Within This Packet You Will Find The Paperwork Required To Be Filled Out And Turned: Fill & Download for Free

I'm going to write this from the only point of view I have — as the person at the facility whose job it was to meet with the individual and family and determine whether or not my staff were capable of providing a successful living situation for them.I actually ended up making myself an entire packet of forms and tick-box assessments to use so that I didn't overlook anything and always assessed people the same way. I used this to assess all incoming people, no matter their medical diagnosis or disability, though I do speak of some considerations for Alzheimer's in particular here.Factor #1– MobilityThe very first thing I would look at was how mobile a person was.Can they walk on their own?Do they need a walker?A wheelchair?Have they had any amputations?My houses themselves were residential single-family domiciles that had been converted. Most of them had simply turned the garage into living space, maybe an additional room at the back. The law only required one bathroom and 1 bedroom plus the front door to be fully ADA compliant.So it was cramped — imagine adding three extra couches into your living room, and a big tv, and still needing to to be able to put four wheel chairs in that living room too, and still not run over anyone as you walked through. Now try to squeeze those three wheelchairs in to your dining room table along with everyone else. We were just an average house on an average street, not remotely mansion-like. No wide open spaces here!I had to consider who I already had living in my house. If I already had four wheelchairs and two walkers, did I have any space left?Need a power chair, electric wheel chair, or mobility scooter? Sorry (not sorry) but those won't even fit past the doorway. Like literally you can get through the door, but either won't be able to make the turn into the house, or you will start running into furniture about 5 feet inside.Factor #2– TransfersTransfers refers to the act of moving one's self from one position to another, such as from sitting to standing, or from a wheelchair to a toilet.We only staffed one caregiver per shift, to care for up to 10 people. If they could walk — at all- I usually just skipped past this and moved on. But if they were dependent on a wheelchair, I had to consider other factors.And anyone who needed a mechanical lift (sit- stand or hoyer) machine was out already. They are illegal in Assisted Living in my state.Could they stand up from the wheelchair by themselves or with only a grab bar?Did they just need a boost getting up, but were good on their feet once standing?Or did they need someone to physically lift them out of the chair and help support them once standing?My caregivers were almost universally female, and many of the short and petite variety. Physical strength has its limit, and when you are trying to maneuver a full grown person, the amount of weight you can manage depends greatly on how much they are able to help you.So I had an unspoken weight limit in my head. I usually had the eyeball it, as many in wheelchairs were unable to stand, but if I guessed them to be over 200lbs, they probably didn't qualify. Under that, with proper technique and body mechanics, I was reasonably sure my staff could manage transfers safely.We are also talking about Alzheimer's patients in particular. It's a disease that gradually erases your ability to perform tasks on your own volition. Then it erases your ability to be able to do them when reminded. Then the ability to follow directions through it. And eventually the ability to do it at all has disappeared.So for someone who need more than a helping hand or a good boost up, I was forced to consider the size of the patient. I couldn't risk putting them, or my staff at risk of being hurt. And while falls happen, I have to do whatever I can to avoid them, even of it means turning down a paying customer.Sure, today grandpa is able to hold on to the grab bar just fine once we get him on his feet. But will he still be able to do that 3 months or 6 months from now? In a year? Nobody knows that for sure. And with Alzheimer's especially, that downwards slide is inevitable, but there's no telling if it will take 1 year or 10 years more.Factor #3– TempermentPersonality and temperament were a big thing with my boss and I when deciding if someone got to move in, and where they moved to.Early bird, or night owl?Likes to be social, or keeps mostly to themselves?Likes to watch TV, or prefers books or puzzles?Laid-back and easy to please, or stubborn and highly particular about things their way?What languages do they speak?8 beds meant 7 other roommates to consider. And at least half of them had roommates — whether they liked it or not. So in addition to same gender roommates, we tried to match people as best we could to the personalities already living there.Broken placements included: the staunch conservative and the liberal, whose feud began with dueling blaring tv newscasts and ended with hurling insults (I'm sure there would have been a fistfight if either one could have walked over to the other); the guy who screamed and threw himself out of his chair; the one who hit his neighbor because he sneezed at the breakfast table; the one who got kicked out of everywhere else; the guy who never got full that broke the door to get into the locked pantry.Language is a huge part of personal identity, so being New Mexico there are naturally people who speak Spanish in addition to English. We tried to make sure that we placed them