Felt a bit unhappy with my UMPI application experience

[kaa314]

I applied online 2 months back and set up a meeting with an admissions counselor, but she was unexpectedly out of the office and I never got a callback from her or her colleagues.

Reading around, I got the impression the counselor wasn't too helpful, so I went ahead and submitted my documents on my own and followed up a couple of times. It's been over ten years since I finished high school, and I also transferred between universities at one point. I'm an international student and don't need financial aid, but the school still wanted transcripts from all the places I studied which is very difficult to obtain given I have studied in multiple countries and I have lost access to some of the login portals.

I found out from others that UMPI doesn't always require all your transcripts if you're not applying for financial aid. So, I let them know I don't need aid and asked if they could let me off the hook for sending every single transcript. I'd already sent them transcript copies from each school and the official one from the university where I graduated via Parchment.

But sorting this out took them about a month, with my emails getting shuffled around between different people. When I finally got an answer, they said I didn't need all my transcripts after all, but I could only start classes in March.

I'm a little frustrated because I was on top of my documentation well before the deadline, but now I'm stuck waiting to start until March because they only sort it out after the deadline.


Sigh...

[ss20ts]

The application process is not entirely UMPI's fault. They don't actually process the application. The applications are handled by the U of M system which is complicated. By admissions counselor, do you mean enrollment counselor? They're basically sales people and don't offer much help at all. UMPI is moving to hiring their own staff for this finally!

You'll find that most colleges in the US will require all transcripts with no exceptions. It's not a financial aid rule. It's a college rule and they don't often bend it. Yes, financial aid requires them, too.

If you sent official transcripts as requested, you probably wouldn't have wasted a month. U of M doesn't consider your documentation to be completed until they receive all transcripts so the shuffling around from people to people kept your application open.

I had to send at least 8 transcripts to UMPI and I graduated from high school in 1993 so I get it. Typically, colleges want official transcripts for transfer credit. You transferred credit to UMPI so they want the provider who originally gave you credit to prove it. There's a lot of fraud out in the world unfortunately.

[bjcheung77]

@kaa314, it's just one session off, you're better off now as you can make sure you get all your ducks in a row and get a spreadsheet up and running so you know which classes you want to take from UMPI and what can transfer in by following the WIKI templates. You should max the 90 credits transfer and complete the 30 there if possible. Transcripts are like that, it's actually policy for all schools to officially receive all transcripts before they accept students, this is not only for financial aid but they want to keep record of everything for other reasons too.

[Duneranger]

If you are expecting a WGU or SNHU experience at UMPI, you will be disappointed.

It's a small and disjointed operation that is frankly overwhelmed (yes they are hiring more). The school is the size of a high school and its yourpace section will probably outpace the on campus student body soon.

It isn't a hand-holding process, and you will likely have to send multiple reminder emails and follow up, just how it is.

[ss20ts]

If you are expecting a WGU or SNHU experience at UMPI, you will be disappointed.

It's a small and disjointed operation that is frankly overwhelmed (yes they are hiring more). The school is the size of a high school and its yourpace section will probably outpace the on campus student body soon.

It isn't a hand-holding process, and you will likely have to send multiple reminder emails and follow up, just how it is.

I wouldn't say UMPI's on campus student body is the size of a high school. I graduated with 92 people. All high schools are not the same size. In rural Maine, this would be a HUGE high school. 

UMPI treats you like an adult. It's up to do check on your application and submit documentation. 

WGU was ridiculously disjointed when I applied. I went through 4 enrollment staffers! None could finalize the process until the last person. I spent over 3 months trying to be accepted. It was ridiculous as they had all of the documents for over 2 months and no one did anything. Financial aid at WGU is slower than molasses in January. Nothing at WGU was speedy for me. Even changing programs took over 6 weeks when it was supposed to take 2 weeks.

[Duneranger]

If you are expecting a WGU or SNHU experience at UMPI, you will be disappointed.

It's a small and disjointed operation that is frankly overwhelmed (yes they are hiring more). The school is the size of a high school and its yourpace section will probably outpace the on campus student body soon.

It isn't a hand-holding process, and you will likely have to send multiple reminder emails and follow up, just how it is.

I wouldn't say UMPI's on campus student body is the size of a high school. I graduated with 92 people. All high schools are not the same size. In rural Maine, this would be a HUGE high school. 

UMPI treats you like an adult. It's up to do check on your application and submit documentation. 

WGU was ridiculously disjointed when I applied. I went through 4 enrollment staffers! None could finalize the process until the last person. I spent over 3 months trying to be accepted. It was ridiculous as they had all of the documents for over 2 months and no one did anything. Financial aid at WGU is slower than molasses in January. Nothing at WGU was speedy for me. Even changing programs took over 6 weeks when it was supposed to take 2 weeks.

The average American high school is around 800-900 students, so yours is more the outlier. UMPI is much closer to the average (most yourpace students likely don't come from Maine).

The UMPI application process was much more painful than my WGU or SNHU experience. I had to send constant email reminders and phone calls just to progress through and get my transcripts evaluated and get my first classes set.  The education quality at UMPI was okay; to be honest, it was mostly just YouTube videos and reading texts from chapters (I get it's CBE, but still....). I felt more structure at SNHU and WGU. SNHU was IMO a lot better quality-wise; the discussion boards were just tedious since most the the students produced half-baked posts to comment on.

I can't speak to financial aid since I paid in cash.

I have attended multiple universities for multiple degrees. UMPI's process just seemed amateur and unpolished. It goes beyond simply being an adult ( I had everything submitted properly within one day of applying), as I have never had these issues at former unis. I gave them grace due to their size and fast-growing YP program.

YMMV, but I get where OP is coming from.

[ss20ts]

I've never seen a high school with 800-900 students. They're usually a few hundred or well over a thousand. When YourPace began, almsot all students were from Maine. Thanks to us that has changed.

My master's program at WGU has been mostly reading a few chapters in a textbook or a few articles and a handful of YouTube videos. I made over a dozen phone calls to WGU trying to get the admissions process completed. I already had my MBA so admissions should have been a breeze. It totally wasn't. Heaven forbid you change programs. That's like pulling teeth! 6 weeks for something that was supposed to take 2 weeks. I've not been impressed with my WGU experience.

[CaughtInTheRye12]

How long did it take UMPI to finish your transfer credit audit/evaluation? I’m just getting started with their application process so I don’t expect to start YourPace until March. But I’d like to know what credits they’ll accept and which degree requirements those credits fulfill. I think I plan on taking Sophia courses between now and March so I can make sure I max out the 90 transferred credits allotment at UMPI before starting on the 30 YourPace credits to finish my degree.

[ss20ts]

I had 7 or 8 transcripts and it took 3 weeks for my evaluation, but this was before YourPace exploded. It does take several weeks - some students are waiting over a month. Some of it is timing. There's always insanity when a term/semester begins as they are dealing with on campus students as well. Then there's holidays. That throws everything off.

[CaughtInTheRye12]

I had 7 or 8 transcripts and it took 3 weeks for my evaluation, but this was before YourPace exploded. It does take several weeks - some students are waiting over a month. Some of it is timing. There's always insanity when a term/semester begins as they are dealing with on campus students as well. Then there's holidays. That throws everything off.

Makes sense. I’ll plan on waiting about a month to hear from them regarding transfer credits. In the meantime I think I’m going to take Biology with Lab from Sophia sinceI know it transfers and I’m lacking a science lab course anyway. Thanks


Sent from my iPhone using DegreeForum.net