Hounding them?

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So my husband spoke with someone that just graduated from one of the nursing programs I applied to. It's actually my first choice! Well, she told him that she initially was put on the waiting list, but called and emailed them all the time and was finally offerred a spot. She told him that her best advice is to "keep calling and hounding them because that is what they want". :stone I'm thinking, they're going to think something along the lines of, if she's this much of a pain in the a$$ now, what will she be like in school?

This woman told my husband that if she had known what she knows now, she would have been calling them from the get-go. Now my husband thinks I should be calling the school every day. I mean, letters go out in about 2-3 weeks. I can't see how making a million calls will increase my chances.

What are your thoughts on this?

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i think that sounds ridiculous.... no school would give you a spot just because you bothered them enough... at least i wouldn't want to go to a school like that.

i think that girl is full of it....

i would rely on good scores/grades and not on making a bunch of phone calls that in reality are probably just going to annoy people

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Yeah, I agree. I wonder if she's trying to sabotage me?:idea: :chuckle

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as competive as getting in the program is, i wouldn't be suprised that there are people out there willing to sabotage others...

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Specializes in Med/Surg <1; Epic Certified <1.

Not only that, but I wouldn't want my name that well-known before I started classes, lol....I just lay low and let my work and tests and conduct speak for themselves....I would not be looking to have a spotlight on me BEFORE I start school, sheesh....I don't think they would take kindly to being harassed at this point if they're in the process of getting letters out....

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If I hadn't placed three phone calls to Duke before I was called for my interview, I may not have been called at all.

It seemed that everyone I knew had been called for an interview - everyone but me. And since I'd taken prereqs with these folks, and had a good idea as to their GPAs, I knew I should have gotten called; I knew that my grades were generally a bit better than theirs and I felt my application was much stronger.

Over the course of three days, with a friendly and professional but persistent phone call from me, it came out that whoever processed my application didn't bother to confirm the school's receipt of my GRE scores - when I had a receipt from ETS that said Duke had received them three months before.

I was told that, because my scores were seemingly missing, I had been placed in the pile with "incomplete" applications - even though mine WAS complete. Basically, this meant I wouldn't have a chance when it came to admissions. I literally almost burst into tears on the phone; I hadn't realized how much I'd wanted to go to Duke until that very moment when it appeared that I wouldn't be able to go.

The minute this oversight was corrected, everything changed. I literally got called for an interview that afternoon, was interviewed about two weeks later, and got my acceptance less than ten days after that.

Sometimes, calling can be a very good idea. Had I not called and persisted with the idea that something had to be wrong, the error may never have been noticed - and I have no idea where I'd be now. The only person looking out for your future is you. Too much paperwork floats around admissions offices, too many things can be misplaced, too many things can go wrong.

I learned my lesson with that experience and I not only follow up, but I document who I talked to and when. Don't bombard them - but a nice, professional phone call maybe once a week does no harm. "Hi, I'm so-and-so; I was just calling to check on the status of my application. Have there been any updates so far?" or something along those lines.

After all, when you're an RN, don't you want to be known as the one who's actively advocating for your patient, looking out for their welfare, being persistent? The RN who's always looking up new information, new procedures, gaining new knowledge?

It's your future; you have to control it as much as you can.

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Sometimes, calling can be a very good idea. Had I not called and persisted with the idea that something had to be wrong, the error may never have been noticed - and I have no idea where I'd be now. The only person looking out for your future is you. Too much paperwork floats around admissions offices, too many things can be misplaced, too many things can go wrong.

:yeahthat: I totally agree.

A similar thing happened to my friend @ SJSU. Her friends got letters and she hadn’t received anything. She called them and it turns out it was "misfiled" (whatever that means). They promised her a spot the following semester. (Surprisingly, they kept their word and she just graduated in June). But, regardless, she still had to wait an entire semester because they “misfiled” paperwork.

My :twocents:

It can’t hurt to ask the status of your application. I don’t think you need to call everyday...that's absurd. I doubt that bothering them 24/7 is "what they want". I would just call them and kindly state that you want to check the status of your app. That will at least force them to look at it, and if something is missing or wrong, hopefully they will find it and fix it before it's too late.

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I think I'll call to check the status on all of my applications tomorrow. I supppose it can't hurt.

I agree about hounding them....This girl was saying I should call every day! Now my husband thinks it's something I should be doing-which I am obviously NOT going to do.

What a mission. :)

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

I agree that calling to inquire and show interest isn't a bad idea but I also wouldn't "hound" them. Best to you, Jules

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Specializes in Junior Year of BSN.

I agree with you Carolinapooh. I had to call my school 3 times for things related to my application that they NEVER sent letters informing me about. One was my DD214 and Army transcripts. The other was my Permanent Resident card and the third was my high school transcript (my high school took 2 MONTHS to send it!).

These were all relatively a few weeks from each other. But if I never called I wouldn't have received my acceptance letter because they probably would have thrown it in the incomplete pile.

Now I'm not saying to HOUND them. But do check on the status of your applications and ask if their is anything else they need. More than likely they will say 'Oh Yes...we didn't receive....or we need this...'

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Well, I know that all the schools have rec'd my documents...That I have checked on. I actually rec'd letters from all of them saying my application was complete and under review......so it's just waiting time now.

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Specializes in SNF.

I agree totally hat you should keep up with them.

My friend never got her "denial letter" we didnt have enough credits(which we would in May but thats another story) but when she called the director said" I dont know what happened, I didnt even know you applied"

I emailed when I sent my honors letter, to confirm they got it(I applied to another program too)...I also made sure they had my GPA correct in another email. But that is it...The way I look at it, at least I know they looked at my application 2 more times....ill let you know if it worked...:)

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