When to Contact the Admissions Office During the Application Process

While contacting the admissions office on a regular basis only to reinforce your strong interest is almost always viewed negatively, it is perfectly legitimate for applicants to reach out from time to time. Here are some instances where this would be the case:

1. Before learning of the decision on your application, you reach a decision of your own: You are no longer interested in attending that institution.
2. You receive an academic award/honor, a promotion at work, etc., after submitting your application.
3. You have been asked to submit additional information and were told you would be notified when it arrives. It has been over a week since you sent the information, and there is still no word from the admissions office.
4. Several days have passed since the notification deadline, and you have not heard anything.

If at any point you decide you are no longer interested in a particular program/institution, let them know immediately. You have obviously been doing your homework during the process of applying, and for whatever reason this option is no longer on your list. Send a letter to the admissions director, asking that your application be withdrawn. This way you help to make a seat available for someone else.   

Should you receive an academic award/honor, or a promotion after your application has been submitted, contact the admissions office via email, and ask if you can add this information to your application. The answer will most likely always be “yes.” Then ask how best to submit the update(s).

There are times when the admissions office will ask you for additional information. For example, they may request another letter of recommendation, ask for clarification of something mentioned in one of your essays, or request confirmation of employment dates, address information, etc. In most cases this is a good sign. It means there is definite interest in your candidacy, and because of that, confirmation of information submitted or additional information is being requested. Do not panic or over-react. Simply provide what is requested, and if after ten days you do not receive notification that it was received, call and verify that the additional information has been placed in your application.  

If an institution has not notified you of a decision by the deadline, wait for seven to ten days and then call the admissions office to ask for an application status update. But before doing so, take time to make a list of all of the possible responses you may receive. And make a promise to yourself that you will respond professionally regardless of what you hear. Some of those responses will be:

1. “We are behind in our evaluations and it will take several more days/weeks.” In this case, your obvious response is to thank them for the update.
2. “We did send/post your notification decision on (date).” If you check and the notification is not there, ask them to resend/repost.
3.  “We would like to do an interview with you, and were not yet able to contact you.” If this is what you hear, by all means, let the committee know that you would be delighted to conduct an interview. Then ask for next steps.
4.  “We contacted you to ask for additional information, but never received it,” or, “Your application was never completed.” This will obviously come as a surprise. KEEP YOUR COOL! Do not become argumentative or accusatory. Let the committee know you are very sorry, and that you thought your application was complete. Find out what is needed, and ask if you can send it online or via overnight mail within 48 hours. Then check a day or so later to make sure what was needed has arrived.  

Remember: Every time you communicate with the admissions office, you are sending a message about your level of maturity and professionalism, for better or for worse.

Dr. Don Martin is Consultant at Residence at Spring