happens every year at the same time, and it's kind of frustrating that so many mistakes happen.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

It is Murphy's Law at its finest.

 

[ktclown]

um thanks....

id actually called every single school i applied to just to make sure that they know my materials are under two different names: my married and maiden name. they made is like everything is under control....

whatever, it just sucks that they can't be more organized.

I had the same exact experience. Every school where they requested transcripts to be sent directly from the University lost the transcripts that were under my maiden name. Usually it was fairly easy to fix, but again delayed my application. I know now to plan for next year, but why don't they match things using our ssn number? I joke with friends that it is some kind of discrimination against married women. Frustrating, but at least I know what to do next year in order to keep from wasting application fees.

 

[LeeS]

I received a waitlist letter addressed to a Mr....

I'm a girl...(as it says on my application)

Someone is going to be in for a suprise if I get bumped off the list and choose to attend....