with at least one person who also spoke their language in the house. With Dementia, knowing a person's native tongue can be especially helpful. If they spoke mostly Spanish until they started going to school, often there becomes a time when they have a harder time understanding commands and prompts in English. If you can say them in Spanish, you often get a better and faster response — even if you don't know any more than simple phrases you use at work.Then there's mental health and behavioral conditions to consider.Some psychiatric disorders are of no concern — I had a house full of people with schizophrenia and personality disorders that were the most easygoing, agreeable group of people.Others are more difficult to tell. There was more than one “obsessive compulsive disorder” and “personality disorder” with “anxiety disorder” on paper, who seemed perfectly stable and even sweet on assessments, that actually turned out to be addicted to pain pills. I can think of four of those offhand, and none stayed more than 6 months before eviction day.Then there's dementia and behaviors.Quite a few of the behaviors themselves are generally harmless to the person and others, but they make the other residents nervous for them — wandering, exit seeking, repeated phrases and questions, fixating, playing with food or other unmentionable things, constantly rearranging things, verbal outbursts and physical lashing out.All of these were easy to manage in our locked dementia unit. The precautionary measures we had in place prevented any real danger, and the other residents either didn't mind or understand enough to care.In our other houses these same behaviors cause problems for the staff and the residents. Wandering and exit seeking often lead to residents trying to keep the wanderer safe, or caused conflict because they wandered into a room or closet that wasn't theirs. Repetitive questions aggravates after you've given the same response 10 times in the past hour. Verbal outbursts cause arguments and resentment from the others. Physical lashing out meant it was way too easy for someone else to get hurt by accident.Also unique to dementia and Alzheimer's homes is the way that one person's mood or attitude is quickly rubbed off onto the whole group. A bad day here and there is manageable. Even with a large group you have more ok and good days than bad. But if you put in a person who is surly and argumentative at every turn, it turns to madness. The others start getting anxious and jumpy. Their behaviors increase and it becomes harder to manage everyone at once. As their agitation level rises, so does their fall risk.Factor #4– Personal Health & Medical HistoryI had to be sure that my staff were able to meet all of a patient's medical needs.As an ALF, regulations highly restricted what we could and could not do as carers, but certain things were permissible if done by the resident themselves, their family member or POA, or a Home Care or Hospice Nurse.What doctor do they go to? Will someone take them there? Have I worked them before? Might they want to move to one who knows me personally, or better yet, one who will come to us at home?What medications do they take and when?What pharmacy do they use? Is family going to pick them up and bring them to us, or will they let us move them to one that will deliver to us in bubble packs?Are they diabetic? Do they need insulin? Can they give it to themselves?These were just a few of the things I had to consider.Medications could only be given exactly as the doctor wrote on a prescription. We had to either have a copy of the order sent to us, or to get it from the pharmacy. The label on the pill bottle itself wasn't good enough for whoever made the rules, especially if it varied by even one word. The orders were golden. Anything else was just double checking.And this applied to everything they ever swallowed, inhaled, put on their skin, or dropped into their eyes and ears. Tylenol, vitamins, supplements, diaper rash cream. All had to have written documentation from the doctor who told them to take it, or they didn't get it. It didn't matter if it was dangerous not to get it.And since we kept everything locked up in the office, and legally were supposed to confiscate anything we might find, there was sometimes a lot of run around trying to get the right paperwork. If we were lucky and they had hospice or a home health nurse, they might be willing to write it down for us.The only way around it was for a family member to physically come to the house and give it themselves. When Grandma had a cold I usually suggested that we keep the cough syrup in our office and they come by as often as they can to give it until I got the orders.My only exception, and most frequent breach of regulations, was keeping a stash of Immodium in all of my houses and letting staff give it regardless of orders. No one should have to suffer with diarrhea just because of how hard it was to get the pills and the paperwork short notice.Then how they took their medicine. If they could swallow pills whole, no problem. But if they couldn't? Yup I had to have paperwork before I could legally crush the pills and give them in apple sauce. And some medications can't be crushed — which meant research to double check their entire med list so that I could mark in bold font which one's had to remain whole.Insulin was a tricky one. Short acting or long acting. Regular dosing, or sliding scale. Blood sugar testing. And they have to give the shot to themself, with no help from the staff except reminders how to do it. I required all insulin to be in