Grrr......frustrated with guidance counselor

I agree, my son started in July as well, with a folder and a list. He checked weekly for online updates. He checked two-three times a week with the gc for verification or status updates of things she was responsible for submitting. He called the admissions office at the academy every other week to find out why the items the gc claimed to have submitted had not been updated on his file. It was the longest process I have dealt with in a long time. We were lucky, we were able to mail some of the forms ourselves, so a few things we knew were sent. It is definitely a waiting process, and as the admissions office explained to my son, they are particularly busy at this time of year.
 
Unfortunately, many gc's have total control over this process.


When your daughter goes into the gc, with her list of "to do's" have a receipt/log page in her notebook. She can say something like "This process is very complicated, so I came up with this way of keeping track of all that needs to be done." List everything that needs to be done by gc and by daughter and deadline for everything (if anything.....make up something for daughter to do so it doesn't look so one sided ..like call MOC or USAFA).

have gc sign and date her portion, daughter sign and date her portion
and agree on 'deadline date' to meet up....right that down on the log also.

Have daughter say: "Let's make a copy so we can both have one, and I'll drop back by on such and such date."

Either gc will be impressed and get the tasks done, OR will screw up again and then you have a paper trail to bring to principal.
 
Actually, I sent my whole package by myself. This included transcripts and everything except the mandatory recommendations. I had to get all my transcripts from the state university i took classes at, community college, and of course my high school transcript. None of my application was actually sent to the academy by my school, so I think AFA doesn't mind.
 
When we completed the packet this summer, the GC were on break (here they have all summer off). Anyway, the principal completed the class rank/size and did it wrong. We recently discovered the error b/c of the AFROTC scholarship application. Just emailed the AFA admissions counselor last night to ask how to get it fixed...waiting to hear back.

OT: My son has never been able to get through by phone to the admission's counselor...is it just bad luck? or pretty normal.
 
UPDATE:

DD met with GC on Friday (this is reminder #4) and GC said she would send it in that day. DD responded by saying she would check back in at the end of next week to find out if there were any snags and if so, she would see what she could do to help.:rolleyes::smile:
 
My son gave the nomination forms to the guidance counselor weeks ago. There were forms that the MOC wanted to come directly from the gc. My son checked every few days and she said she sent them but the MOC kept saying they hadn't received a few items. Finally on the deadline date, I went to the school, got the head counselor to produce the two items and hand carried them to the MOC.
Sometimes, I think a parent HAS to get involved or nothing will happen.
 
I agree that sometimes a parent has to get involved. Son worked with guidance counselors for months. The lady finally said she would not allow her personal email to be given to USNA. The school's firewall blocked emails from USNA. So, son went to vice-principle, she gave him her email and USNA sent her the forms to fill out. He asked, and asked, and asked if she had fiinished it. Explained ever so politely that the only thing standing between his completed application was her putting this off! "I will tomorrow." "I will this evening." .....and so on.......Finally, I go to town and meet with her. "Oh, yes, I understand this is very important, blah, blah, blah....." Still nothing. So, hubby (who is in cattle business) puts on coat and tie and heads to her office and has the conversation that this is the only part of son's application that is incomplete.......FINALLY she does it. He suggested that he would wait while she completed it. And he did, sat right there in her office. I think he also mentioned that if she did not have time, he'd see if principle could make time to do it.

Very frustrating. No matter how polite some of our kids are, the school officials simply do not take them seriously. You hate for it to have to go down that way, but at some point, parents are advised to get involved.
 
Oh, and if it is a matter of something needing to be mailed........I would arrive in the guidance counselor's office with a postage paid, already addressed, overnight or priority mail envelope. Make it easy for her.
 
Update

Just an update as I was the OP. All paperwork has been mailed, all scores have been sent and my daughter had the good fortune to receive another nomination from one of our senators. Now it's just the waiting. How long does it typically take for on-line status to reflect updates? The last two nominations showed up within 24 hours. The other paperwork was mailed (according to GC) two weeks ago. I figure it's a busy time plus holiday. Waiting is tough!
 
Could take a couple weeks. I recommend 1 week after sending everything, that you call the academy counselor and verify they received everything. Then, NICELY ask when things will show updated. To include nominations received. They will politely do yours almost immediately. They tend to not let things go once addressed. So being they're speaking with you, they'll usually grab your file, review, and update it then. Best of luck to you. mike...
 
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