When the hell do they deposit our checks?

[Robizzle]

This is a question to all the old applicants.. and any new ones who have already gone through this..

So for the schools that didn't take online payment and instead required checks to be sent, when will they actually be cashin those checks in? I ain't filthy rich and don't have thousands of dollars sitting in my account as a buffer zone. I always have a few bucks in there just in case but I am always afraid that one day all the schools will cash in at once and i will be down like 600 bucks and go under 0.00. So does anyone know when they do it? When they review your application? Or do they just pick a day where they take everyone's checks, get money, and go on a shopping spree??

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[jackieMD2007]

Haha Rob, I feel you. Dude, everywhere I can I have put it on my AMEX card and am just letting it ride for now. Murphy's Law that they will try to freakin' cash our checks on the same day as rent is trying to get cashed.

 

[Robizzle]

haha imagine that.. "Sorry you have been rejected due to insufficient funds in your checking account."

 

[Punkn]

So far I've sent in two checks (since OSU and Cinci were online payments). I mailed Georgetown's payment to them on 7/1 and they cashed it 7/13. I mailed Creighton's payment on 6/30 and they have not cashed it yet.

 

[Dov]

FYI, it can take months. so many times i'd go out and check my account balance the next day to find that i'm a dollar or two below the amount needed to clear the check then freak out hoping to god that after months of inaction they wouldn't pick that one day to cash the check.

 

[Robizzle]

FYI, it can take months. so many times i'd go out and check my account balance the next day to find that i'm a dollar or two below the amount needed to clear the check then freak out hoping to god that after months of inaction they wouldn't pick that one day to cash the check.

LOL that's exactly what i'm afraid of. Even worse, I doubt 3 months from now I'll remember "oh yea, that GW fee of 105 has not gone through yet. I guess I can't go out this weekend!"

 

[Dov]

i'd keep a list... it would've made my life a lot easier. actually, speaking of lists, i suggest keeping a check list of all the required secondary materials for each school you apply to. it gets chaotic when you have 5 secondaries and you cant remember what's done for what school and whatnot. also, keep copies and backups of everything and confirm that the school received what you sent.

… I’m not neurotic I promise

 

[xanthomondo]

lol yes, i entered some stupid freshman honor society and used a check, it was cashed literally 9 months later and bounced the checking account that i was ready to close

this is why i sent only certified checks to the med schools, they come out of your bank account immediately

 

[etf]

yeah the best way to avoid this is to send them a cashiers check or money order - that way you pay upfront and never have to worry about them cashing a stale check.

 

[slothavenger]

Since you have no way of knowing when they will cash your check, see if your bank will give you overdraft protection on your checking account. There is no fee if you qualify. HOWEVER, be sure to check your account regularly since they will charge you at least 18% interest on the amount. You don't want to wait until they send you a statement or bill 3 weeks later. Just go in and pay it off the next day or 2.

And don't be like me and think of it as a line of credit. It's just there to ensure that your checks don't bounce.

 

[butmylipshurtrealbad]

I had this problem too- some schools take FOREVER, and there is nothing you can do about it......(unless you withdraw post-secondary, in which case there will be a surprisingly swift turn around on your check). When I started to get nervous about my balance, I actually had my mom write some checks, and paid her in cash for it. I am HORRIBLE at watching my back accounts, and never write checks, so all those checks were stressing me out! (I realize I am very lucky that my mom was eager to take on the financial stress for me, and this is definitely not a fool proof plan! 😀 )

 

[Robizzle]

sounds good folks. thanks for all the tips! i'll definitely be keeping a list (such as on madapps) of the ones i haven't paid yet and how much. and those certified or cashiers checks sound promising too. 👍

 

[ph8]

This is a question to all the old applicants.. and any new ones who have already gone through this..

So for the schools that didn't take online payment and instead required checks to be sent, when will they actually be cashin those checks in? I ain't filthy rich and don't have thousands of dollars sitting in my account as a buffer zone. I always have a few bucks in there just in case but I am always afraid that one day all the schools will cash in at once and i will be down like 600 bucks and go under 0.00. So does anyone know when they do it? When they review your application? Or do they just pick a day where they take everyone's checks, get money, and go on a shopping spree??

Fo shizzle Robizzle...

Downstate's check cleared today for me...one less "insufficient funds" possibility to worry about.