Mix up with payment when applying to Hamilton

Colleges & Universities Hamilton College
1

I was reluctant to ask this earlier because I was scared of being mocked and scolded. But I might as well just take it.

I already mentioned that I applied to Hamilton awhile back in a different thread. But for reasons that I don’t want to get into, I failed to pay the application fee. When I realized this, I brought the information to my High School counselor, and by mid-February, I was able to clear things up with the admissions office.

They gave me the option to either pay through the common app or send a payment through the mail. Unfortunately, I was in the middle of tech week for a musical I was in (Which I did phenomenonally). But unfortunately, due to stress, exhaustion, and ignoring the fact that I was sick during the actual production, I was extremely ill post-production.

Finally, I’m starting to feel better and I’m finally able to pay Hamilton (My parents offered to pay earlier, but they were tight on money then and they’re still waiting), but I cant pay through the common app. So I’m going to try to send a check to them directly. But my family is tight on money and may not be able to send a check in, until Monday.

All of this being said, I’m aware of just how at fault I am, and maybe I shouldn’t go to a rigorous school if I failed to pay a simple $65 admissions fee. But I just want to know, how screwed am I?

(P.S. I have been in contact with my counselor and the admissions office and I’m currently waiting on a a response that I lilelu won’t recieve until Monday).

Before anyone says anything. Yes, I would be able to afford Hamilton, my family is just in a rough spot at the moment due to multiple factors.

(In hindsight this is probably a long and panicky post, and makes me seem insane, and I apologize for that).

2

Only the Hamilton AO can answer this.

Fortunately you have the SUNY Binghamton admission already secured.

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3

I’m not sure why one has anything to do with the other.

No matter where you attend or what you do in life, you’ll need to be organized and take care of the things you need to do - whether work, school, household tasks or whatever.

So perhaps you need to focus on your organizational skills - maybe create a list that posted on the fridge or in your phone or something else that works for you to ensure you complete necessary tasks.

Hopefully they’ll work out a solution for you to have your application considered since you put in the work to submit it to begin with.

For many, $65 is a lot - and schools offer fee waivers - so that’s the kind of thing you can request up front (not sure if you can now). At the same time, $65 isn’t a lot in the sense that college overall is going to cost you a lot - and you say you’ll be able to afford it.

But your lack of paying shouldn’t be tied to the type of college you attend. I’m sure Bing will have lots of assignment deadlines as will SUNY Purchase. It’s not just Hamilton.

But if nothing else, this should be a wakeup to you to the importance of being organized. Fortunately, it’s easy enough to put in process steps to help you do so.

Best of luck.

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4

If your question is “how screwed am I?” You will find out when acceptances come out. Best to pay the fee and email the admissions office with an apology when it’s done/ in the mail. Would recommend not getting into any explanations/justification. Just short and sweet.
Good luck

5

First, take care of your physical and mental well being. Things happen for a reason and maybe you just let this one go. Get focused on the next round of tasks and ask for help prioritizing things if needed.

At this point, time is ticking, so if this is an option you want, send the $65.

We are well into March and the person at Hamilton has probably moved on from anticipating you are actually applying.

Remember, in the future, make sure when someone goes out of their way to help you, follow up with the next steps. You do not want to burn bridges with people that you may need for other things. Your counselor used their time and relationships to request consideration for your application even though you had missed the deadline to submit all components.

Since the counselor did not request special late consideration for a fee waiver, they assume things are ok financially and you had just missed a step, but if things are really not ok financially, then have a different conversation with them this week about all the costs of college and the best options for you and your family. Start budgeting now for the deposit due May 1, as that is not one you want to miss, but there are many other costs that you can not shoulder on your own.

6

I haven’t been super disorganized since Sophomore year. I was seeing improvement through Junior year and was on track by early 2023. I genuinely thought I got my act together.

7

Don’t worry about it. One mess up does not mean you are disorganized and I’m not sure why someone would attack you for this. It is a very complicated process with lots of small things to keep track of. It will all work out. I bet they will still read your application after they get the payment.

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8

Not sure anyone has attacked the student - it’s simply a note that there might be an issue here with organization - and OP has sort of just acknowledged that…it has been a focus for them…which is great.

And OP noted they realized the error in mid February and it’s not almost a month later and they still haven’t handled the issue.

In the end, hopefully OP’s app gets a fair shake - but if it doesn’t, they still have two options.

Good luck to OP.

9

We do not know the reason for this oversight (if in fact it was an oversight) or lack of on-time payment, so I tend to agree with @ae1231 that we shouldn’t make assumptions. Kids are kids, some are more organized than others, and stuff happens. And in today’s competitive college admissions cycles, students find themselves overextended, overcommitted and overstressed. Add to this what sounds like there were extenuating family circumstances at play. Its a lot for teenagers to juggle, and I hope OP you don’t feel shamed by any post. Best of luck, and keep us posted!

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