My Admission Mission
When I began applying for graduate schools, I had the admission process down to a science. Well, maybe, not a science because I was never good at science…so more of down to an easy process. I had already gotten my undergrad U to send out my transcripts before, so I was familiar with the process (a simple online request form). And my personal essay only took me an hour or so as I had decided I write more of a creative piece (part poem/part dream/goal essay). And then, there was the recommendations. I had a former employer who agreed to help me out. A friend of the family and a mentor from my school days.
The process was fairly self-explanatory. I read and re-read and re-read the stipulations and requirements and made a plan to send my admission information far ahead of the due date.
But I did have a stumbling block, with three ugly letters: GRE.
I really hadn’t calculated how long it would take to study for the test, make an appointment, get my results and have those sent. Due to the test and my prolonged studying, I barely made the deadline. The lesson learned: you have to have all the application materials, even missing one test score, one transcript, one recommendation letter cannot only cause you to have an incomplete application but may delay or even hurt your chances of being admitted.
Make sure you fill out a college application checklist on something tangible, like a piece of paper (not just a list in your head): Checklist
Make sure you watch the mail for any letters from your school of choice that might indicate you’ve got missing application materials.
And make sure you have someone else who helps you with the process…a parent, a friend, a spouse can be very helpful in keeping you on track.
