A Snag

ARGH! I just called the University of Washington to double check that my application packet had arrived (Which was a load of crap. Of course I knew it had arrived: I paid the post office extra money so I could track the damn thing on-line and knew exactly when it was signed for!). Anyway. The department admissions secretary was gone forever. She came back on the line and said, “It took me a while because yours was in all those other envelopes. Really difficult to sort through.”

Excuse me for a moment. DAAAAAMMMMMNNNNNIIIIIIITTTTT!

I put the information in well-labeled envelopes: 1. Letters of Recommendation; 2. Official Transcripts; 3. Curriculum Vitae; 4. Scholarly Writing Sample. The envelopes were placed in the larger envelope in the order they were listed on the instructions on the website, with my cover letter and completed application form (signed in blue ink, of course) placed in front.

Does that not sound like a beautifully organized application packet?!?! My obsessive nature would not allow me to just throw the stuff in the one envelope without organizing it in some way – which, coincidentally, is exactly what the secretary said she wished everyone would do!

Hang on. I just have to do something. AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Ok, so the good news is: they have my packet and it’s complete. I’m in the running.

The bad news is either:
A. I have pissed off the secretary by organizing my packet the way I did and she has blackballed me (I don’t think this is the case, as we actually had a pretty good 5 minute conversation about UW and why I want to go there and I was very apologetic for being a pain in the ass);
or
2. I am applying to go to school in a department that does not appreciate organization, or filing folders, or properly enclosed materials, or – heaven forbid – using post-its that are with color coordinated highlighters.

BTW: I can expect an email or phone call between February 2 and March 30. So I should sleep like a kitten for the next 3-8 weeks.