February 29, 2012
What to Expect for MSI Visiting Days
MSI Visiting Days, an event for admitted students, is your opportunity to delve deeper into any aspects of SI that interest you, address any questions you might still have, and really get a sense of the place and what your life might look like here. We have planned this event to give you the opportunity to converse with faculty in a relaxed setting; hear from current students about their experiences and meet with our students socially; learn more about the services we provide students from our staff; learn about the impact of the SI experience from alumni of the program; and see our beautiful new home in North Quad. This is also a great opportunity to meet some of the stellar people who will be your cohort members in Fall 2012!
The days are packed with information, but given the scope and depth of the SI program, there may be some areas that are not addressed in presentations as thoroughly as you might wish. I strongly encourage you take charge of your visit and seek out the people who might be able to share more with you. Ask questions at the presentations! Make the most of your time with current students! Our student groups will be out with you on Sunday night, and present a great opportunity to learn more. Visiting Days can be all that you make of it. This proactive attitude is something that will serve you well in your time at SI too. There are a great deal of resources and knowledge to be had…be sure to seek them out!
Some of you might be wondering about dress code for the weekend. I believe that you should first and foremost feel comfortable. You’ll be spending quite a lot of time sitting, but there will also be some walks that have you travel across campus, so keep that in mind for your shoes! Although we will be sending an email prior to the weekend to give you a weather update, spring in Michigan is always a bit unpredictable. I’d encourage layers (plus something for rain) to make sure you’ll be prepared. Temperatures can be anywhere from the 40s to the 60s during the day, and could dip lower in the evening. It can also be a bit windy, so a jacket is a good idea.
We also often get questions about what to wear to the Networking Fair with potential employers. Again, I’d stress that your comfort is important, and mention that you might feel a bit more comfortable at this event in something a little nicer than typical weekend wear, but there’s no need to go as far as a suit and tie. You’ll have the chance to make connections with employers for future internship and career opportunities, so go for looking sharp and put together.
On the topic of the Networking Fair, it’s completely appropriate to come with some resumes to share with employers with whom you are interested. This fair will give you the opportunity to chat with employers about your career aspirations and learn about their organizations. You’ll learn about current and future internship opportunities, and is a great chance to network with professionals in your field.
We strive to make this event as informative and meaningful for you as possible. Communication regarding the logistics of the event, such as lodging, parking, shuttles, etc. will be sent as the event nears, mostly the week leading up to Visiting Days. If you have any questions about Visiting Days @ SI, please don’t hesitate to contact us!
Veronica Falandino
vvergoth@umich.edu
Posted by vvergoth at 03:17 PM | Comments (0)
March 14, 2011
SI Scholarships
Our SI Scholarships are merit-based, and typically cover half of tuition (regardless of your residency status).
We go through 3-4 rounds of SI Scholarship offers (which typically cover 1/2 of tuition) throughout the term. We just completed the first round (late February/early March). Our next round will be in mid to late April, with the next round in mid to late May.
The first round of SI Scholarships are entirely merit-based. Subsequent rounds will always have merit as the primary factor for consideration, but we will also look at your motivation to attend SI and if there is anything in particular about the nature of your financial need.
These additional factors can be demonstrated by professional, consistent communication with us. You are welcome to submit an additional letter/email for the admissions committee's consideration. I've seen previous admissions committees look at your excitement about SI, your efforts in applying for external fellowships, anything particular about the nature of your need, the connections you make at Visiting Days, the professionalism of your interactions, and other things for the subsequent rounds of SI Scholarship.
Merit is still the primary factor, and by merit we mean the stregnth of your statement of purpose and personal statement, your letters of recommendation, your internship/research/work experience, your academic record including your GRE, demonstration of leadership, service, comfort with ambiguity, etc. It is NOT just your GRE/GPA.
If you have questions or would like to send a communication to the admissions committee, please feel free to email si.admissions@umich.edu or you can email me directly at vvergoth@umich.edu. For more resources regarding finances and aid, please visit http://si.umich.edu/applying/fin-aid.htm.