the prefilled pens, so there weren't dosing mistakes with hand drawn syringes. Even with that, it was apparently against the rules for my staff to set the pens to the correct dose before handing it to the patient.Pain meds. People get so anxious about their pain meds, sometimes rightfully so. Other times they're obsessive about getting the exact dosage precisely when they're allowed to. Some don't understand why they can't just get an extra pill when they need it.More than two narcotic prescriptions on the list and I start to worry. The worst ones deliberately seek out different doctors for prescriptions treating different conditions and fill them at separate facilities. These are the ones that end up with withdrawal symptoms within a day or two of coming into our home. Havoc ensues, either because they are harassing staff for their pills, or their pill-seeking habits drive them to figure out how to get their hands on more pills and smuggle them in. (One lady got so desperate she started going to dentists for pain pills when I clued in all of her doctors — she even went out of her way to find a new pharmacy) It gets crazy ya'll.And lastly medical conditions themselves. Is there any actual medical care they need on a regular basis? Wounds or bed sores have to be treated and monitored by a nurse, we weren't allowed. Catheter? We could only empty it, and help put their pants and underwear on over it. Need a nurse again. Colostomy bag? I hope they can manage it themselves, because I can't guarantee everyone on staff has even heard the term, let alone replace or fix it themselves.Feeding tube, not allowed. Picc line. Nope. Recieving Chemotherapy? No nurse on hand if you have a bad reaction. Food allergies? We will do our best, but I can't deny the people their peanut butter or their ice cream (true story). Vegetarian? I will do what I can, but I don't have the budget to stock a ton of specialty items or ready made foods for you. Vegan? Yeah, not realistic for me given storage space and time constraints to make sure no animal products cross your plate, but you can have some freezer and cabinet space for ready made meals that you pay for.Diet restrictions, cardiac, renal, gout? Sure, what kind, and I'll probably need guidance for meal planning and reminders + patience for if I get it wrong, and please bring some of your favorite goodies with you to keep here. Fluid restrictions? No problem, except in the Dementia house, I can't guarantee there won't be any excess intake there.That's all I can think of, though my magic assessment packet covers more. Thanks for reading if you made it all the way down here!

TL;DR - Tough. Very Tough. Thus, will leave you with great memories and close friends that will usually last a life time.I assume reasonable competence to answer this question. My bio gives the details. The answer, as often, is in the form of a story, a lengthy one I feel. Please do remember as you keep reading,"There is light at the end of the tunnel!!"Here goes Part 1 of the answer.I felt a thud on my back and I suddenly came back to my senses. That slap from behind and the tiny yellow chit of paper with the number 225 emblazoned in red across it, slipped from my hand. There was no space to bend or crouch to search for the slip. It was lost for all eternity. I got panicky and my stomach started to churn. I felt nauseatic and an immense urge to vomit on all the people pushing against me took over. I was cemented securely between a bearded, elephantine, lead-footed, pan munching senior gladiator of probably Mukherjee Nagar on my right and a bespectacled, extremely hairy and insanely sweaty, possible newbie nerd to my left. The uniquely Indian smells of pan masala, sweat and socks blended well in the fiery heat of a Delhi afternoon in May. As I strained my neck to get my nose out of the heady smells, I finally caught a glimpse of Mr. Elangovan, the head priest in this temple called Vajiram and Ravi Coaching Centre.The names of the candidates who successfully got admitted to the Prelims Training Classes conducted by Vajiram and Ravi Coaching Centre were being announced. The tension in the air was palpable. The scene looked as if Mr. Elangovan was throwing food packets from the helicopter and the flood-stricken, one-fortnight-hungry stream of zombies were ready to swallow the packets whole. An hour passed, the list came to an end and my name wasn't called. Collective grief had permeated the scene. Like a bunch of professional wailers, some cries and a lot of curses flew by. Well indeed. The names on that list would be the new celebrities in the bizarre world of UPSC Preparation. It was as if a line had been drawn, a wall had been built, between the haves and the have-nots of Old Rajinder Nagar (often called ORN).Having arrived fresh from south of the Vindhyas, from a reasonably indulgent and doting family, after having lived in the utter opulence and luxury of my own home, having been served with food, rest and sweet words always by the family, I looked at myself and in my mind, I spat on myself. "Look at yourself", I thought, a wrist watch that just broke out of the tremendous density of too many human bodies packed in to a small corner, a crumpled viscose cotton, half sleeved t-shirt, fading away from a bright blue to a lifeless arctic white, a soiled khaki trouser, tearing apart at the pockets (into which a copy of the employment news and 3 editions of Pratiyogita Darpan forcefully shoved in), sandals half worn, half chewn by the rocky rugged land in this theater of war, spectacles, deformed and lamely hanging on my nose and the