Grrr......frustrated with guidance counselor

guardianvg

5-Year Member
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Nov 20, 2009
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DD has two nominations, is physically qualified (at least according to DOdMerb, nothing on application site yet). We're having trouble getting the rest of her student profile information in. We have paid the SAT college board twice to send them in (6 weeks ago and just recently) and there is no indication that they were sent. My daughter gave her guidance counselor all of the paperwork and information weeks ago. Her status showed the info was still missing, so rather than call the AFA, she set up an appointment to meet with the guidance counselor who informed her she couldn't remember if she had sent the info in or not.

This counselor has a history of sending in stuff right at the deadline and reacts badly to pressure. My daughter gave her everything again and plans to check in again at the end of this week. Sorry just needed to vent!:mad::mad::mad:
 
I'm not an expert or anything, but if it were me, I would try to remind the guidance counselor to send it in DAILY. It's better to send it in twice than not at all. If that doesn't work, is there anyone else you can get to send in the paperwork to the Academy?
 
try the principal if the g cousellor not getting it done - it is her job to do if she is not go over her head.
 
We had the guidance counselor give all the forms to us and then we mailed it. That way we knew exactly when it was sent and watched the AFA website to insure they got it.
 
Dont be afraid to contact the admissions counselors at USAFA. It is very busy this time of year and updates can be slow.
 
guardianvg - good advice to contact USAFA admissions - they can contact the gc if information is still outstanding.

about your gc - Have you called the gc? If not then make the call. Perhaps you can set up a meeting with the principal and gc and discuss how to get the proper information for your dd to the AFA.
 
Sat's

Folks, take it from an '08 grad's Dad........DO THE PAPERWORK YOURSELF!!! I got little or no help from my son's H.S. Guidance dept. It is a huge job, but having seen my son grow from being a little kid from the mountains of N.C. to graduating flight training this Friday....it's well worth the effort!!!
 
Thank you for all your suggestions! I think we'll contact the Academy as a follow-up and see if they feel they need to give her a call. Another parent's bitter experience says not to go over the GC's head until absolutely necessary. We still need GC recommendations and cooperation for civilian colleges as my daughter is pursuing an AFROTC scholarship as Plan B and civilian scholarships as Plan C.
 
Also, this high school sends everything in for you, which technically is supposed to make it easier, but I'm not convinced!
 
Thank you for all your suggestions! I think we'll contact the Academy as a follow-up and see if they feel they need to give her a call. Another parent's bitter experience says not to go over the GC's head until absolutely necessary. We still need GC recommendations and cooperation for civilian colleges as my daughter is pursuing an AFROTC scholarship as Plan B and civilian scholarships as Plan C.

Oh no. I would not worry about rocking the boat a little bit. This is your daughter's future you are talking about. I think having a friendly meeting and getting everyone on board will help you all to get on the same page.

BTW - SAT's should come directly from the college board but doesn't the school profile need to come directly from the guidance office as a part of the official transcript?
 
Just read your post #9 -
my kids' high school sent everything in as well. Have your daughter make friends with the guidance secretary. schmoozze a little bit. (bribery works too - a little Christmas candy for her desk?)
Also encourage your daughter to take the initiative and follow up - she can drop by between classes "just to check".
 
try the principal if the g cousellor not getting it done - it is her job to do if she is not go over her head.

We have a similar counselor, and just listed the principal as the point of contact for everything and had him fill out all the forms. We've been having problems with the counselor all along, so we asked early in the HS years if we could get a new one. When told that was against policy, we asked the principal if he'd be willing to oversee anything we needed, so since then we've copied him in on everything. On a plus note, g counselor was out for two months this fall with a baby, and her replacement was MUCH better. We did as much as we could during those two months for all of my kids!

Dont be afraid to contact the admissions counselors at USAFA. It is very busy this time of year and updates can be slow.

That's not just now. My son had everything in in August, and it still look a long time for things to be updated. It was kind of frustrating because the guidance staff was only in once a week, so he'd call, they'd insist they'd sent everything, but it still wouldn't show up on his online app. He finally called admissions, and the counselor there looked through everything and finally found his transcript in a big pile. And it still took another 2 weeks after that to show up online.

Also, this high school sends everything in for you, which technically is supposed to make it easier, but I'm not convinced!
Our school also insists on not giving anything out to the parents/students for confidentiality or security reasons so we couldn't send it in ourselves.

Good luck! I would definitely check with the AF admissions counselors though (ours was very good about returning phone calls or even answering the phone directly) and make sure where the problem/holdup is first.
 
I personally would not call the gc as the parent, but have your DD do it. If she is stonewalled, then step in, but give her the chance to rectify it first.

I know you are anxious, hoping that having her file completed will mean the golden ticket will come earlier, but please remember that files do not need to be completed until the 1st of March.