Posted by lauramb at 12:46 PM | Comments (0)
March 03, 2011
What to Expect for Visiting Days @ SI – March 26-28, 2011 – Ann Arbor, MI
Visiting Days @ SI, an event for admitted students, is your opportunity to delve deeper into any aspects of SI that interest you, address any questions you might still have, and really get a sense of the place and what your life might look like here. We have planned this event to give you the opportunity to converse with faculty in a relaxed setting; hear from current students about their specializations and meet with our students socially; learn more about the services we provide students from our staff; learn about the impact of the SI experience from alumni of the program; and see our beautiful new home in North Quad. This is also a great opportunity to meet some of the stellar people who will be your cohort members in Fall 2011!
The days are packed with information, but given the scope and depth of the SI program, there may be some areas that are not addressed in presentations as thoroughly as you might wish. I strongly encourage you take charge of your visit and seek out the people who might be able to share more with you. Ask questions at the presentations! Make the most of your time with current students! Our student groups will be out with you on Sunday night, and present a great opportunity to learn more. Visiting Days can be all that you make of it. This proactive attitude is something that will serve you well in your time at SI too. There are a great deal of resources and knowledge to be had…be sure to seek them out!
Some of you might be wondering about dress code for the weekend. I believe that you should first and foremost feel comfortable. You’ll be spending quite a lot of time sitting, but there will also be some walks that have you travel across campus, so keep that in mind for your shoes! Although we will be sending an email prior to the weekend to give you a weather update, spring in Michigan is always a bit unpredictable. I’d encourage layers (plus something for rain) to make sure you’ll be prepared. Temperatures can be anywhere from the 40s to the 60s during the day, and could dip lower in the evening. It can also be a bit windy, so a jacket is a good idea.
We also often get questions about what to wear to the Networking Fair with potential employers. Again, I’d stress that your comfort is important, and mention that you might feel a bit more comfortable at this event in something a little nicer than typical weekend wear, but there’s no need to go as far as a suit and tie. You’ll have the chance to make connections with employers for future internship and career opportunities, so go for looking sharp and put together.
On the topic of the Networking Fair, it’s completely appropriate to come with some resumes to share with employers with whom you are interested. This fair will give you the opportunity to chat with employers about your career aspirations and learn about their organizations. You’ll learn about current and future internship opportunities, and is a great chance to network with professionals in your field.
We strive to make this event as informative and meaningful for you as possible. Communication regarding the logistics of the event, such as lodging, parking, shuttles, etc. will be sent as the event nears, mostly the week leading up to Visiting Days. If you have any questions about Visiting Days @ SI, please don’t hesitate to contact us!
Katy Ross
Student Affairs Program Assistant
katross@umich.edu
734-615-7528
Posted by katross at 10:09 AM | Comments (0)
February 04, 2011
What is the timeline for making admission decisions?
During the past month, we have been working to review applications submitted by our early deadline, January 15. Although we will still take applications until May 1, those who apply by the early deadline get first consideration for SI Merit Tuition Scholarships. We have been working hard in the Office of Student Affairs to make sure that we connect with applicants, and help them to know if their application is complete, or if not, what is missing.
Over the next few weeks, the Application Review Committee will be reviewing applications that are complete, and be making admission decisions. We try to get decisions back to applicants within 4-6 weeks after they have submitted a completed application. The review committee knows what an anxious experience applying to graduate school can be, and they want to get answers out as fast as possible.
In general, the admission decisions to our program are rolling, but the scholarship award process is batched. So, we will be sending out admission decisions as they come in, but we will be making a first round of SI Merit Tuition Scholarship offers in early March. The additional rounds of offers tend to come in April (for the second round) and in May (for the third round). There is a little flexibility with this, but it gives a general idea of the timeframe we are working with. Also, if you are interested in further information about financing your education, please visit our Finances and Aid page.