stench of used socks all around me. My phone rang at that very moment and my sister calls me home for lunch. IP Extension, about 45 minutes of subway ride, costing me 45 rupees and perhaps another thousand calories felt like an inter-galactic space travel experiment through a blackhole-ish space warp zone called Rajiv Chowk Metro Station. I shivered at the idea. But my stomach was grumbling too. I limped off to the Karol Bagh Station, a few light years away.I felt like crying when my sister served me cheese sandwiches. It was 6'o Clock in the morning, the next day. The thoughts of the days struggles came to my mind. I didn't feel like leaving her place. "Though shan't sheath the sword geond the battle". The fear inside amused me and I looked to myself like a cowering mouse that just sighted the shadow of a cat. I was weak, I knew. She wished me for the day and shoved a few crisp notes of 100s into my shirt pocket. I wasn't going to die a lonely death, I assured myself and walked to catch the auto rickshaw to the Preet Vihar Metro Station.The board read "Aggarwal's Property Dealers". The huge plastic panel was covered in dust and the aluminum frame on which this board was mounted swayed left and right like a pendulum. The front face of the office was full-glass, tinted completely black. A small round portion of the door was left un-tinted and I peered in. A man in his late 30s, hair dyed brown, wearing a translucent linen off-white shirt, and hands full of gold rings, looked up at me, scanned my face for 2 nano seconds and shook his head, as if beckoning his personally owned bonded laborer. I pushed the heavy glass door and walked in and the cool, refreshing air from the split air conditioning vent transported me suddenly to my past, a glorious one where I took the air conditioning in my home, clearly, for granted. "Yes?" he asked, gruffly.The place that you live in during the period of your preparation is an important decision to make. I was sitting on the pillion of this paleolithic Hero Honda Splendor, with my legs dangling and scraping the road. I suddenly realized, if there's one thing that ORN is famous for, apart from Coaching, it is fresh, uncontaminated and state-of-the-art cow poop. Wholeheartedly spread all across the roads like Vietnamese land mines, they follow a scientifically predetermined pattern, that of the parabolic sways of a cow's derriere. I quickly pulled my feet up. The scrawny, bearded broker, with graphite coloured teeth sporting Ray-Bans was driving through the tight, cramped lanes of ORN like a video game. As he whizzed past gol-gappe walas, milk booths, stationary shops and parked scooters, I caught a glimpse of the tightly packed and impenetrably cramped houses of ORN.It was as if, the houses were constructed not from the ground upwards, but from left to right. They were as densely packed across the horizontal plane as in the vertical. Claustrophobic was the first word that came to my mind. With a sudden jerk, we stopped.4 rooms were shown at the end of 2 hours, all with attached toilets and with private entry and exit. The going rate was Rs. 8000/- without AC and Rs. 11000/- with AC. Furniture provided is mostly a broken plastic bucket, a ruined, bronze-age vintage pedestal fan and a cotton mattress brimming with bed bugs. He was also offering daily breakfast and dinner parcel service at an extra charge of Rs. 5000/- per month. It is assumed that UPSC aspirants survived on ORNs fresh, crisp and healthy air and a few glasses of water for lunch. Three month's rent as advance and one month's rent as brokerage. I was reminded of a banker uncle that I had met before embarking on the journey to New Delhi. He said, the person who is in real need of a loan in India finds it very difficult to get one. Paperwork, collateral, surety, witnesses, introducers and formalities. A HNWI with a net asset value of a hundred crores, who apparently, is in no need of a loan, will get it within an eye's wink. The situation was similar. I was in need of a job, with no money in my hand and here are 4 offers, precisely to crush and squeeze the godforsaken, desolate, deflated pockets of mine.Part - IIAfter discussing the financial implications of renting out the Playboy-mansion-esque room with my sister, I called up the broker and informed him of my acceptance to occupy the AC Room with pink paints and mosaic flooring in the bathroom. The only downside was the Indian commode. It was ages since I had used one. I trusted the lubrication of my knee joints to relieve me in the mornings because replacing the poop-ware with a Western commode would require a dozen more phone calls to the broker and a few more days, shelter-less in the unrelenting Delhi heat. I expected the broker to allow me to occupy the room only after a day or two after he gets the room cleaned and disinfected. I was wrong. The moment I handed the advance, the iron, heavily rusted and thoroughly abused key was shoved in my hand. The key felt heavier than it looked. It felt as if the souls of the dead aspirations of all the innocent candidates who had lived in the room were locked up in this key. It felt like an evil token subjected to a lot of emotional and psychological black magic. My mind started to play games. The dark and gloomy shadows of failure started to engulf the entire spaces of my consciousness. With the key tightly clenched in my hand, I walked towards the office building of Vajiram and Ravi Coaching Centre.It was 5 PM and Mr Elangovan had just arrived, perhaps after a satisfying siesta at home. The 3 PM session had just completed and the