Your DD could have had her file completed yesterday, yet not get any news until March. The reason why, is that if there is no principal or rank (only @ 30% MOCs use this method), the ENTIRE SLATE must be assigned a WCS before an appointment is given. In other words, MOC submits a list alphabetically (your nom letter typically states how the list is submitted ---principal, rank, or unrank). She does not have to have her GC in until the due date, nobody can be given that apptmt., until her file goes up for review.

This is also why many kids delay their CFA. They do so to max it out knowing that the AFA cannot charge to the MOC until they have a WCS for everyone.

Finally, if I am correct, you can no longer send the gc's info from your own hands. They must electronically log in themselves to the AFA site, just like the teachers' recs. Thus, it really is out of your hands and at the mercy of the GC.

If all else fails, have your DD call the Regional regarding this issue, not you. It shows that your child wants it, compared to you being the driving force.
 
I personally would not call the gc as the parent, but have your DD do it. If she is stonewalled, then step in, but give her the chance to rectify it first.

Finally, if I am correct, you can no longer send the gc's info from your own hands. They must electronically log in themselves to the AFA site, just like the teachers' recs. Thus, it really is out of your hands and at the mercy of the GC.

Defintely! Sorry if my post wasn't clear in that respect. Your daughter should definitely be doing the calling.

As far as the information, much of it was electronic, but I know my son's transcript had to have the stamp/signature and be mailed directly, not faxed or done online. I suppose technically they could have given it to him and he could have mailed it on, but our school doesn't allow that by policy. (Probably too many kids getting them and losing them and creating more work!).
 
Thanks everyone! My daughter has been serving as point on everything. She makes all interviews, followups, difficult phone calls, etc., herself. It's just very disconcerting to have a GC say "I can't remember" when asked if something was sent in. I mean, don't you know? Isn't it recorded somewhere?

And again, it's not exclusive to my daughter. My friend's daughter had worked for years to get into her Ivy league choice. She found out the day before the paperwork was due (I know her bad) that it hadn't been sent in and this GC was out sick. It went up the chain of command and the GC was very defensive and angry. She called out the daughter at a club meeting in front of other students and told her it was very unprofessional of her to try to contact her at home and go over her head.

The paperwork did make it in, but only after several phonecalls and e-mails.

My daughter has an appointment at the end of the week to check on progress of round 2 of paperwork.
 
As far as the information, much of it was electronic, but I know my son's transcript had to have the stamp/signature and be mailed directly, not faxed or done online

Transcripts are different, they must be mailed, but the AFA requires the teachers and the gc to give recs, and that is online only. Your child will never be able to see it. They are 2 different parts of the application. The transcript really shows the gpa, rank, courses, SAT/ACT, AP/IB/Honors taken, positions held (class president) awards(NHS, Beta, Who's Who), sports, etc. You can get a copy from the GC.

The GC report online answers more specific questions regarding their profile, such as, how many students go to Ivies, 4 yr private, IS, OOS, Community, etc. Additionally, they answer questions of the rigors of the school, how many AP/IB's offered, honors, state mandated courses/requirements, school of excellence, school ranking within the county and/or state, Jump Start, etc. I know this because we had the best GC ever and she told us what she had to submit to the AFA 2 yrs ago from her on-line req.
 
As far as transcripts go....I had my son's school give me a sealed copy and I OVERNIGHTED them to the Academy. Never...and I repeat... NEVER depend on your school to complete anything without some followup.
 
falcon1 - that is nice however, MANY schools will NOT allow sealed transcripts to be sent by the student. They require that they send them. This is to prevent them from being "doctored".

guardianvg - it's good for your daughter to handle this on her own - however, if you are not happy with the situation it is appropriate for you to make a phone call to the guidance counselor.
 
It has been three years since we did the dance. Daughters USAFA counselor was very helpfull. I had to make most of the calls to her because of the work hours. The High School Counselor was not very helpfull and had some negative opinions about the Military in general. The most proactive thing a parent can do is stay on top of DoDMERB, and follow-up on what has been submitted if needed.

The Candidate has to have the drive and desire to make sure everything gets completed. I agree with PIMA in general on this, they also lived on the East Coast during the admissions process. The time difference can make it easier for a parent to make some contacts with USAFA.
 
Each school is different. If you can do it yourself; do it. My son did his entire application in July. He already spoke with the school to see when they were open in the summer. He went in with a large envelope and starting saying what he need.

1. official stamped transcripts
2. Copy of school profile
bla bla bla.

He then put everything in the envelope (After making a copy of everything. ALWAYS make a copy of EVERYTHING). He licked it; had the school run it through their postage meter. Put the school's return address on the envelope. And he hand carried it to the post office. BE PROACTIVE. Mike....
 
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