If you have already applied to our program, you should be hearing a decision in the next few weeks. If you don't hear from us, feel free to email us and we can check into your application for you. I wish you all the best as you go through this process, and I'm happy to talk more with anyone about their application!
Posted by katross at 04:36 PM | Comments (0)
January 07, 2011
How do I know which application pieces you have received?
This semester is always a very busy time in the Office of Student Affairs as we are working to process all of the applications that are coming in, to meet the January 15 MSI application deadline. In general, we try to work with each applicant as much as possible to make sure you know which pieces of your application we have received, and what we might still need to make your application complete. Since our application is online, it does make things pretty easy for applicants. When you submit your online application, you are submitting your application, statement of purpose, personal statement, resume and transcripts. There is a helpful application checklist found on our Web site to help track the materials that need to be submitted. If you elect to have your recommenders submit their letters online to us, then you will receive a confirmation email directly through the online application system, as soon as the recommender submits their letter. For all the other remaining pieces, or to get a quick overview of what we have received or what we still might need in your application, you can also go to our Web site to check your application status. This will lead you to a personalized Web page that will let you know which documents we have received, and what we might still be waiting for. This will only work if you have submitted your application already, and if a couple of days have passed for us to have received your documents and matched them to your application. If this system doesn’t work for you, you can also E-mail us directly and we can check on your status for you.
I would recommend checking your application status via our online system occasionally, just to make sure that we receive all of your pieces before our deadline. We work really hard to communicate with all applicants that are missing things before the deadline, but we realize that sometimes an E-mail can be missed, and we would hate for someone to not realize that part of their application is missing. Overall, although it may take us a few days to match the pieces of your application together, we really will try to work with you to make sure that everything is complete by the deadline. Also, if you think you might miss the deadline by a day or two because of some unforeseen circumstance, be sure to let us know so that we can see about giving you a brief extension.
I hope this is helpful information for you as you work on your application. Remember to contact us if you have any questions at all.
Posted by katross at 03:59 PM | Comments (0)
October 15, 2010
What's the difference between Archives and Records Management (ARM) and Preservation of Inforamtion (PI)?
Associate Professor Paul Conway offers his insight into this question:
Perhaps the easiest way to think about the distinctions is to say that Archives and Records Management incorporates some systematic thinking about preservation and digital preservation, but those two important areas are only a little part of the wider world of archives management, which includes a wide variety of functions (appraisal, description, reference and outreach) including preservation. On the other side, Preservation of Information is itself an increasingly broadening area of intellectual inquiry, for which the principles of archival management are only one small part. At Michigan, PI incorporates digitization of a variety of media, preserving web resources, building and maintaining preservation repositories, and doing a range of functions, including supporting search and discovery. So one can pursue either specialization alone, or both specializations in tandem at SI. At the employment end of the spectrum, the digital preservation specialization is becoming a specific career path that is beginning to resemble database management, systems administration, and digitization project management. Archives as a career, on the other hand, often starts with a broad based approach to documentation, often with a strongly historical focus – often emphasizes the materiality of archives and its transformation through digitization. The archives profession is organized through professional associations, whereas the digital preservation specialty is not, rather part of other organizations. There are jobs in both areas inside and outside the cultural heritage sector of archives, libraries and museums.
Posted by vvergoth at 03:00 PM | Comments (0)
March 09, 2010
Revisiting Figuring Out Finances
This is a topic on many applicants' minds this time of year, so I wanted to share this information again.
Figuring out how to afford the investment of an MSI degree can seem daunting, but there are many resources available to assist you with funding. We typically give out our first round of SI Merit Scholarships in early March. Our second round is typically in mid to late April, and our third round is in mid to late May. The scholarships are always highly competitive, and typically in the amount of ½ tuition for 4 terms. The first round is merit-based only, and additional rounds also take into consideration things like your motivation to attend SI.
ULA positions are hired by the library directly, and they are typically decided by late March. They contact students they are interviewing usually by email and phone.
