Blog Updates Temporarily Suspended

I’ve had the pleasure of getting some rather obnoxious emails from the UC Office of the President (UCOP) lately. These emails border on personal attacks and I don’t have the energy or time to deal with them. For now, I’m stopping the blog updates until I can implement a solution to stop further incursions from the UCs.

Keep reading if you want to know what went down …

In one email, I learned that my one of my posts (Do NOT Submit the UC Application … YET!) incensed someone high up in the UCOP and I was accused of spreading inaccurate information. I politely replied with specific information of each error I mentioned in the post, careful to keep the identity of the individuals who informed me of the errors secret (something the UCOP is not very good at doing … I saw more personal information than I probably should in some of the emails I received from the UCOP):

I’m sure if you go back to the call logs at the UC Application Center, you will find documentation of the problems I mentioned. Based on what I have heard, your call center staff is too willing to disclose problems to callers, sometimes providing details such as the number of affected cases or whether the problem was pervasive. That may be an area of improvement for future training. Below is the information I have regarding the problems I mentioned in my blog post.


Payment Problems

Two of my clients had problems with payment processing last year (the problem was so pervasive, based on online complaints, that I mandated all of my clients to stay on the phone with me when submitting payment so I can walk them through what to do if the payment didn’t go through). I also received several emails from parents and students, who were not my clients, about problems with payment processing; one parent was told by the UC Application Center that there were numerous complaints. There were also several threads on College Confidential detailing payment problems, just search “uc payment” on College Confidential. As of today, there is already one issue about payment processing posted on College Confidential here; the issue sounds more like an user problem (not submitting payment within the allotted time) but I’m guessing there is no clear instructions on what the student should do when the payment screen times out (perhaps an area of improvement for when you redesign the UC application).


Academic History Section

The scrambled Academic History section was brought to my attention by parents who emailed me. This happened two years in a row (the last occurrence was a few years ago). In both instances, the parents had called the UC Application Center and were told that several hundred students were affected and that emails had gone out notifying affected students (in the first instance, I believe the number was less than 500; in the second instance, the number was in the 200 range, but the parent’s child, who was affected, was not contacted so the parent and I both suspected the number was higher).

In another email, I was again accused of spreading inaccurate information regarding test scores in another one of my posts (UC Test Score Submission Requirements and Deadline) from 2014. Here is the paragraph that raised UCOP’s hackles:

If you are still deciding whether to take the December tests, please consider that many UCs start reviewing applications in mid-December and applicants who have indicated planned December tests are held for later review in January. This could potentially put your application at a disadvantage (applications reviewed later in the cycle may receive more scrutiny). I would only recommend the December tests if you are confident you can improve your score significantly (200+ total score on the SAT or 3+ composite score on the ACT).

Apparently someone emailed UCOP asking about my recommendation regarding the December tests. First, let me just clarify that when I make a recommendation, it is what I consider a best course of action for the students (that is not to say it is the only course of action or that it works for everyone). Keep in mind that a recommendation is not a fact nor is it a rule, and you should feel free to disregard it if it doesn’t suit you. Second, I don’t always cite my sources because I don’t want to get people into trouble (such as application readers who explain the review process to me). Keep reading and you’ll know what I mean …

My reply to UCOP:

I clarify that my opinions are my opinions (vs. facts) as clearly as I can, but I cannot prevent people from misinterpreting my opinions as facts. In the context of the information in question, my opinion is that students should only take December tests as a last resort (which, given how often score reports have been delayed in the last several test administrations by both College Board and ACT, it’s smart for students to not rely solely on the December tests for college admission). If Mr. [XXXXX] chooses to believe my opinion to be fact, that is something I cannot control.

The information contained in the sentence “This could potentially put your application at a disadvantage (applications reviewed later in the cycle may receive more scrutiny).” was written with specific qualifiers (in italics here) and a [UC Campus] reader told me that applications reviewed later are disadvantaged (this may be the reader’s opinion, which is why I phrased the information with qualifiers).

From my experience, I know firsthand that information is impossible to control. You can spend 16 hours per day answering every question on College Confidential (I’ve actually tried that for a while) and people will still misunderstand or misinterpret the information you give out (sometimes willfully, regardless of how often I clarify or how many different ways I explain the information). Because of this, I’m very careful in how I phrase everything I say; at the end of the day, people will believe what they want to believe but I have peace of mind that I did what I could to present the information as accurately as possible (and separate out facts from my opinions; you should just be glad that I at least try … I could just Fox News this whole thing … which lots of people do and I don’t hear about you going after them with email follow-ups).

Each of these emails takes me almost two hours to write because I am checking my facts and ensuring my civility level is above reproach (can’t say the same for the emails I’m getting from the UCOP). I simply don’t have time for this!

Help support this blog by making a contribution today! Any amount is greatly appreciated!

26 Comments

Join the discussion and tell us your opinion.

