<p>mom60:</p>
<p>article in the WSJ reported that even expedited processing was taking 6+ weeks. As a result, the PPort office was refunding the expedite fee.</p>
<p>Thank you all for your suggestion. The real frustration for me is with DW and DD rather than the fact that Dd will not get her passport in time. If she did not get to go, only thing we lose is money. However, the attitude about responsibility and planning will last their life time. I could see now when an application deadline is coming in college application process. I will be bald by the end of that.</p>
<p>We did everything that have been suggested - online tracking say is “in process”; call the processing center and teh answer is that they “will look into it”, called the representative’s office and they will “send an e-mail to inquire”. Both DD and DW apparently are satisfied with these minimum efforts. </p>
<p>That is why I am asking the successful rate of help from government officials. I will image there will be thousands of e-mail per day for inquiry. An e-mail will not help much. I asked DW to drive to the office to see them but she apparently forgot whose office she called and where they are located. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH</p>
<p>I told her that no everyone got their passport via representative’s office, she asked me back: are you suggest we should not just wait?" I hang the phone up.</p>
<p>Do not e-mail your congressmember’s office. Call and talk to a live human being.</p>
<p>As for your DD’s college apps, prepare yourself not to stress over them. Early --like now – sit her down and let her know what she’ll need to do to apply to college. Make sure, for instance, you let her know that she will need to request recommendations and transcripts , scores, weeks and even months before they are due.</p>
<p>Even get her one of the guides that includes a calendar letting her know what she’ll need to do each month.</p>
<p>Let her know how much you’re willing to pay for her college. Help her figure out how to select colleges to apply to that she can afford and that you’d be willing to let her attend.</p>
<p>Then, let her take responsibility for doing what’s necessary. Those applications are her responsibility, not yours.</p>
<p>With my older S, I structured his time because I was sure that if I left things in his hands, he wouldn’t make deadlines even though he said he wanted to go to college. He got wonderful merit aid to his second choice college, and he was thrilled to go there. He flunked out . Why? Lack of organizational skills.</p>
<p>With my younger S – I did what I thought was my responsibility. I took him to see a variety of colleges that might interest him. I gave him guidebooks. I made sure he was aware of deadlines and how he couldn’t wait until the last minute.</p>
<p>He managed to miss the deadlines for all of the colleges that interested him. He then, however, managed to quickly get an Americorps volunteer position and spent the next year living at home (and paying rent, something we require of young adults who live at home and aren’t in school or disabled) and doing service projects in our community. We also turned over the college app process completely to him, including expecting him to pay for applying.</p>
<p>He applied to 2 colleges, got into both, and is happily now preparing to go to his first choice in Aug. He also seems to have matured a great deal and to truly appreciate that he has an opportunity to go to college.</p>
<p>He applied to the colleges at the very last minute, but I did not tear my hair out. I knew that if he continued dilly dallying, he could continue living at home and working or he could move out, work and support himself while living in the type of place one can afford with minimum wages. </p>
<p>IMO if a young person lacks the organizational skills and initiative to get their college apps in on time, they aren’t ready for college. Far better for them to spend another year at home maturing than to go off to college and flunk out and then try to live on their own, which is what my older S is doing.</p>
<p>laserbrother</p>
<p>I skimmed this thread so don’t know if you got any other replies regarding calling your congressman’s office, but here is my story:</p>
<p>DS submitted his (non-expedited) application on 3/30 for a trip on 6/12. As of 6/1 we had not received it and I was unable to get through to a “real person” at the provided State Dept help line despite multiple attempts—and at that time the tracking function of the website was not working. Another CCer suggested calling my congressman’s office which I did on 6/4. His Washington office referred me to his local county office. The staff member there couldn’t have been nicer. He was able to determine in which office it was being processed. He said it would likely take a couple of days even for them to get through to the processing office. I called him on 6/6 or 6/7 and he said that when DS’s passport was pulled up, no :eek: action had been taken on it yet. FedEx delivered it on 6/11.</p>
<p>So my suggestion is that you call your congressman’s office today. Good luck!</p>
<p>One correction to what I suggested before: Either your husband or your D should be responsible for calling your congressmember’s office. After all, they are the ones who made the decision to wait. They should be the ones to find a solution to the late passport problem.</p>
<p>Their lack of organization and forsight shouldn’t become your problem to solve.</p>
<p>lb</p>
<p>You may also want to check out fendrock’s posts (regarding “back-up” appointments at regional office) on this earlier thread:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=353158&page=2[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=353158&page=2</a></p>
<p>laserbrother,
you can go online and print out the proof that the application is in progress, and use that if her passport does not arrive in time. </p>
<p>here is the link <a href=“U.S. Passports”>U.S. Passports;
<p>menloparkmom…the application proof is only good for certain countries. It does not include Spain, that I know of.</p>
<p>sax is correct: this “application proof” method is only good for a few countries in this hemisphere:
</p>
<p>Oh, sorry!</p>
<p>Well, might it be better than nothing? it is proof that the application was made.</p>
<p>Nope, it’s the same as nothing.:). But for those people that are traveling to those countries it’s gold and now, because of you, they know it :)</p>
<p>glad I could help someone somehow.</p>
<p>I don’t know where you live, but in Chicago people wait in line at the regional
passport office. </p>
<p>If there is an office near you, your wife and daughter will have to get in line early, before it opens and wait–sometime 6-8 hours to speak to someone.</p>
<p>This is seen as a last resort measure. If you are leaving within 2-3 days, they will process your request.</p>