Teaching assistantship positions are hired by individual departments directly, and it can help if you have some teaching experience already. It’s a good idea to look through the undergraduate program pages directly to look for any opportunities, or to contact the departments where you might be qualified to teach. You can find postings here.
Research Assistant positions are typically given out to current students, and are competitive. Faculty usually prefer to hire students they know and who have performed well in the program. Certainly, you could use our web site to identify faculty whose research interests you, and email them to introduce yourself to begin the process of exploring future research opportunities.
We've added a new area to our website that offers specific recommendations from current students when looking for these opportunities. You can check that out here.
Filling out the FAFSA is always a good idea as you can turn down any loans that you do not want, but it is first come first serve. These are typically for US citizens or Permanent Residents and the contact info is at the Office of Financial Aid. There is also a loan for international students that they recommend.
Matching scholarship opportunities from SI are awarded on a first come first serve basis. Simply contact us if you have won an external scholarship, and we can work with you to provide our matching funds. See the section on matching funds for details.
Finally, there are external scholarship deadlines and timelines as well.
Posted by vvergoth at 04:18 PM | Comments (0)
March 10, 2009
What to Expect for Visiting Days @ SI
Visiting Days @ SI, an event for accepted students, is your opportunity to delve deeper into any aspects of SI that interest you, address any questions you might still have, and really get a sense of the place and what your life might look like here. We’ve planned this event to give you the opportunity to converse with faculty in a relaxed setting; hear from current students about their specializations and meet with our students socially; learn more about the services we provide students from our staff; and learn about the impact of the SI experience from alumni of the program. This is also a great opportunity to meet some of the stellar people who will be your cohort members in the Fall!
The days are packed with information, but given the scope and depth of the SI program, there may be some areas that are not addressed in presentations as thoroughly as you might wish. I strongly encourage you take charge of your visit and seek out the people who might be able to share more with you. Ask questions at the presentations! Make the most of your time with current students! Our student groups will be out with you on Sunday night, and present a great opportunity to learn more. Visiting Days can be all that you make of it. This proactive attitude is something that will serve you well in your time at SI too. There are a great deal of resources and knowledge to be had…be sure to seek them out!
Some of you might be wondering about dress code for the weekend. I believe that you should first and foremost feel comfortable. You’ll be spending quite a lot of time sitting, but there will also be some walks that have you travel across campus, so keep that in mind for your shoes! Although we will be sending an email prior to the weekend to give you a weather update, spring in Michigan is always a bit unpredictable. I’d encourage layers (plus something for rain) to make sure you’ll be prepared. Temperatures can be anywhere from the 40s to the 60s during the day, and could dip lower than that at night. It can also be a bit windy, so a jacket is a good idea.
We also often get questions about what to wear to the Networking Fair with potential employers. Again, I’d stress that your comfort is important, and mention that you might feel a bit more comfortable at this event in something a little nicer than typical weekend wear, but there’s no need to go as far as a suit and tie. You’ll have the chance to make connections with employers for future internship and career opportunities, so go for looking sharp and put together.
On the topic of the Networking Fair, it’s completely appropriate to come with some resumes to share with employers with whom you are interested. This fair will give you the opportunity to chat with employers about your career aspirations and learn about their organizations. You’ll learn about current and future internship opportunities, and is a great chance to network with professionals in your field.
We strive to make this event as informative and meaningful for you as possible. Communication regarding the logistics of the event, such as lodging, parking, shuttles, etc. will be sent as the event nears. If you have any questions about Visiting Days @ SI, please don’t hesitate to contact us!
Veronica Vergoth
Admissions Advisor
vvergoth@umich.edu
734-763-2285
Posted by vvergoth at 12:55 PM | Comments (0)
April 04, 2008
Housing Help
It can be absolutely exhilarating to finally decide where you want to go for grad school. After weeks and months of weighing this over that, you’re finally ready to buy your first (or second or third) piece of Michigan paraphernalia. You inexplicably find yourself exclaiming “Go Blue� at random moments. You’re not alone…these are the signs of a newly minted Wolverine (by the way…did you know that the Wolverine is not, in fact, our official mascot? It is merely our nickname).