students had left. The 5 PM Session had just begun and the students were sitting inside the classrooms. So, the lobby was mostly empty and Mr Elangovan was quietly rummaging through a huge bundle of papers. A rare and extraordinarily scarce opportunity to pluck a seat in the General Studies class was slowly building up in front of my eyes. I knew if I could somehow eke out a hint from Mr. Elangovan about any rejections or any candidates who opted out in the last moment or any absentees in the first few sessions, I have a real chance of sneaking into Vajiram Coaching Classes. The thought sent down a shiver. I tiptoed to his table and caught a glimpse of the sheets of paper that he was immersed in. It was in fact, the list of candidates selected for the General Studies Class. My palms started to sweat at the very real possibility of laying my hands on a seat before I leave the Vajiram Office. I could clearly see occasional thick black permanent-marker drawn circles around candidate names, appearing once every 10 - 15 pages. My heart skipped a beat. What was inconceivable a few minutes back was slowly turning out to be a reality. “Sir, kuch seats khali bache hain kya?”, I blurted. Not even a single strand of hair on Mr. Elangovan’s body moved. He continued to pore through the pages in a completely inert and phlegmatic manner. “Sir?”, I prodded, bit louder and unimaginably anxious. He let out a guttural and thick “Hmmm”. I knew that it was now only a matter of my capacity to cry and convince this man to somehow throw a life jacket at this stranded passenger about to drown in the shark-infested waters of ORN. I almost kneeled beside him and in a few minutes recounted all the vagaries and vexations facing me, including my torn khaki trouser and the broken bucket in my room. I was myself shocked at the the deluge of suffering that was detailed by me. It was as if a plastic tube was connected between my mouth and his ears and a high pressure valve was just opened. I would’ve broken the record for the number of ‘Please’ and ‘Sir’ used in a single monologue. The level of groveling and parasitism was unheard and unseen. “Theek Hain Theek Hain, wahan form hai fill karke leke aao”. Delirium.It was 06:30 AM the next morning. The breakfast box had arrived as per the promise of the broker. The thud of the box against the door of my room proved to be loud enough to wake me up along with the dogs that usually slept in the basement of our apartment. It was 3 idlis with chutney.The idlis were as soft as freshly mined slabs of granite. And the chutney could put the Arabian Sea to shame in terms of salt content. Accompanying these delicacies was a packet of lime pickle. It was hard to interpret the intentions of the person who packed the breakfast. To prevent any diarrheal attacks on Day 1, I left the pickle in the box itself as I swallowed the boulders of idli and the wads of chutney. But then I was reminded of the lunch that was awaiting me, crisp air and fresh water of ORN. Licking into the pouch of lime pickle along with generous portions of air and water wasn’t a bad idea after all. I shoved the packet under the pillow and left the room. With the newly achieved status of Student-at-the-most-prestigious-Civil-Services-coaching-centre, I walked down the stairs of my room with the confidence of a lion and the stride of a cheetah.As I crossed the street on to the main Bada Bazaar Marg, the first perceptions of competition hit me. And they hit me hard. I saw scores and dozens of immaculately dressed youngsters, with satchels full of bags, earphones plugged, heads buried in the day’s newspaper, walking away with a Time-Squaresque sense of urgency towards the nerve centre of ORN. As I was drawn into this mass of aspirants, it was quite unnerving. Everyone was in a hurry. A hurry to accomplish, a hurry to accumulate, a hurry to take a small step in the multi-million mile marathon called UPSC. No one really cared about anything on the road. It was almost a zombie-ish march from your room to the Citadel, all the while searching for newer facts, a fresher perspective and a nobler vision. A sense of being pulled into a whirlpool of scholastic predators took over me. Quite unconsciously, the pace of my walk matched that of the mass of predators. I never knew why. But it looked like the system was beckoning me to fall in line with it’s speed, it’s tone and it’s taste. What if I slowed down? I couldn’t think much. I was already overwhelmed.I reached the Vajiram Square on Bada Bazaar Marg. Just a few yards ahead was Shubham Palace. I could see a swarm of people jostling near the locked gates of Shubham Palace. The view confused me. Each and every one at that gate was already a member of the privileged elite, a student at the premier coaching institute. So why do you need to jostle for a place close to the door? I kept looking and as my watch showed 06:58 AM, a burly, yawning and remarkably unkempt man pushed his way through the predators and unlocked the doors of Shubham Palace. The race had begun.

