Tag: applications

So The Application Is Open, Now What

  David Graves      September 5th, 2019

The UGA Freshman application opened up on September 1, and in the first 4 days, roughly 7,000 students started an application. We generally have a small spike of students start the application right away, but only about 200 have actually submitted the app right now, so don’t panic if you have not started. But now that the application is open, here are a few things to think about concerning your application to UGA. Should you apply EA or RD? I have no idea, as this is really up to you. The EA and RD reviews are the same, just on a different timeline. We have an initial academic review of each applicant, and then for a number of students, we go into more detail in our holistic review process, where we look at everything. We will be doing more holistic reviews during the October/November EA initial process, and we will also defer a number of applicants where we want to look closer at their file holistically but we need more time to read the files (mid-October to mid-November does not give us a huge amount of time for holistic reads). The big question you should ask yourself when choosing EA vs RD is as follows: Are you comfortable with us reviewing your file on October 15, or do you need more time to work on the app, later test scores or fall grades? If you are good with us reviewing you somewhere around 10/15, apply EA, but if you need […]

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Emergency Codes

  David Graves      July 9th, 2019

Last week, I volunteered for my 23rd year as a cabin counselor at Camp Sunshine, a camp for children with cancer. The campers during my week range from 7-12 years of age, and there is a wide range of situations with the campers, from ones who have been off treatment for years and having no challenges to campers missing limbs or going through medical care while at camp. Every year before the campers arrive, the camp staff goes over a list of camp rules to make sure the week goes by without any problems. This training covers a wide range of things, from important safety information from the medical staff (hydration and sunscreen are key buzzwords),  to the codes for a variety of different possible emergencies. Here is the short list of the emergency codes from camp: Code Red – Fire emergency at camp. Code Blue – Possible bomb/active shooter. Code Yellow – Missing camper emergency. Code Gray – Thunderstorm spotted. Code Black – Tornado Warning. When you’re working with a large group of people scattered around a huge camp space, you need to prepare for any possible issue and quickly alert people to any issue. As you can guess, most of these codes never occur. The only code used this year was code gray, but thunderstorms are normal for summer afternoons in Georgia. I did have a code yellow once, but the camper was just hiding out in the snack shack eating candy bars prior to leaving camp. Emergency […]

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Admissions Checklist

  David Graves      August 22nd, 2018

I will tell you right now, I love the podcast for NPR’s “Hidden Brain” by Shankar Vedantam. I hope that one day I might be a part of a story about college admissions on this podcast (I know, keep dreaming). And one of my favorite episodes on this program is “Check Yourself”, a podcast about how checklists, similar to the ones airline pilots now use, can be vital in other areas. The start of the program deals with the growth of the airline business, and a 1935 Boeing crash that led to the development of the first airline pilot checklist. It then leads into the other business sectors which can be improved by using checklists. In our research concerning last year’s applicant pool, there was a dramatic dip in both admission rates and strength of essays for students did not plan ahead in their college application process and who waited until the last minute to apply. Preparation is key for a number of things, including the college admissions process. With the opening of the UGA Freshman application on September 1 fast approaching, here is a quick checklist for potential applicants. While the first two checklists are key right now, I thought I would throw in the last one so you can see what is down the road. Pre-Flight Checklist College Spreadsheet: Create a basic chart with the name of each college you are considering, the application and material deadlines for the different schools and decision plans (EA vs RD for […]

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DIY Admissions

  David Graves      June 5th, 2018

For the last few weeks, my shower has suddenly started to drip water, even with the handle set at full off. I could live with a tiny leak, but this was becoming a steady leak, leading to other issues. So this weekend, I took on the task of repairing my shower in my house. I waited until my family was gone for the week, did some research on the internet on how to fix a leaky shower, and then built up my nerve to tackle the project. I am fine with fixing simple things around the house, even to the point of scaling the roof to fix a few torn shingles, but plumbing work terrifies me. I have nightmares about the entire shower suddenly falling into the kitchen due to my plumbing mistakes. But after looking at what was needed for a basic dripping shower, I figured I could take on the project. I watched the YouTube videos, read the package instructions, and I was ready. It started out simple enough – Step 1, remove the handle. 20 minutes and a lot of WD-40 later, the handle was removed. Step 2, remove the metal shower sleeve – done in 20 seconds. Step 3, remove the bonnet nut – you guessed it, 30 minutes, one new wrench and a lot of WD-40 later, bonnet nut removed. Step 4, remove the cartridge and look at the rubber gasket washers. Step 5, notice there are no rubber gasket washers. Step 6, watch a […]

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2017 Early Action Update

  David Graves      October 26th, 2016

With the Early Action deadline hitting about 10 days ago, here are a few updates about the process: Total EA Applications (7% increase over last year):  15,560 (submitted and fee paid) Complete Early Action Applications as of today: 13, 850 (89% of the group) # of EA Applicants Applying within 4 days of Deadline: 4,264 As you can see, a large number of the Early Action applications are complete. The biggest item that is missing right now are official test scores, and as long as they were both taken and UGA was marked as a score recipient by 10/15, we can use them. You can see if your SAT scores have been sent by looking at the Score Sends option on your online score report. The ACT does not have an online listing of when scores are sent, so you would need to contact them directly. We just imported 3,900 10/1 SAT scores this morning, so a large number of files just changed to complete. If you took the 10/1 SAT with Writing, those scores are suppose to be sent to us on 10/30. We are caught up completely on importing documents. If your documents were submitted by the 10/22 deadline, it will be considered for Early Action. If a document is not in, you need to take steps ASAP. Your Steps Be sure to check your Status Page to make sure you are complete!  If items you have sent are not showing up on your Status Page, double-check with your counselor, […]

