Beginning late 2007, the School of Computer Science started deploying the Online Graduate Student Admissions System (OGSAS). In the first phase of deployment, OGSAS is responsible for capturing the following:
To use OGSAS, you need your UWDir credentials (and obviously be authorized to use it).
Whenever you get paper documents related to an application, you'll either need to scan it for storage in OGSAS, or tell OGSAS that you have received paper. The first thing to do is find the student:
You'll be presented with a page containing summary information of the applicant and current application. You want to see the checklist of required documents, so click on Checklist
.
On the Checklist screen, the first link you'll see is Download PDF Application Package
. This link is to be used to download and print the application package, usually for initial review and/or circulation, once the package is complete. Remember to change the status of the application as appropriate (see the section on Tracking Applications
, later in this document).
There are five types of documents:
Not Required
, then click on "Update Checklist!". Otherwise, you will need to scan the document using the four character code as the filename using the scanning instructions found later in this document.
ogsas
database from the server scsfm1.cs
.
Scripts
menu, select Refresh Data
.
checklist
screen for the application in OGSAS, browse for the file you saved in the previous step, and click Upload Header!
.
You should see the status for "Filemaker Application Header" change to Scanned
. Note that OGSAS treats the file as a "scanned document" even though it really isn't.
Update Checklist!
button.
The criteria for determining what documents should be required (or not) or waived is beyond the scope of this document.
Supplementary information is normally provided using on online form, directly by the applicant . OGSAS will initially show the form with a status of Created
, with an X
in the "Missing" column of the checklist. Other states that the form can be in are:
Accessed
: The applicant visited the form, but has not submitted any information.
Submitted
: The applicant has submitted some information, but has not completed it.
Completed
: The applicant has completed the form.
For many applications submitted in December 2007, many applicants submitted supplementary forms on paper. In this case, you can put a check in the box labeled To be Scanned
, then click Update Checklist!
. You will then be able to scan the submitted supplementary information form(s).
Created
, with an X
in the "Missing" column of the checklist. Other states that a reference can be in are:
Accessed
: The referee visited the form, but has not submitted any information.
Submitted
: The referee has submitted some information, but has not completed it.
Completed
: The referee has completed the reference form.
When a reference is complete, you can perform two actions on it. When the signed reference form is received, you need to indicate so by checking the Received
box and clicking on Update Checklist!
. If you discover the reference form needs to be re-done for whatever reason being Completed
, check the Re-open
box and click on Update Checklist!
For many applications submitted in December of 2007, or where referees are unwilling or unable to submit reference information electronically, you can put a check in the box labeled To be Scanned
, then click Update Checklist!
. You will then be able to scan the submitted reference letter.
Update Checklist!
button to import whatever scans that you have saved.
You can use OGSAS to track an application from the time it arrives to the point where an admissions decision is made. Applications can have two initial states in OGSAS:
Old
: The application pre-dates the deployment of OGSAS.
New
: The application was just imported from Quest.
Other states that can be assigned include:
Hold
: The application is waiting for all supporting documentation to be submitted.
Initial Review
: The application is being reviewed by the Director of Admissions
Circulate
: The application is being reviewed by faculty.
Acceptance Pending
: A faculty member has expressed interest in an applicant.
Initial Offer
: The School has made an offer to the applicant.
Offer Declined
: The applicant has declined the School's initial offer.
Offer Accepted
: The applicant has accepted our initial offer.
Acceptance Recommended
: The required forms have been sent to GSO for the official offer to be made.
You can change the status using the Update Status!
section of the checklist page of an application. You can list a summary of applications for a given admissions term, and status, using the form located at https://www.cs.uwaterloo.ca/grad/ogsas/app/list/.
-- JasonTestart - 19 Dec 2007