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Why Didn't U. of Miami Tell Me If My Application Arrived?

Written by Sally Rubenstone | Jan. 11, 2012

Question: I applied to University of Miami in the middle of December 2011. It's already Jan. 11th, but I still haven't received an application confirmation e-mail!!! I'm really worried since most of the universities on my list have already confirmed completion of application. I tried to write e-mails to UM, but they didn't respond to any of them. I opened the website with application status checker, but found absolutely nothing on it. Am I rushing or am I right to worry? Help me please!

Don't worry! Your materials probably arrived safely but, if not, there is still time to replace them, even if the deadline has passed.

The U. of Miami Web site says:

4. In the "Admission" box, click on the link, "Application Documents Received". (View sample screen)

Note: If you do not see any option to view your documents it means your application is complete and with the Admission Committee for consideration.

(See: http://www.miami.edu/index.php/ug/applying/application_document_checklist/ ) <a href="http://www.miami.edu/index.php/ug/applying/application_document_checklist/ ) ">)

So, do you think it's possible that your application is complete and already being considered?

Note, however, that there is a huge rush in college admission offices at this time of year yet many close down entirely for a long holiday break. This means that it can often take several weeks to process applications that arrived in December.

I recommend that you wait another week and then, if you are still worried that your application materials are missing, you can telephone the Miami admission office to follow up. In the meantime, check with your school counselor to confirm that all the school documents were submitted to Miami on schedule. If your materials really are missing, you can replace them without penalty if you act promptly.

So relax, and just stay on top of this but try not to be stressed about it.

(posted 1/11/2012)

Sally Rubenstone

Sally Rubenstone knows the competitive and often convoluted college admission process inside out: From the first time the topic of college comes up at the dinner table until the last duffel bag is unloaded on a dorm room floor. She is the co-author of Panicked Parents' Guide to College Admissions; The Transfer Student's Guide to Changing Colleges and The International Student's Guide to Going to College in America. Sally has appeared on NBC's Today program and has been quoted in countless publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Weekend, USA Today, U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek, People and Seventeen. Sally has viewed the admissions world from many angles: As a Smith College admission counselor for 15 years, an independent college counselor serving students from a wide range of backgrounds and the author of College Confidential's "Ask the Dean" column. She also taught language arts, social studies, study skills and test preparation in 10 schools, including American international schools in London, Paris, Geneva, Athens and Tel Aviv. As senior advisor to College Confidential since 2002, Sally has helped hundreds of students and parents navigate the college admissions maze. In 2008, she co-founded College Karma, a private college consulting firm, with her College Confidential colleague Dave Berry, and she continues to serve as a College Confidential advisor. Sally and her husband, Chris Petrides, became first-time parents in 1997 at the ripe-old age of 45. So Sally was nearly an official senior citizen when her son Jack began the college selection process, and when she was finally able to practice what she had preached for more than three decades.