Jenreply
November 10, 2015 at 5:42 pm

I love your advice, Ms. Sun! You have been extremely helpful and I am sorry you are having to deal with this. I hope your blog will eventually return. Also, get well!!

Ms. Sunreply
November 11, 2015 at 7:33 pm
– In reply to: Jen

Thank you!

melissamaslandreply
November 10, 2015 at 7:04 pm

I’m sorry things have been so tough lately. I’ve always found your blogs extremely helpful and I think you provide a valuable service.

Ms. Sunreply
November 11, 2015 at 7:33 pm
– In reply to: melissamasland

Thank you!

Ginareply
November 10, 2015 at 9:26 pm

So sorry to hear about this Ms. Sun. Your blog will be missed.

Ms. Sunreply
November 11, 2015 at 7:33 pm
– In reply to: Gina

Thanks.

Freshman Applicantreply
November 10, 2015 at 9:35 pm

Oh man!!! I am really sorry to hear that you are not only sick, but that the UCs are penalizing you for helping us poor souls through the confusing app process. 🙁

Ms. Sunreply
November 11, 2015 at 7:34 pm
– In reply to: Freshman Applicant

I appreciate your show of support!

Sara Schroederreply
November 11, 2015 at 8:13 am

Thanks for keeping your readers informed. Some of us are fully aware that any information we get from a blog, and not directly from the institution, should be considered “opinion.” I have always found value in reading your “opinions” as I try to guide my students in applying to the UCs. Thank you and I hope you feel better soon!

Ms. Sunreply
November 11, 2015 at 7:34 pm
– In reply to: Sara Schroeder

Thank you and I appreciate your support!

Jasminreply
November 11, 2015 at 8:36 am

Hello Ms. Sun
I am so sorry you were sick, hope you are better now I am sure all the parents and students they appreciate all your help throughout the years and your very useful blogs. I personally love to read it and you provide so much accurate information and sorry what happened to you hope this issue will get resolved soon.

Ms. Sunreply
November 11, 2015 at 7:35 pm
– In reply to: Jasmin

Thank you!

Tomaitoreply
November 11, 2015 at 10:34 pm

Hi Ms. Sun,

I hope you feel better soon. Your blog has been a tremendous help for many of us. Thank you for all you do!

Ms. Sunreply
November 12, 2015 at 3:45 pm
– In reply to: Tomaito

Thank you!

Kennyreply
November 12, 2015 at 7:51 am

Hi Ms. Sun,

Your guidance and advice are so valuable, especially to us who are applying UC first time – not only the info saves us a lot of time, but also your comment inspires us. It has been a great help for us. We really appreciate your experience and enthusiasm.

Ms. Sunreply
November 12, 2015 at 3:46 pm
– In reply to: Kenny

Thank you!

Kiranreply
November 13, 2015 at 4:07 am

We want you back. Soon.

Ms. Sunreply
November 16, 2015 at 3:55 pm
– In reply to: Kiran

I need to work out what to do … this is not the first time the UC has come to blows with me; I’d like to find a permanent solution.

Brycereply
November 13, 2015 at 12:38 pm

Just to let you know, although we’ve never worked together personally. The resources your website provides have been my biggest and most helpful resource for applying to Cal as an engineering transfer. Thank you.

Ms. Sunreply
November 16, 2015 at 3:55 pm
– In reply to: Bryce

I’m really glad to hear that.

November 15, 2015 at 3:09 pm

Hi Ms. Sun, I am very sorry you had to deal with this. Please know that you have been so helpful for me when I was navigating the UC admissions process, as a transfer. Your website provides more information than any of the UC’s own websites.

Ms. Sunreply
November 16, 2015 at 4:03 pm
– In reply to: Jo

I’m glad I could help!

Mary Ostowarireply
November 22, 2015 at 9:42 pm

Dear Ms. Sun,
I am sorry to see the suspension of your blog. I am a parent who has two children whom both were accepted into UC Irvine from high school. One graduated three years ago and the other will be graduating in June 2016.
I can’t describe the countless amount of times that I would refer to your site for information and guidance. I was always certain of the accuracy of the information provided by you.
Thank you on behalf of myself, my children, and countless high school and transfer students that benefited from your guidance and help.
Wishing you well and all the best.

Ms. Sunreply
November 22, 2015 at 10:50 pm
– In reply to: Mary Ostowari

Thank you.

Tracyreply
December 7, 2015 at 10:55 pm

I’m so sorry to hear you have to deal with these problems when you are only out trying to help students! It’s unfortunate how the UCOP has been and is receiving your generosity. Thank you so much for helping me and many others journey on into higher education! I hope you never lose this light and that it will only grow brighter in coming years.

Ms. Sunreply
December 8, 2015 at 12:11 am
– In reply to: Tracy

I appreciate your kind words, thank you.

Questions or Comments?