At some point, excitement for this new phase in your life can turn to concern, worry, and even panic. Where are you going to live when you get here?
A great place to start for some general information about housing in Ann Arbor is this housing guide provided by the university’s housing website.
Also provided on the housing website is a pretty fantastic (if you ask me) map of Ann Arbor broken up by neighborhood. The map is interactive, so you can get a description of each area, plus view the listings there as well. For those of you looking to be a little further from undergraduates, I think that most undergrads live in neighborhoods 5 and 6.
Craiglist is alive and well in Ann Arbor. You can also check out Mapskrieg which gives you an Ann Arbor map with craigslist postings mapped out.
Generally speaking, you can find cheaper housing if you leave the center of town (and the center of Kerrytown). Lots of housing can be found near the city bus line which is free for students if you show your student ID.
Another great alternative is Northwood. Northwood is the official Graduate Housing through the university. You'll find families, grads, and international students living there. You can also get apartments furnished or unfurnished there, which could be helpful for some folks. Note in the price...all utilities are included, local phone service, DSL connectivity, and in Northwood IV and V, washer/dryer.
Here’s a Northwood testimonial from one of our incoming students: “I lived in family housing, and I really liked it. It's a very quiet place to live, and the bus comes every 10 minutes so you don't need a car to go downtown. The rent is comparable with apartments the same size, but all utilities are included. There is a Kroger and a coffee shop in walking distance.� –Colleen Theisen, incoming MSI student
Also, once you have your UM uniquename, you can log on to the Marketplace. There's all kinds of great stuff you'll find here. People post ads looking for roommates, housing, to sell stuff (including football tickets), etc. It's like a university-specific craigslist.
Good luck with the hunt! This is an exciting time, and as always, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us!
Posted by vvergoth at 01:05 PM | Comments (0)
March 11, 2008
eDemocracyCamp 2
Dana has already explained what the eDemocracyCamp is. As an MSI student focusing my study on Information Policy and Digital Government, I got much benefit from this Camp in terms of getting new ideas from many people who have been working in this field how to use Information Technology to promote democracy in the community.
I am interested in how Interactive Messaging for politics to get people engaged and respond to comments, messaging, and e-mails as well as using social networks like MySpace and Facebook to benefit building “strategic communities.� to create the potential to reach a much larger percentage. I could use the ideas and knowledge gained from this Camp for my future research in
There are also similar Barcamps taking place several times a year around the States which will be useful for MSI students especially those in Information Policy and Social Computing specializations who are interested in using IT and web2.0 technology for promoting democracy in their communities.
More information about the eDemocracyBarcamp can be found here.
Radaphat (Pae) Chongthammakun
MSI Student
School of Information
Posted by radaphat at 10:34 AM | Comments (0)
March 09, 2008
eDemocracyCamp
During the first weekend of March an SI colleague and I attended an eDemocracy BarCamp in Washington, DC. The purpose of the meeting was to talk about the area of e-democracy, including current practices, trends, technical tools, and best practices. E-democracy is a broad and variously-defined area and includes topics such as: online participation, organizing, campaigning, digital government, e-voting, as well as online deliberation and dialogue. Sessions represented this diversity and ranged from how to facilitate large-scale online deliberation to using gaming to enhance political engagement. A few of the other sessions included: Local Issues Forums; Communicating with Congress; Alternative Voting Systems; Podcasting and Political Activism; and Wiki Debate and Deliberation.
A quite interesting mix of people and organizations were represented – from local DC residents to nationally and internationally-based organizations such as eDemocracy.org, America Speaks, Democracy Begins at Home, My Society, The Policy Commons, LinkTank.org, and the Sunlight Foundation -- to name a few. Though SI was the only higher education sponsor of the meeting, there were a number of undergrad and grad students from Maryland, George Mason, Swarthmore, Georgetown and George Washington.
