UMD and other applications that need extra time for processing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No matter the school, it’s always a good idea to have things sent well ahead of the deadline. Sometimes things go missing. It’s good to leave enough time that you can fix it if you discover it. DS applied early to all his schools and then ended up with transcript issues which thankfully he discovered in plenty of time. It took a few weeks to get the HS to resolve it on their end.

Every year kids apply to UMD and end up with incomplete applications for the EA deadline. I think admissions is just trying to warn applicants because there are zero exceptions for late materials.

Of course it's good to be ahead of deadline, but UMD already sets their deadline a month early for no good reason.

The issue to me is if things take 10 day to load, you realistically need to submit 20 days in advance because there can be such a long lag time between something being received and showing as received. And it puts students in an uncomfortable position with their recommenders if their letters aren’t showing up promptly so they have to repeatedly ping them (assuming your recommenders are not in Naviance or a similar centralized platform where you can track progress).

[Anonymous]

Dumb question from a parent going through this for the first time: we sent transcripts to UMD for dual enrollment courses several weeks ago and I can see (via Parchment) that they were downloaded. Does this count as 'received' by UMD? We have not submitted the Common App yet (planning on doing that on Saturday) but now I am freaking out that if it takes 10 days to update the applicant portal I won't know in time to fix anything. I also am wondering how they manage to match up my son's transcripts with his application but they managed that in the olden days when things were snail mailed so trying to talk myself off the ledge.

[Anonymous]

Kid submitted last night.

Fingers crossed.

[Anonymous]

DC had transcripts, SAT and AP scores submitted well before submitting the common app. Note that UMD says opening the dashboard is now technically part of the application process, so your student must do that once the common app is submitted.

(Seems like a simple thing but I guarantee that kids will ignore it and get tripped up on that.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does this the 2 week window include letters of recommendation?

To be posted as received in the portal? Yes. To actually be received? No. Students are accountable for everything they fully control to be done by 11/1. There’s a little slack for the teacher/counselor letters of rec.

Do you know if that applies to the 4 "optional" letter as well?

DS noticed that only 2 of his optional recs are in, and he's already reminded the other people but it still shows as not started. He doesn't want to sit and wait on them to submit. He is certain the other optional recommenders will eventually get it in but they are just taking their slow time for whatever reason.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does this the 2 week window include letters of recommendation?

UMD says to also send official SAT/ACT scores by the deadline in order for my application to be considered complete

This !! I just saw it and was stunned. I always thought you self- report then follow up with official scores upon acceptance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does this the 2 week window include letters of recommendation?

UMD says to also send official SAT/ACT scores by the deadline in order for my application to be considered complete

This !! I just saw it and was stunned. I always thought you self- report then follow up with official scores upon acceptance.

I find that reading each college’s application website is essential. If you don’t, you will miss things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does this the 2 week window include letters of recommendation?

UMD says to also send official SAT/ACT scores by the deadline in order for my application to be considered complete

This !! I just saw it and was stunned. I always thought you self- report then follow up with official scores upon acceptance.

I find that reading each college’s application website is essential. If you don’t, you will miss things.

Even better, submit early enough so you can see exactly what is missing in the portals.

[Anonymous]

Do the kids get an email to sign into the UMD portal once they submit? I am assuming when parents are saying "dashboard", they are talking about the portal dashboard and not the dashboard on the common app?

DS submitted over the weekend and mentioned this morning that he hasn't seen anything yet in his email.

[Anonymous]

On the umd admissions page for submitting documents it says high school transcripts can be submitted electronically through common app/naviance/scoir. Does the hs counselor do this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:On the umd admissions page for submitting documents it says high school transcripts can be submitted electronically through common app/naviance/scoir. Does the hs counselor do this?

Our school had a formal process through naviance to request both LORs and transcripts. The HS gave a deadline and sent reminders. I don't know the exact process (my kid did it) but I think it was just logging into Naviance, listing the schools you were applying to and clicking a button. The school counselor has to kind of approve/process the request. (Again, I assume it is just them logging in and clicking a button.) They sent out notes with deadlines (e.g., "For Nov 1 deadlines, make sure you've made the request in Naviance by Oct. XX.). However, I'm sure they did their best to process them even if kids missed the deadline. Not guaranteed, but I didn't ever hear of them not doing it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do the kids get an email to sign into the UMD portal once they submit? I am assuming when parents are saying "dashboard", they are talking about the portal dashboard and not the dashboard on the common app?

DS submitted over the weekend and mentioned this morning that he hasn't seen anything yet in his email.

They will get an email. If memory serves me correctly it was a couple days unlike other schools that were within 24 hours.

[Anonymous]

Michigan is similar, although with ED it might be different this year. If you didn't get your application in early in the past, you were automatically deferred, because they didn't have time to review all the applications they received toward mid- to end of October

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On the umd admissions page for submitting documents it says high school transcripts can be submitted electronically through common app/naviance/scoir. Does the hs counselor do this?

Our school had a formal process through naviance to request both LORs and transcripts. The HS gave a deadline and sent reminders. I don't know the exact process (my kid did it) but I think it was just logging into Naviance, listing the schools you were applying to and clicking a button. The school counselor has to kind of approve/process the request. (Again, I assume it is just them logging in and clicking a button.) They sent out notes with deadlines (e.g., "For Nov 1 deadlines, make sure you've made the request in Naviance by Oct. XX.). However, I'm sure they did their best to process them even if kids missed the deadline. Not guaranteed, but I didn't ever hear of them not doing it.

Thanks. How do these counselors not get burned out?

[Anonymous]

And reviewers too, tho there is AI https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1290454.page