Your university application is finally in, all the stress and anxiety of finding the right university, course and city is over. You’ve met the deadlines, you have sent in all your application documents and now you wait. Don’t worry, you can contact the admissions officer to ask about your application, but there are some things you should remember.
Should I contact the admissions officer?
Waiting is also highly stressful and you’ll find that you have questions for the university. It’s ok to contact the admissions officer either by email or by calling them. In most cases, admissions offices will be more than willing to help you.
When contacting them, here are some top tips:
Do
- use a proper email address with a professional name
- write a clear subject line
- keep your email short
- only ask a maximum of three questions (guidance here for top questions you should ask and admissions officer in the US)
- check your spelling and grammar
- check your social media privacy settings – admissions officers will be checking your platforms
Don’t
- ask questions you can easily find the answers to on the university website or application portal
- use informal language, slang or abbreviations
- send the same email to many universities. It’s easy to spot an email that is generic. It doesn’t create a good impression.
When an admissions officer does reply to your email, be sure to reply to thank them. Even if you have had to wait a while for a reply, make sure you reply within a day or two.
Applications take time
Admissions offices and those who work there are often dealing with a significant volume of applications and paperwork. This is something to bear in mind when you don’t hear back. Patience is the name of the game in this case, as it’s likely your application is one of many being evaluated and processed. However, there is no problem with contacting the university and asking what the status is and what sort of time frames you may be looking at.
You may find this video useful in understanding the admissions process in the US.
Find out what an admissions officer looks for in an application.
Stay up to date
It’s important that you check any emails you receive from the university you have applied to; that includes your Spam folder too. In many cases an admissions office will keep you updated throughout the process and let you know the status of your particular application, for example if you will be required to attend an interview. These automatic reminders and updates may also inform you of any documentation or paperwork, such as qualifications, which is missing or needed from you to continue processing your application. You don’t want to miss a crucial email as it may slow down the process.
Discover an admissions officer's top tips for university application in the UK.
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