You are either relieved that I’ve been quiet this weekend or wondering where the heck I’ve been. Friends, I am deep, deep, deep in the hell that is college applications. Here’s what I’ve done since Thursday:
- Completed online applications (without the essay) for UCLA, UNT, IU, UCSB and CSUN.
- Paid over $300 in application fees.
- Printed over 50 pages of RELATED applications for each college application relating to the requirements to enter as a music major for Sticks to complete by hand so that I can type it (otherwise it’s illegible)
- Created a Google calendar just to schedule audition dates so we don’t have one happening the same day as the other. As of right now, the last three weeks of January and first 3 weeks of February are dedicated to music auditions
- Requested various letters of recommendation from six different people for general admissions and more than I can count for music admissions
There has got to be a better way. Over at the Washington Post, Cliff Sjogren has some suggestions for simplifying the application process. I couldn’t agree with him more. Here are some other ideas:
- Create a central database to enter grades, residency info, school info, test scores, etc. rather than having to repeat the process for every single stinkin’ application.
- Agree on a standard for the standardized tests. We’ve got ACT (no writing), SAT with writing, SAT Subject Tests, and AP tests. Who the heck knows what the subject tests do for anyone. The AP tests are good, but as far as I can see, the ACT test is worthless without the writing. Of course, the ACT is the one he did the best on.
- Limit the requirement for outside recommendations to a series of standard questions for the respondent with a small area for additional comments.
- Standardize the GPA calculation. One school required calculation of GPA based on UC-required courses only. Another wanted the calculation on 10-12th grades (a much better one for us, since 9th grade was a disaster), another one wanted 9th-12th but limited the weighting for Honors/AP courses to 8 semesters, so if a student had honors courses in 9th or 10th grade they didn’t count, and another one wanted the GPA on the transcript from 9th-11th grades (which again makes him look awful because his best grades are this year — he’s got a 4.7 GPA right now).
Oh, and let’s not even go down the essay path. I am hating essays. Sticks is not a prolific writer. He’s got a great vocabulary and good understanding of mechanics, but also tends to boil everything down to 3 words. For one application, he needs 1000 words. 600 words for one question, 200 each for two others, and then 12 one-sentences responses and word association. YIKES.
This is really tough for ME to figure out, much less a single-minded, talented but clueless 17-year old. My kid wants to learn to play the best music he can and get an education in the process — that’s all. It’s stressful enough to think about going away to school (if he chooses UNT or IU), finishing his senior year with a high GPA to wipe out the 9th grade disaster, trying to have a life in there and being a kid. If I’m having trouble controlling my stress, I can only imagine what his must be like.
And we haven’t even gotten to the financial aid/scholarship process yet. Egad.
Anyone else got suggestions? It’s no wonder parents encourage community college for 2 years — the application process to universities takes about that long to understand.
Technorati Tags: ACT, SAT, college admissions