The Real Guide to Colleges and Universities.What does it mean to be deferred? What the Waitlist or a Deferral Means for Your College AcceptanceBy Peterson's Staff on Tuesday, May 10, 2016Waitlisted. Application deferred. You put in your college application and that's the response you got! Even after you spent hours filling out forms and laboring over the perfect essay!What does a deferral mean, and is it a good thing or a bad thing?Deferral from college acceptanceThe first thing you should know is that there is a difference between a deferral and being placed on a waitlist. If your application gets deferred, it means that you haven't been accepted yet…but you might be…later. Hmmm…what are you supposed to do with that?!Well, if you applied as an Early Action or Early Decision applicant, your application has basically been converted to a regular application. You'll be reviewed again during the normal admission season with all the other applicants. However, you've also been freed from any obligation to attend their school if accepted, and you can go ahead and apply to other schools as you wish.If you applied during the regular admission cycle and have been deferred, then the school probably wants more information before they make a final admissions decision — such as senior year final grades or additional test scores. The sooner you can get it to them, the more likely you'll get a final answer sooner rather than later.The waitlist admission decisionIf you've been placed on a waitlist, it means that the admission folks are done reviewing your file and that you are on their radar, but not their first option. The other applicants that have been accepted received college admission letters of acceptance, but you have to wait and see whether or not they are going to accept you.In academic terms, you're a backup. Waitlists are a safety net for colleges, allowing them to ensure that they have enough students to fill all of their vacancies, but it puts you in a spot where you may need to make some tough decisions. Sending in additional information isn't likely to change the situation, although you should certainly keep your application updated with anything that will enhance your student profile.Waiting for a college acceptanceIf you applied for Early Action or Early Decision and received news that you've been waitlisted, then your application will be reviewed again with the regular pool of applicants — just as if you had applied normally. However, if you applied during the regular admission cycle and you're placed on a waitlist, then you're in limbo until a spot comes open and your name is at the top of the list when it does.It's important to know that schools rank you, and all the other applicants from the regular admission cycle, in order of priority. Those at the top of the list will receive college admission letters first if spots do open up.Roughly 34 percent of colleges maintain waitlists and not surprisingly, they tend to be either highly selective colleges, or those with low yield rates (low numbers of accepted applicants that actually choose to enroll). The percentage of people accepted from the waitlist varies at each school depending on the number of spots the school has left to fill. Your waitlist letter should include details about the school's waitlist history. If it doesn't, then ask! Give the admission office a call and find out:How many students have been on the waitlist in the pastHow many were offered admissionWhere you are ranked on the listDetails on any major obstacle to your being acceptedWhat types of housing and financial aid may be available if you get inYou may want to ask your guidance counselor for help with gathering this admissions decision information and deciding what to do once you've gotten all the details. Even if you are granted admittance later, you may find that the best deals on aid and housing are gone. Holding your breath and hoping for the best probably won't work to your advantage so make sure you find out everything you can about that school's policies.Making your own admission decisionWhether you've been waitlisted or deferred, it's wise to assume that your chances of getting in are not great. Schools have to notify you of your admittance by August 1, but don't hold out that long to find out.You should do everything you can to get that college admission letter you want. Let the school know that you will definitely enroll if they accept you by writing a letter to the head honcho in the Admission Office. Also make sure you've submitted everything you were supposed to, including your financial aid paperwork. You don't want to give the school any reason to pass you over in case it comes down to drawing straws for that last coveted spot.Last but not least, if you didn't already do it when you originally applied, submit applications to your second-choice schools. If you're accepted at another school, make plans to go there — send in your enrollment forms and put down your deposit. If you find out later that you've gotten into your first choice, you can change your plans, but don't put yourself in the position of having nowhere to go at all.EXTRAS (UI)WAIT-LIST FAQBecause Illinois receives more applications from highly qualified students than there are available positions in the entering class, some students will receive an offer to join the wait list. Once we know how many students have accepted our initial offer of admission, we’ll use this list to fill the remaining spots in the class.The wait list isn’t ranked; our selection is based on a variety of factors and remaining needs for the class. Our commitment to holistic review will continue as we select students from the wait list in order to balance and complete our freshman class.How many people are on the wait list?Each year, around 1,500 students are placed on the wait list. Depending on space availability, we may offer wait-listed students admission. Some years we’re able to admit hundreds of students from the wait list, while some years we can’t admit any.Can I improve my chances if I send additional information to support my application or come to campus for an interview?No, additional materials