Sometimes timing is not on your side.
Along with moving to a new country, I decided to embark on a new journey of another kind. After almost 11 years in Japan, nearly 8 of them as an “international exchange coordinator” at a private high school, I have decided to try to go back to school as a student myself. So I am applying to graduate school in Korea, my new adopted country. First, I am applying for a fairly well known scholarship there (which shall remain nameless for the time being).
I thought I was all prepared. My transcripts were ordered last year, along with proof of graduation from my university. I asked my former professor for a recommendation. I finished filling out the forms based on last year’s application before this year’s application package was even available. I got my TOPIK scores and even my JLPT scores for good measure.
And then I waited… and waited… and waited.
The recommendation did not come.
I emailed my professor more than once, and she assured me it would be fine.
But it still didn’t come.
I eventually realized that she was planning a big international conference set to take place the weekend before my deadline. Bad timing.
And I was leaving to take students to New Zealand 10 days before my deadline, so I really needed to get that recommendation before leaving home for three weeks. Bad, bad timing.
It didn’t come, but being the resourceful person I am, I sent my whole application to my parents, and had the professor do the same. They put the whole thing together and sent it off to New York, and the first selection committee. Better than having everything sent once to Japan, and then sending it back to America. Crisis one averted.
I got confirmation that the application had arrived on the Friday before the Tuesday deadline. Phew!
This was quickly followed by an email saying that the proof of graduation I had requested from my university was not suitable because it was in “letter form” and not “certificate form.” Something about making sure the credentials aren’t fake and all that. Not that certificates can’t be faked. And I submitted a signed, sealed transcript from the university as well.
But if they want a certificate then I should send a certificate, right? Only one problem… I’m in New Zealand. And I have no idea where my diploma is. (Okay, two problems.) My first best guess is that the diploma is still at my parents’ house, where it was sent after I graduated. This is also the best case scenario because, well, I’m in New Zealand, so if it’s at my house in Japan then there is no way to look for it until the end of the month. I send my parents on a search of their house to look for the diploma. And they come up with nothing.
My mom has no recollection of the diploma being sent to them (it was) and asks, “Didn’t you get your diploma at graduation?” To which I reply, “No, I just got a translation at graduation. They sent the real ones later.” Wait, what? Translation? Sh**! My diploma is in Latin!! So I have to get a copy of my diploma, which has gone AWOL, and I have to get it translated? And I’m in New Zealand. And as if this all wasn’t bad enough I am leaving to take the kids to the wilderness, with no phone or internet for a week. Bad, bad, bad timing.
A replacement diploma will take 4-6 weeks, and still be in Latin. Now it’s the weekend and I can’t get any answers until Monday, and by that time I’ll be incommunicado. So I send email to my uni about the translation, and email to the scholarship committee explaining the situation, and I leave for a week. (Though fortunately for me, with the time difference it’s actually still Friday in New York when I get back.)
When I do get back I find a pdf of a nice notarized translation sitting in my inbox, and an email from the selection committee saying that they’ll send my application to the main selection committee in Korea, and if they need more they’ll contact me. Just in case, I ask my uni if there is anything more certificate-y than the letter, but not quite as work intensive (or Latin-y) as a true copy of my diploma, and they agree to make a certificate for me. (Thank you, GU! Though I feel like that will look just as fake as the letter… really frustrating because it’s real…)
All I can say is that so far this experience has been more frustrating than anything else. The instructions were in English, but not overly clear (am I the only native speaker who has no idea what “confirmation of collation” is? Collating is something my printer or copier does, putting pages in order…) It said “documents should be presented in their original form,” so rather than trying to locate and copy my diploma, I sent an original document from my uni… and that turned out to bite me in the butt. I tried to ask questions early to avoid just such a situation. When I emailed Korea they said ask the US. When I asked the US they said email Korea. I called DC once and they said call New York. I called New York and they said call Korea.
But if it all works out it should be more than worth it, and at the moment I’m still hopeful.
And just in case the scholarship doesn’t work out, I am trying to prepare my applications for the individual universities, and I’ll hope for private scholarships from them. I’ll find out about the scholarship the day after I move to Korea, and then have another two weeks to make their deadlines. Hopefully timing is on my side from here on.
The pictures are from New Zealand. This is my seventh and last time bringing kids here, and I have to admit I will miss it.
From Rising Sun To Morning Calm 