Private vs. public when PUBLIC ACTS LIKE A TURKEY

Parents Forum
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<p>Have heard back from all the quasi-unaffordable private LAC’s/Unis, shortly after April 1. </p>

<p>Learned much by reading CC so was eagerly awaiting the one very affordable option from our state college, for comparison.</p>

<p>Best private that accepted him gapped us a lot on finaid. Nothing close to the other 2 privates we know and love (Oberlin, Amherst) who were generous relative to our EFC.</p>

<p>So, tired of hawking our mailbox, I just phoned the public uni’s department, since I know a creative arts review is entailed by the faculty at some point. I was told, with some awe in her voice, that: “the faculty just returned from vacation and picked up the arts portfolios; will review and reply within 10-15 business days.”</p>

<p>I counted on my calendar and mentioned (I hope I was polite, I think so…) that they’re saying they might reply as early as April 24 but possibly as late as May 1, all by postal mail. She said the decision and finaid will all be enclosed in one package.</p>

<p>I asked when your school will be anticipating a reply? ANswer: “May 1.” Then she started reciting all the penalties and woe that a late reply would incur. (I didn’t ask, she just began reciting…)</p>

<p>Is this HAPPENING???</p>

<p>Of all the nutty things that a college process entails, I find this the final straw. How can I possibly compare decisions and packages, let alone visit.</p>

<p>I’ve just about HAD IT!!! We actually are ready to cross-compare public and private, but how ridiculous a timeframe.</p>

<p>Should I have been pushier on the phone, I wonder. I don’t like to lose friends when decisions are being made. Fortunately I was talking to an AdCom and the decisions are going to be made by the arts faculty. </p>

<p>Any ideas or responses? Am I allowed to curse? </p>

<p>And do these Adcoms make little file-notes if the parent sounded petulent on the phone? I was borderline petulent.</p>

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<h1><em>^%%#$#^</em>(<em>#(#%#%&@!</em>((!#()+<em>!#)</em>+ !!!</h1>

<p>Good grief. That’s just wrong no matter what way you look at it. How can you possibly respond to that?</p>

<p>Sorry I’m no help but I definitly feel for you.</p>

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<p>Is it possible that the dept is very small and they do not have many applications to process? It really does not matter, I agree that sending out acceptances on 4/24 at the earliest is bizarre for almost any college.</p>

<p>The only one I know around here still processing regular (not those turned in late) apps is Navy for local applicants and I think they are to be finished by the 15th. I think I would complain to someone.</p>

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<p>When son was evaulating his choices last year he kept notes on how it was to deal with financial aid. After watching older siblings go through the process he knew that many times it would be a sign of things to come. The schools that were late, lost info, documents, were very rigid and inflexible all lost points on his priority scale. It doesn’t seem like this would be important but again watching all the trials and tribulations his sibs went through he knew that he would be dealing with the institutions’ “policies, procedures, implementation and staff” for the next 4 years.</p>

<p>He eventually picked one were the “beaucracy” ran as smooth as “butta.”</p>

<p>His older sis knew at a large OOS public (her pick) would be iffy, but she made sure she developed a good working relationship with admin and financial aid.</p>

<p>Son ended up using snafuu’s and oops! as a way to make a decision.</p>

<p>Kat</p>

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<p>Having dealt with several (OK, lots) of colleges at this point, I have not found much of a correlation between public/private and well oiled/disorganized. It seems pretty random. That’s just my 2 cents. </p>

<p>(Although late notifications are really annoying no matter where they come from!!!)</p>

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<p>I agree with Weenie. Being private doesn’t always translate into “Better” and “Easier to get along with.” There are plenty of hosed up private schools out there too. :)</p>

<p>I also agree with Katwkittens - how you are treated as a potential student, especially after admissions, can be a leading indicator of how you’ll be treated as an actual student. It is surprising at how differently schools can treat admitted students – some knock them down with contacts, others just send the “you’re admitted letter” and let it go at that.</p>

<p>I am, however, stunned that ANY college, public or private can expect students to make an informed decision about whether to attend in only two weeks time. That doesn’t even allow time for a visit. One possibility you might consider is requesting an extension on the May 1 deadline from the schools who are under serious consideration. Most schools will grant that if you explain that you are still waiting on the final financial aid award from another school. If this is something your child might like to consider, he should ask each school in writing for an extension ASAP.</p>

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<p>What is it Lilly Tomilin’s telephone operator used to say?</p>

<p>“We’re the Phone Company. We don’t care, we don’t have to.”</p>

<p>Some schools don’t treat students and parents better because they simply don’t have to. That won’t change until numbers drop.</p>

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<p>If that’s the way they handle admissions letters, wait 'til the poor kid has to register for classes!</p>

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<p>* that’s the way they handle admissions letters, wait 'til the poor kid has to register for classes!*</p>

<p>I agree and isn’t better to know now?, than down the road when you have made a committment financially and emotionally to the school, to find that they are impossible to deal with.</p>

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<p>thats great that they are improving their communication and that he is taking charge of what he needs to know :)</p>

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<p>We’ve been less than impressed by our big state U. We emailed the private college my son got accepted to with a question and got a long answer back the very next day from a full professor. We emailed the big state U and still haven’t heard back about setting up a visit. And get this stunning answer to my son’s question about the honors program that he has been accepted to… (since the info they sent was very vague; just saying that he could take honors classes, and would have extra opportunities… so he asked how many honors classes students take each semester)

