about ● nature ● inspiration ● archives

Nearly ten days later and an update.  Sorry, I can be bad at keeping up with things on occasion.

So, since last Friday a lot has happened.  And then again, not much has happened at all.

In terms of the application process, I spent all of last Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday visiting the site to see if my application had been processed yet.  Waiting on "pins and needles," is the popular phrase, I do believe.  By Tuesday, I was able to officially log on to the myapp website, which meant that my application had been processed and the real journey was about to begin.

So, a little information and explanation...once your official request to be a student is sent in and processed, MUM sends you a student application ID and a link to a website that helps you keep track of how you're doing with the application process.  As a side note, I find this website EXTREMELY useful!  From this website, I discovered that I needed to send in high school transcripts, university transcripts (only because I'm a transfer student, not a first time freshman), two teacher recommendations, and a FAFSA (this is optional and only necessary if you intend to receive financial aid). Apart from the information I need to send in, I also discovered that I had to answer four essay questions, read an overview of the more in depth details of the university, and also do a few little write-ups to explain what I did and what values and experiences I gained in the year after I graduated from high school before I enrolled in a university.  After I officially complete all of this, I will have an interview with my admissions counselor before a final decision is made about how well I match up with MUM.

On Tuesday I called my high school to see if they could mail out my transcripts relatively soon, only to discover that my high school is on spring break and no one was available to take my request.  Unperturbed, I instead used my free Tuesday to read the in-depth overview of MUM and to call a woman whom I have volunteered for for several years and ask her if she would be willing to write a recommendation for me.  I also asked my english 211 professor from this semester if he would write a recommendation on Tuesday.  My english professor from my 111 class last semester actually resigned from her teaching position this semester so, on Wednesday, I stopped by the english department and asked for a way to contact her; she has since agreed to write a third recommendation for me.  I also stopped by the admissions and records office of my current university and asked them to mail out my transcript this past Wednesday.  OH!  I forgot that I wrote my four essays on Wednesday!  That was actually a lot of fun.  I mean, I was worried about it, a little bit, but then I started writing and I just had so much fun and I really realized exactly how much i want to go to MUM.  I feel like this is the only university that could ever be for me!  And as of Friday I've contacted the ACT and SAT scoring centers and requested that they send MUM my scores as well, just as a sort of extra padding on my application (because I feel like I had fairly decent scores on my SATs and ACTs).  Friday was also the day I managed to sync up my free time with my mother's and we knocked out the FAFSA together.

So that's an update on everything I've done in the admissions process so far.  That's what you've been missing out on the past ten days.  I suppose I've been pretty busy, but it still feels like I'm so far away.  Even after everything I've done this past week, I still have to wait for both my university transcripts and ACT/SAT scores to be received and I have to wait for two of my teachers to get around to writing those recommendations.  I also still have to call my high school as soon as they get back from spring break for transcripts.  And I have to do those short write-ups about everything I've learned from the things I had done before I started going to a university.  And even after all of that, I'll have to go through the interview process before I'll fully be considered for a position as a student at MUM.

Oh yeah, I met my admissions counselor on Wednesday.  Or, I met her as well as you can meet someone over the phone.  She's so nice, such a positive person.  And she was so genuinely interested in me and my needs as a student; it wasn't like she was just doing her job....she actually cared.  She was such a wonderful person, we had a great conversation!  And I had to call her a few days later to ask some basic questions about the meditation process and dorm life and the like....it was super late over in Iowa by the time I called but she was still so willing to help me out.  I don't think I could ever convey how much I appreciated her time.  She's really such an incredibly patient person.

Hopefully sometime soon I'll finally give you all a full run-down of what type of a school MUM really is and why I feel like it's the only place that's meant for me.  Maybe I'll update the blog with that information during my break between Philosophy and Sociology this next Wednesday!  :)

Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful day, and I hope this obnoxiously long/overly detailed update on the application process has been somewhat helpful.