such as letters of recommendation and senior year grades won’t be considered. Only the application materials that were reviewed initially will be used in any wait-list decisions. Interviews aren’t part of our admissions process.If I put my name on the wait list, when will I hear a final admission decision?If you wish to be on our wait list, you need to accept your wait-list offer within myIllini by May 1. We’ll notify you of your admission decision by early June. If you’re admitted, you’ll then be sent a complete admissions packet.What’s the process for selecting applicants from the wait list?If any openings become available for the college to which you applied, the admissions review committee will review your application. Applicants aren’t ranked within the wait list.Will housing still be available?Illinois values the residential college experience, and housing is guaranteed for all freshman students, including those selected for admission from the wait list. You’ll have a place to live in University Housing.Will I still be eligible for financial aid?You should go ahead and file financial aid paperwork for the school you expect to attend. If you’re selected for admission and didn’t initially list Illinois as one of the schools to receive your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) report, you can then have it transferred to Illinois.If I'm offered admission, will I be able to complete placement testing and attend Summer Registration?Yes, information about Summer Registration will be sent with your admissions packet, and information on placement testing will be available online.Should I accept admission at another school? What if I have to submit an enrollment deposit?Yes, you should accept admission to another institution by May 1, as we can’t guarantee that any students from the wait list will be offered admission. If this institution requires an enrollment deposit, you’ll also need to send it. If you’re offered admission and choose to attend Illinois, you may lose this enrollment deposit. Check with the other institution about its refund policy.If I’m not offered admission, can I apply again as a transfer student?Yes, applicants who aren’t offered admission are eligible to apply as transfer students in a future year. When reviewing applicants with only 1 year of college work, we focus primarily on high school grades, test scores, and activities. When you’ve attended college full-time for 2 years, the strength of the college program and your academic achievement at the college level are given primary consideration. Learn more about our transfer review process.What should I do now?First, focus on choosing the best fit for you of the universities that have offered you admission. Wait lists are uncertain, so it’s best to ensure your happiness no matter the outcome. If you’re on our wait list, that means we really like you and you don’t need to improve your application. You should, however, continue to get good grades your senior year. If you’re still interested in attending Illinois, be patient. It may take some time, but you’ll receive wait-list news after May 1.SearchSearch http://Admissions.eduUtility MenuContactFAQPolicies & ProceduresCounselorsRecord number of UI applicants will get admission news todayFri, 02/05/2016 - 7:00am | Julie WurthPhoto by: The News-GazetteA record number of students have applied to the University of Illinois for the fall semester.Other Related ContentApplication breakdownURBANA — More than 37,000 students applied to the University of Illinois' flagship campus this year — a new record — and about 22,000 of them will be very happy later today.Today is Decision Day, when applicants learn whether they've been admitted to the Urbana-Champaign campus.Students can check their status starting at 4 p.m. on the UI's admissions website, from their laptops, tablets or phones. Or not."There'll be kids who come to school on Monday without knowing, because they don't want to know," said Urbana High School admissions Counselor Sam Furrer.It can be a stressful thing."Decisions are coming Friday," the UI's admission's website proclaimed Thursday, advising students to relax in the meantime: "Take a walk, turn off your phone, play some music, hang with friends — whatever helps you unwind!"State financial woes and athletic scandals didn't deter this year's applicants, with 10 percent more students applying to the UI than in 2015.The numbers were up in every college, for in-state and out-of-state applicants and all ethnic groups, according to data requested by The News-Gazette. The number of Illinois applicants rose 9 percent, from 16,688 to 18,203.The highly ranked College of Engineering hit a new record of 12,900 applicants, though about 1,900 of those were redirected to other programs because they wouldn't meet the college's criteria. The average ACT of students accepted into engineering is 32, placing them in the top 2 percent nationally."The trend over the last six or so years has been just explosive growth overall in all science, math and engineering fields," not only at the UI but all universities, said Kevin Pitts, associate dean for undergraduate programs in the College of Engineering.The UI benefits more than many of its competitors because of its reputation, and because the state has a large population with lots of potential students and just one public Big Ten institution, he said.The college is also "very excited" about an uptick in applications from female students, he said.The number of applications to the campus overall has grown for many years, though it dipped last year, said Chuck