Applications – Part 2 (Ole Miss)

Hey there!

This week I’m bringing to the blog the second instalment of the Applications post, where I’ll be talking about the direct application to Ole Miss.

So after the January 18th deadline for the Deakin application, it was pretty quiet for a while. That was until I received an email in my inbox on the 15th of February from Sean, the North American advisor from Deakin Abroad, which started with the following:

“Dear Emily,

Congratulations! You have been chosen to participate in the Deakin University Exchange Program.”

To say I was ecstatic to receive this email would be an understatement. I didn’t expect to receive any news for at least another month, so it was a very pleasant surprise. The email went on to provide some details about some next steps to take, and attached was my official offer letter. The offer letter indicated that Deakin were offering me a spot at my top choice – the University of Mississippi – subject to their approval (based on the application I would have to submit to them). It informed me of some information and predeparture sessions I’ll have to attend over the next few months, and some information on costs etc.

The day after receiving this email from Deakin, I received an email from the University of Mississippi’s Study Abroad Office. In the email, Hannah (my Ole Miss advisor) explained to me the process of making my applications to Ole Miss, which would need to be submitted by March 15th in order to meet the early application deadline (the official deadline was sometime in mid-May, but the earlier I submitted my applications, the earlier I could get onto organising everything else). She explained the two different applications I would need to make as well as explaining some technical terms to me.

The first application was a relatively simple online form that required some personal details and details about my university and course. The second application was the bigger one and required lots of specific details and documents. In this application I had to submit my course requests (the units on my Outgoing Study Plan that Deakin had approved), a copy of my passport, proof of English proficiency, my academic transcript, and the application number from the first application. I also had to fill out and sign a financial affidavit which outlined the funds I will have available to me for my program (since the US government won’t let you participate in the program if you don’t have the means to fund yourself while in their country), and with this had to provide a bank statement signed and stamped by a bank officer and letters of support from my parents stating that they will financially support me should I need it. Additionally, I had to fill out medical documents detailing my medical history that needed the signature of doctor. Gathering some of these pieces for the application was time-consuming but I managed to get everything done and uploaded by March 14th.

Just two days later I received an email from the University of Mississippi informing me that my application was successful, and I had therefore been admitted for the Fall 2019 semester! My online login to their student portal had already been set up, my Ole Miss email created and my application portal updated with new requirements. The new things on the application portal include reading information about housing, scholarships and billing, uploading information about my arrival, accepting or rejecting a Bed and Bath pack, providing information about my housing choices, and uploading a photo for my Ole Miss student ID. However, I don’t have to complete any of these things until mid-July, so I’ve just been working bit by bit and completing things as they arise or I’m able to (for example, I had to wait until a few weeks ago for the housing application portal to open).

It was such a thrill to finally receive official confirmation that Ole Miss were offering me a place and that all my hard work was worth it.

That’s my post for the week! Don’t forget to subscribe to keep updated :)

- Emily xx