What is a BarCamp?
BarCamps are self-organized, highly participatory workshops. Session topics are proposed, led, facilitated, recorded, and scheduled by attendees. This particular BarCamp was initiated and organized by a group of volunteers using the BarCamp wiki. But once on-site, all attendees played a part in the workshop either by facilitating or participating in sessions.
Why did I attend the eDemocracyCamp?
My dissertation work is exploring the nature and content of public dialogue in a large urban online forum, the Philadelphia-based Phillyblog.com, an arena in which I believe issues are introduced, politicized, generalized and legitimated as issues of public concern. And though my research tries to extend some of our traditional definitions and conceptions of political deliberation, for me, the workshop was quite useful because of the focus (and belief in the potential of) online public discourse.
Dana Walker, PhD Candidate
School of Information
Posted by walkerdm at 12:40 PM | Comments (0)
February 20, 2008
Figuring out Finances
Figuring out how to afford the investment of an MSI degree can seem daunting, but there are many resources available to assist you with funding. We typically give out our first round of SI Merit Scholarships in early March. Our second round is typically in mid to late April, and our third round is in mid to late May. The scholarships are always highly competitive, and typically in the amount of ½ tuition for 4 terms. The first round is merit-based only, and additional rounds also take into consideration things like your motivation to attend SI.
ULA positions are hired by the library directly, and they are typically decided by late March. They contact students they are interviewing usually by email and phone.
Teaching assistantship positions are hired by individual departments directly, and it can help if you have some teaching experience already. It’s a good idea to look through the undergraduate program pages directly to look for any opportunities, or to contact the departments where you might be qualified to teach. A good URL to get started is http://umich.edu/undergrad.php. There is also a page called academic HR that posts some positions and can be a good resource as well at http://www.hr.umich.edu/acadhr/grads/postings.html.
Research Assistant positions are typically given out to current students, and are competitive. Faculty usually prefer to hire students they know and who have performed well in the program. Certainly, you could use our web site to identify faculty whose research interests you, and email them to introduce yourself to begin the process of exploring future research opportunities.
Filling out the FAFSA is always a good idea as you can turn down any loans that you do not want, but it is first come first serve. These are typically for US citizens or Permanent Residents and the contact info is at http://www.finaid.umich.edu/. There is also a loan for international students that the financial aid office recommends at http://www.finaid.umich.edu/Types_of_Financial_Aid/Loans/interloans.asp.
Matching scholarship opportunities from SI are awarded on a first come first serve basis. Simply contact us if you have won an external scholarship, and we can work with you to provide our matching funds. See the section on matching funds at http://si.umich.edu/applying/fin-aid.htm for details.
Finally, there are external scholarship deadlines and timelines that connect to on our website at http://si.umich.edu/applying/fin-aid.htm.
Posted by vvergoth at 03:27 PM | Comments (0)
March 01, 2007
Deciding on a School
Making decisions about where you will go to graduate school is pretty complex and involves many variables. Some of the variables that impact your decision may include the culture of the program, the course offerings, the career outcomes, research opportunities, faculty, reputation of the School, funding opportunities, practical exposure in the curriculum, and more! All of these variables are important, and it is up to each student to decide which factors are the most important to them, and how a School or program may fit in with their goals and plans.
Here at SI, we try to be as helpful as we can in communicating with admitted students about these issues, and about who we are as a School. Some of the ways that we try to make our program clear to students is by assigning all admitted students to a current student mentor, having an organized weekend visit called Visiting Days @ SI, and trying to be available on email or phone (or in person!) to help answer questions. We're happy to answer any email questions from students, and often try to connect them with other students or faculty who may be a better match for them to learn more about the program. Overall, learning about the School can be a process that happens over time, but as long as we work together, you can learn a lot about the program.
