freedom_fri911

I suggest calling and/or emailing all of your schools to ask if they have all of your stuff you need for your application to be complete.

I got an email back the other day saying that UArts was missing my teacher recs and SAT scores. Well I took my SATs again last November and had the scores sent directly to UArts. My transcripts were sent in October stapled to the teacher recs, but they only had my transcript. So I had another copy of my teacher recs sent. They ended up finding my SAT scores. I had the same ordeal with Point Park. I called them and asked, they said I had all my stuff in, but they were trying to contact someone at my school to ask about my early graduation. They couldn't get ahold of anyone, so they asked me about it. They said that that's why I haven't heard anything back from them yet. I actually even got my letter of academic acceptance to Point Park this morning, thanks to having talked to them.

I talked to all of my other schools and they said that I have all of my stuff in.

So I encourage everyone to call their schools just in case they may have lost something. It is better to check up on these things so that you don't miss your application deadline because they might have lost something of yours that you didn't check up on. Plus, it makes a nice gesture and shows the admissions people that you want to go there

Robert

MTGomez

Yes do call. It's the best advice you can get. One of my schools never recieved my application. All they had were my transcripts and SAT scores. The deadline had passed but I explained what had happened (or what I assumed happened) and they said it was okay and to just send it in again.

Luckily the school was very understanding.

NotMamaRose

freedom_fri911: great advice! Early on in the game, my D discovered that one of her schools had not received her SAT scores, even though we had had them sent last summer. Knowing this gave her/us (yes, we had to help ... it can be tough for high schoolers to make these calls during the school day) time to resend the scores and make sure they have arrived. Little things do go wrong; head these difficulties off at the proverbial pass when you can.

letscrshtheparty

On a separate but somewhat related note....UArts needs teacher recs? I have all but finished my application (just waiting to get the money to pay the online fee) and I didn't see anything about teacher recs, I only saw an essay.

(And does anyone know the difference between regional auditions and unifieds?)

Georgia30720

Yes, call and check! One of the schools my son applied too still had not received his transcripts, and I had to send them again.

kimoki

If you go on the website and look at the admissioins requirements they ask for a letter from a teacher. You can send more if you want.

BWayBound2013

and also check with your school counselors if they are the ones dealing with college stuff. i had gotten a letter in from rhode island college saying that they were missing everything (except the app). it ended up my counselor hadn't sent in ANYTHING! she had totally forgotten. luckily, RIC let me send the stuff in late.

MichaelNKat

Last year, we made it a routine practice to call each school 2 weeks after an item was sent to confirm receipt. It was with startling frequency that we found that one or more schools on our list did not have or could not find a particular item that had been received by the other schools. There were times that a school claimed not to have received items sent in the same envelop! We found that calling was better than emails; very often more than one office at a school is involved in receiving, logging in and then having custody of the file and dealing with a person on the phone was a better way to promote inter-office communications.

We also gave our daughter's guidance counselor a spreadsheet with all the colleges and all the items to be sent listed along with due dates. We kinda "fibbed" about the due dates, explaining that things had to be in earlier than with "normal" apps because of the audition process. We asked asked the G.C. to email us when things were sent so that we could follow up with the college. If we didn't get an email when expected, we contacted the G.C. to confirm when an item would be sent.

Keep in mind that schools are being inundated with application materials. It can take a couple of weeks for an envelop to be opened and its contents logged and then put in you file in the admissions office. At the same time, you have to diligently follow up because errors do occur and with greater frequency than you would imagine.

BWayBound2013

MichaleNKat, what a great idea with the spreadsheet and email follow up from G.C. I wish I had done the same. Although it's kinda late to do now, the idea is great!

NotMamaRose

One easy way to make sure that your GC sends everything is to provide her/him with stamped envelopes addressed to each school to which you want her/him to send materials. Attach to that envelope the forms you need her/him to fill out and give her/him a note/letter outlining each college and what it needs.

typecastme22

Another idea (not as realistic for GC or through your school but works for applications and your own materials) is to send things out certified mail. I know it's a little ore expensive but having that green slip confirming your materials were received by someone in the office can be a life saver.

ChellyBelly42

I only had to call one school (and ended up having to re-send my recommendation to them THREE TIMES) because I got little cards from all my other schools that said "All your application materials have been received".

Funny story on this topic, though... My voice teacher, who is 26 and has the same last name as me, wrote an artistic recommendation for me. Except when she mailed the letter, she forgot to put in the recommendation form... So she called the school to explain, and they said the form didn't matter, but was she aware that schools didn't generally accept recommendations written by members of the student's family?

MTgrlsmom

D sent out all her application materials certified mail, enclosed a cover letter ticking off what was enclosed with the envelope, and it turned out to be worthwile, nothing went missing (she stapled the receipt to her file folder). D gave her counselor all necessary labeled envelopes and her counselor mailed everything within 3-4 days. Granted D had an efficient counselor, albeit one who had never assisted with BFA applications, and so D set up an appointment, met with her during the first week school was back in session after summer break.

I highly recommend doing that to everybody, as it "beats the rush" and puts you in front of the line.

MichaelNKat

My daughter sent all of her apps out by Sept 15 last year, certified mail return receipt requested, with a cover letter itemizing what was included, met with her guidance counselor the week befor H.S. started and gave her a folder for each school with several addressed and stamped envelops and a spread sheet showing each school and what needed to be sent when and also including copies of school report forms, gave her teachers the rec forms in August and all recs were out by the end of September, received emails from her GC and teachers confirming the dates things were sent ---- AND

Colleges still claimed not to have received things sent in the same envelop, misplaced teacher recs, school report forms and transcripts and generally often were as efficient as the Keystone Cops. It was kind of funny but only because we were so ahead of the timeline that we had ample time to follow up and track things down where the were lost at the college or have duplicates sent. Because of the sheer volume, which is forever increasing, it's just tough on the colleges and ineveitable that something is going to get screwed up.

NotMamaRose

Yes, Michael is right: it IS inevitable. Scientists would call it "chaos theory." What does that mean to us non-science types who are parents of artsy types? Have your kids call the schools to follow up.