Tucker, vice provost for undergraduate education and innovation.That was when the UI switched to a single application deadline (Dec. 1) and notification date for students. The campus eliminated its "priority notification" option to relieve some of the angst for high school seniors and to stem a decline in the number of Illinois applicants choosing the UI.Previously, students who applied by Nov. 1 were notified in December whether they were accepted or deferred for further consideration. Typically, several thousand were deferred and thrown in the pool with students who applied by the second deadline in early January. Students were then notified of their acceptance or denial in mid-February. High school guidance counselors complained that the system was confusing and prompted some students to choose other schools.Tucker said it may have taken a year for students, parents and counselors to get used to the new system.Counselors "like the simplicity," he said, "but when you've admitted people on one kind of calendar for a lot of years ... and you change it, it takes a little while for that knowledge to soak in."It seems pretty clear that the word has filtered out, especially to high schools in Illinois. So we're back on the upward slope," he said.'We're an instant society'The UI made a slight change in the schedule this year, moving up its Decision Day by a week or so to the first Friday in February. Last year, it was Feb. 13 — Friday the 13th.Tucker said UI deans had requested the change after getting feedback from unhappy parents. In some cases, they were UI alums distressed because their children ended up choosing other schools that notified applicants sooner.Furrer likes the change, as students hear from the UI ahead of some other schools, and it eases their anxiety."If they could find out 10 minutes after they submit (their application), they'd be happy with that. We're an instant society. These are kids who are not used to waiting for anything," Furrer said.The campus is studying other potential remedies for future years, such as an early notification for students with very strong academic credentials who are obviously qualified for admittance, Tucker said.Tucker wasn't sure how many students will be admitted today, but said it will likely be roughly the same as last year, or about 22,000. Today's count is not the last word. The UI has a late application appeal process and accepts some students later in the year, such as student-athletes.The size of next fall's freshman class won't be known until students let the UI know whether they're coming. They have to reply by May 1.Tucker said the goal is to have about the same number of freshmen as last fall — the second largest class in UI history, at 7,566.State budget problems have made the guessing game a bit tricker this year. The status of state financial aid grants for current students at the UI is unclear, even moreso for new freshman applicants, Tucker said."Sometimes it feels like roulette to me," Tucker said. "We put our bets on the wheel, we watch the wheel go this way and the ball go that way, and on the 10th day we'll see what happens."'International reputation'Last year, the UI made a concerted effort to accept more Illinois residents, as the percentage of in-state freshmen had fallen to just over 71 percent. That grew slightly to 73 percent last fall, and Tucker said the hope is that next year's class will be a similar split."I don't see it growing very much at this stage," he said.If enrollment expands greatly — an idea floated by President Tim Killeen to bolster the UI's resources — "then we'll be enrolling larger numbers of students from Illinois," Tucker said.The campus has also stepped up its recruitment of African-American students and others from underrepresented minorities. The numbers of Latino and African-American applicants were up by 18 percent to 19 percent this year, but "it's really the yield and who shows up in the end that makes the biggest difference," Tucker said.The number of international applicants also rose, though by a lesser percentage.Tucker said the international market is more volatile, fluctuating based on economic conditions and other factors in India, China and Korea."We put almost no effort into recruiting international students," he said. "That's driven almost completely by our institutional reputation around the world."The College of Engineering is hoping for 1,500 freshmen next fall, and that means it will admit approximately 4,500 students today, Pitts said. About one-third of all students accepted to the college wind up coming (although more than half of in-state applicants do), he said."We're working hard to get a higher fraction of Illinois residents," he said, projecting the percentage will be 55 percent to 60 percent.He said that percentage may seem small but the number of Illinois residents in the college is "as high as it's ever been." The college expanded enrollment in recent years by accepting more out-of-state and international students. In particular, it's seen increasing demand from students in California, where the university system doesn't have enough seats to satisfy demand, Pitts said.Up, up and (far) awayFreshman applications at the University of Illinois were up 10 percent overall and in every category this year — in-state, out-of-state and all demographic groups. Some key UI target areas:Black students: Up 384, or 18.8%, from 2,047 to 2,431Latino students: Up 609, or 19%, from 3,184 to 3,793Women engineers: up 438, or 21.4%, from 2,045 to 2,483International applicants: Up 1,247, or 13.8%, from 9,022 to 10,269