The big state U just has too many students and not enough support staff and professors.</p>

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<p>Thanks, CC, you’re great. You responded w/ emotional support, astute diagnostic questions, humor and well-honed wisdom. And I might need all of these.</p>

<p>But within the last two hours, the department turned the tables! So to be fair let me sing their faculty’s praises…</p>

<p>Out of the blue, the phone rings from a faculty member for my S that she was impressed with his portfolio, and did he have any questions? He handled it off the top of his head (with a headcold) and asked very astute questions that he needed in order to help him choose. I was out of the house at the time, which proves I should leave more evenings. We’d all be better off, surely.</p>

<p>I was so proud of him for handling an unexpected phone contact like that! My spouse listened and said his jaw dropped with how well he did. True, he had never been to the campus (it’s 7 hours from our home) so he had left no interview record whereby they could get to know him, even a bit. So perhaps they were just filling in that info. </p>

<p>It is a very small program within a larger department; this I know from their website. </p>

<p>Anyway, I feel so much better about their faculty for the personal outreach. Am also not naiive and realize there could be continuing differences between faculty and admin. </p>

<p>But it’s good to post positive stories, especially after I just vented to the ceiling earlier this evening.</p>

<p>Perhaps we’ll yet get to compare in time… I think I’ll figure he has a good chance of admittance now and that surely the costs will be lower. So I can think things over, meanwhile. With that much encouragement, it would be wise to squeeze in a visit by car.</p>

<p>All we want is the chance to compare; with this encouragement (and I’ll take up that great suggestion to get a time-extension from the privates…), I think we CAN and will compare, “as if” </p>

<p>Now, if folks enjoy continuing to post on this thread re: adminsitration wisdom and dealings with big unis, I AM very interested to hear! I just don’t want anyone to worry about us unnecessarily. Many thanks.</p>

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<p>Well, look on the bright side, maybe the administration be so incompetent that they will fail to cash a tuition check but give you credit anyway. It happened to me. :slight_smile: They’d infuriated me so much in the previous three years, that I never told them.</p>

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<p>mathmom, that’s hilarious.</p>

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<p>Good luck paying three! Congrats to your son! What a rollercoaster of emotion.</p>

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<p>We were just talking about something similar on the Musical Theater forum because Ithaca College is not sending out all of their decisions until April 15 which is very late. It doesn’t give accepted students enough time to do visits or revisits, weigh offers, look at the FA offers, and decide by May 1. I really think colleges need to send out decisions by or on April 1. Likewise, I don’t like what I am seeing of some BFA programs asking for a commitment for intent to enroll by April 10 to the PROGRAM even though the National Reply Date is May 1 and if a kid is gonna accept the BFA, it is pretty much the same as accepting the offer of admissions to the school, and is a way of them skirting the National Reply Date (though they are offering refunds for these deposits prior to May 1). This latter scenario was not at Ithaca.</p>

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<p>Whitman is holding its scholarship competition weekend right before May 1!</p>

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<p>Mathmom, that is fantastic! lol - I’m sure they never noticed.</p>

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<p>Likewise, I don’t like what I am seeing of some BFA programs asking for a commitment for intent to enroll by April 10 to the PROGRAM even though the National Reply Date is May 1 and if a kid is gonna accept the BFA,>></p>

<p>Soozievt, the NACAC professional conduct code clearly states that colleges and universities can not insist on a commitment before May 1. They can ask for one, but the student has the right to request, in writing, an extension to May 1. If any college refuses, reminding them of the NACAC professional conduct code usually suffices.</p>

<p>Most colleges will, if asked in writing, also give a short extension past the May 1 deadline if a student has not received all of their financial aid awards for comparison. I would suggest calling first to explain the situation, and then a follow up request in writing.</p>

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<p>Carolyn, I am very aware of the NACAC professional conduct code and have used copies of it with clients. It IS in their right to get extensions to May 1, the National Reply Date. Still, I think asking to commit to the BFA component by April 10 is wrong. Asking for a deposit (though refundable by May 1) to attend the accepted student event in mid April is not too great either, in my opinion. I think they are doing things to circumvent the conduct code, even if offering refunds. They are trying to force earlier decisions on the part of the applicant. </p>

<p>I also am not into what schools like Ithaca are doing or what whatever school the poster here is talking about, that notify of admissions decisions well after April 1. </p>

<p>Even with my own kid, two years ago, for one of her BFA programs, they wanted her to reply with intent to accept the scholarship around April 1, before she even had all her college admissions decisions in hand. While this wasn’t filing an intent to enroll, it was basically one and the same because if the student plans to enroll, of course she will choose to accept the scholarship. In that instance I did ask for a week’s extension to the end of the first week of April or so, even if entitled until May 1, until she at least had all of her college admissions decisions in hand in and around April 1. But I was bothered that they even attempted to handle it this way. The date to reply and commit is May 1…whether to enroll, put down a deposit or accept a scholarship. I think colleges should abide by that and I think they should notify of admissions decisions by or on April 1 to allow applicants a month to make their own decisions and do visits, etc. </p>

<p>Thank you for pointing all that out to me but I already knew it and use it to advise clients of their rights in these situations. But I was simply commenting on some cases I have seen lately relating to a case brought up on this thread.</p>