One of the big questions I often get from students is about when they need to decide if they are coming to SI. In general, we don't have a firm/final date by which students have to make a decision on our offer. We want to give everyone adequate time to explore their options and make the best decisions for themselves. However, if a student is offered a scholarship at some point, there will be a timeline attached to the offer for making a decision. We do abide by the national Council of Graduate Schools guideline of not requiring students to make decisions on funding offers prior to April 15. In general, we would like to know people's decisions as soon as possible, but we want to give everyone an opportunity to hear from other programs as well. Most students make their decisions in April or so.
I hope this is helpful information for any admitted student as they begin their process of evaluating programs, but feel free to contact us with any more specific questions and I'd be happy to talk to you more.
Posted by lauramb at 11:44 AM | Comments (0)
February 13, 2007
Applications, applications, applications...
Over these past weeks, we've been working with lots of applicants to help them get their applications submitted by the early deadline of Feb. 1. Although we will still take applications until May 1, those who apply by the early deadline get first consideration for SI Merit Tuition Scholarships. We've been working hard in my office to make sure that we connect with every applicant, and help them to know if their application is complete, or if not, what is missing.
Over the next few weeks, the faculty on the Masters Committee will be reviewing every application that is complete, and be making admission decisions. We try to get decisions back to applicants within 2-4 weeks after they have submitted a completed application. We can't always promise this, but we're pretty good about having a quick turn-around for decisions. The faculty know what an anxious experience applying to graduate school can be, and they want to get answers out as fast as possible.
In general, the admission decisions to our program are rolling, but the financial aid process is batched. So, we will be sending out admission decisions as they come in, but we will be making a first round of SI Merit Tuition Scholarship offers in early March. The additional rounds of offers tend to come in April (for the second round) and in May (for the third round). There is a little flexibility with this, but it gives a general idea of the timeframe we are working with.
If you have already applied to our program, you should be hearing a decision in the next few weeks. If you don't hear from us, feel free to email us and we can check into your application for you. I wish you all the best as you go through this process, and I'm happy to talk more with anyone about their application!
Posted by lauramb at 11:07 AM | Comments (0)
January 05, 2007
How do I know which application pieces you have received?
Welcome to the start of a new semester here at SI! We’ve all just come back from Winter break, and are trying to get back into the swing of things for the Winter semester. This semester is always a very busy time in my office as we are working to process all of the applications that are coming in to meet the Feb. 1 early deadline for the MSI Admissions. In general, we try to work with each applicant as much as possible to make sure you know which pieces of your application we have received, and what we might still need to make your application complete. Since much of our application is online, it does make things pretty easy for applicants. When you submit your application, that turns in your application, SI Application Essay, Personal Statement, and your resume. If you elect to have your recommenders submit their letters online to us, then you will receive a confirmation email directly through the online application system, as soon as the recommender submits their letter. For all the other remaining pieces, or to get a quick overview of what we have received or what we still might need in your application, you can also go to our Web site to check your application status. This will lead you to a personalized Web page that will let you know which documents we have received, and what we might still be waiting for. This will only work if you have submitted your application already, and if a couple of days have passed for us to have received your documents and matched them to your application. If this system doesn’t work for you, you can also email us directly and we can check on your status for you.
I would recommend checking your application status via our online system occasionally, just to make sure that we receive all of your pieces before our deadline. We work really hard to communicate with all applications that are missing things before the deadline, but we realize that sometimes an email can be missed, and we would hate for someone to not realize that part of their application is missing. Overall, although it may take us a few days to match the pieces of your application together, we really will try to work with you to make sure that everything is complete by the deadline. Also, if you think you might miss the deadline by a day or two because of some unforeseen circumstance, be sure to let us know so that we can see about giving you a brief extension. Finally, as soon as your application is complete here in our office, we will send you a confirmation email so that you know you are all set.
I hope this is helpful information for you as you work on your applications. Remember to contact us if you have any questions at all.
Posted by lauramb at 03:53 PM | Comments (0)