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2017 Freshman Application is Open

  David Graves      September 1st, 2016

The 2017 Freshman application is now open! Here are a few key steps about what to do after you submit an application.  A short while after you apply, we will load your application into our system.  You will then be able to log into the Applicant Status page, and this is where you will be able to check on the status of your required supplemental items. When you enter your counselor’s name and contact information into the Academics page of the application, this triggers an email to go to your counselor so they can submit the required school/counselor report. FYI, we are okay if your counselor chooses to send in a counselor form through Naviance instead. Be patient as we load your application into our our system and match up test scores and supporting documents. We suggest giving our office 5-10 business days to match up items, especially if they are sent by mail, so you do not need to send items multiple times. Parents-While we have had parents start an application in the past, I do not suggest this for the 2017 application, as we are using a new system that links the application with our recruitment system. If you start an application, this will create a new prospective student in our system, and that is not what you (or I) want to happen. Documents (transcripts, counselor/school evaluations, etc.) that are sent prior to applying are now able to be matched with your record in our system when they […]

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2016 Freshman Application is Open

  David Graves      September 2nd, 2015

The 2016 Freshman application is now open! Here are a few key steps about what to do after you submit an application.  A day or so after you apply, we will load your application into our system.  You will then be able to log into the myStatus page. This is where you will be able to enter your counselor’s email for the school/counselor evaluation and check on the status of your required supplemental items. We are okay if your counselor chooses to send in a counselor form through Parchment instead. Be patient as we load your application into our our system and match up test scores and supporting documents. Test scores are loaded on Tuesdays and Fridays, and are not always sent immediately by the testing agency. We suggest giving our office 5-10 business days to match up items, so you not need to send items multiple times. Documents (transcripts, counselor/school evaluations, etc.) that are sent prior to applying take a little while longer than items sent after applying, so we suggest sending in materials after you apply. We accept electronic documents such as GACollege411 transcripts, Parchment (an electronic document system) documents and our own counselor form, as these get to us much quicker than printed documents that are mailed. We are okay with mailed documents (but do not suggest this option), but it takes more time to get to us through the mail, opened, scanned and into a file than with electronic documents. Starting in 2016, we have given […]

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Suggestions for Freshmen Applicants

  David Graves      August 21st, 2015

Yesterday, I posted some advice on what questions most admissions officers will not answer, at least not in the way that most prospective families are looking for in a response. Today I am going to focus on our suggestions for how to put your best foot forward with an admissions office. We truly love reading the applications of students who are passionate about attending UGA, and we want your application (and the application process) to be the best it can be. Always take care of things well before a deadline. A student who applies and submits all documents well before a deadline shows that they are the type of person who does not wait until the last moment to do things, from applying to studying to going to class. If X university is number one on your list of colleges, act like it. Proofread your application before you submit it. I am not just talking about proofreading your essays, but instead checking your whole application to make sure you are giving us the information you want us to see. We receive hundreds of emails right after a student applies to UGA asking for us to add X to their file where they forgot something, correct Y where they made a mistake, etc. After you complete your application, go over it one more time to make sure your birth date is right, all the clubs/activities that you want us to know about are listed, and your information looks correct. We even […]

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2015 First Year Application Suggestions

  David Graves      September 2nd, 2014

The first-year application opens up tomorrow, so here are a few hints for when you are starting your application. When you start working on the application, we suggest you have four items with you.  SSN card (you absolutely must give us your correct Social Security Number (please proofread it twice). A copy of your resume (we ask you to list your honors, activities, leadership, and work experiences which you may have already collected for a resume). This information is not used for EA, but we do use it for scholarship review, so that is why we ask it for both EA and RD applicants. A copy of your latest HS transcript (you need to accurately report the college prep curriculum you’re taking and the grades you’ve earned). Your fee payment information (to complete the application you must give us payment information, ideally for a credit card). After you have started the application and created your UGA “ApplicantID”, you can save your work and come back later to complete the application and make any corrections.  Warning: Once you agree to the UGA Honor Code and choose “submit” at the bottom of that final page, you cannot return to make changes or corrections to your application. As well, you need to complete a payment option (check/waiver or credit card) to finalize the submission of the application. When you are selecting your term, decision plan (EA vs RD) or major, select the ones you want, not what someone told you would be “easier for admission”. If you […]

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Random Admission Thoughts June 2014

  David Graves      June 11th, 2014

We have successfully made it through Year 1 of our new student system, and we have a great class of freshman coming in for orientation, and our Fall transfer decisions are at the end of the process. We just finished a meeting to discuss the changes for next year’s freshman application, and orientation seems to be moving along well. As such, here are a few thoughts as we transition from the end of the cycle for the Fall 2014 students and move forward with Spring/Summer/Fall 2015 applicants. At this point, approximately 60% of our enrolling freshman have sent in their final HS transcripts. Please make sure to do this ASAP, but know that this will not impact orientation. If we have not received a final transcript by August 1, we will not allow you to register for future terms until this issue is cleared up. In the same vein, transfers (and freshman with dual enrollment credit) need to send in updated college transcripts with Spring work. We are reviewing these daily, and we are also focused on checking orientation rosters to make sure we enter in updated credit prior to a student attending an upcoming session. Fall 2014 students, make sure you pay attention to your email, as we will be sending out information to students who may be missing items, from VLP to final transcripts, Immunization forms to completing Emergency Contact information. While the Spring 2015 applications are open and the deadline is 9/1, we will not begin any […]

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