Uncooperative School

SemperExcelsius

10-Year Member
5-Year Member
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Mar 10, 2008
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Is anyone else having/had trouble getting items vital to nominations (transcript, GPA, etc.) from their school? My school is not being very cooperative despite multiple visits and emails. School has also been out for a week (we got out May 22nd), so I don't understand what their problem is.

I realize that the stuff doesn't need to be in till September-ish for my particular nominating sources, but I was trying to get this all done before school starts in August for me (when again, they'll be extrememly busy changing schedules, etc.) Also, I will be out of town from this Sat to early July, so something less to worry about was what I was aiming for by finishing early.

Has anyone else had this problem, and what did you do to overcome it? I don't want to irritate my contact points at the school (I think they're already getting tired of me), but my school isn't what you would call an "average" school (as I've mentioned before, my school district is currently under academic probation). They've had students apply to regular colleges but I don't think that they understand the complexity of the application to a service academy. I don't believe that I'm annoying them with constant requests, but I fear their patience is wearing thin with me. I realize that the road to apply for a service academy is filled with these potholes... But I'm looking for some asphalt to fill this one in :wink:

Sigh... Apologies for my rant :unhappy: that went on longer than I expected.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!
 
Are you trying to get official transcripts?

They may not be ready yet. I would have your parents call and speak with the guidance counselor first, then the principal and work up the chain of command that way.

You do have time. You don't need your official transcripts for nominations yet - I would even wait until the fall since you are probably going to be doing stuff over the summer. You want your application as current as possible. It give you no benefit to turn it in 4 months before the deadline.

What you can be doing is lining up your letters of recommendation.
 
Draw down? :biggrin:

Keep at it. Call them on Mondays and Thursdays until they get the hint.
 
My school has been pretty cooperative with everything that I have asked them for so far. I think it is because I know my Vice Principal and also my Principal very well and they know how much going to the Naval Academy means to me. The only problem that I have seemed to come into is my counselor put up tons of road blocks in verifying my ECAs (part of the online application). I even had my advisers, etc. who know what I have done/ earned send him emails and finally he signed it today.
My school is also on academic probation- I don't think that is the problem, maybe try going in with your parents and explaining to them how much you really want to attend the Academy and these are the things you need.
Good luck!
Respectfully,
Kathleen
 
I have learned a wonderful technique to use in any situation in which you feel that you are being "stonewalled."

Be "Pleasantly Persistent"

Pack up a tote/bookbag with reading material or anything else that will keep you busy for awhile. Arrive wearing a smile. Ask for whatever you are seeking. Then pleasantly tell the person that you'll be "happy" to wait for it and that you've brought material that you need to work on. Then quietly sit down and get busy.

I've used this 3 times and it works like a charm. People do not like the feeling that they have someone waiting on them for something and will usually get to your issue just to get you out the door.

In your case, I suggest one of your parents attempt this. School bureaucracies tend not to value a student's time, but they do not want to upset a parent.

Don't use this too often in the same place, or it will lose it's effectiveness. :shake:
 
Don't use this too often in the same place, or it will lose it's effectiveness. :shake:

Unfortunately some of these students need to have in the neighborhood of 7 transcripts sent out if they are applying to the USNA, NROTC and the 5 schools the NROTC wants you to apply for. Times this by two if you apply to another Service Academy.

edit....sorry....
 
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Our school will gladly prepare as many transcripts as a student needs...however, they cost $2 each and students need to allow 5 days processing. We found out the hard way that the school does not mail them. We are to then pick them up and mail them ourselves! One might wonder what our $$ goes for if not postage, but our school doesn't encourage one to ask too many questions!
 
It took our guidance office over three weeks to get requested transcripts out in the spring after school was out. The reason? They were preparing the final transcripts for the Seniors whose final copies had to go out to their new respective colleges. Seniors records of course took precedence over Juniors!

That said, I've used the camping-out-in-the-guidance-office technique for schedule changes for my kids while they were gone to band camp. Forewarning: be prepared. I sat there working on stuff for over 4 hours and the guidance counselor never even came out of his office. He supposedly had new students he was dealing with.... Four days of camping out all day long later, I finally got in to see the counselor all to be told there was no way to change the schedule. And we are *tuition* parents. ARRRGGGG! :frown: :thumbdown:
 
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