My experience with a bureaucratic organization has its origin in the expectations a parent has for their child and likely began the moment I was conceived. For me, however, it was never taken into consideration until my high school years and soon dismissed as one of those “later” things that I would eventually attend to.

What I referring to is my academic experience in the world of higher education and the undergraduate degree. While I had been under the impression that completing college would be beneficial, I never had believed it was particularly life threatening until I was subjected to a corrective situation with my enrollment at what was then Kaplan College.

It seems that an error in a bureaucratic organization such as an academic institution like Kaplan College is never attributed to the organization itself and this is where the system of rules that apply to admission notably differ from the set of rules that the internal organization operates.

Worse yet, despite the numerous rules, procedures, guidelines, etc. set forth for the students; the organization demands little accountability for its own actions which occur in part or in whole based on human error. This translates to a given amount of confusion in the process of correction and is why I have opted to use this particular experience as the subject of my project.

Clearly, this enrollment experience certainly fits the project design criteria as a bureaucracy being that Kaplan, “is an administrative structure with well-defined offices or functions and hierarchical relationships among the functions” (Champoux, p.14).

In addition, admissions decisions are made according to established rules, procedures, policies and guidelines.

Goals of the degree programs are attained with precision, reliability and efficiency if a student follows the prescribed degree plan and completion is in a timely manner.

The final outcome or expectation is found in the awarding of an academic degree so it seems that Kaplan University definitely fits the criteria of a bureaucratic organization.

Myself and many others define an organization as bureaucratic if there is a substantial amount of steps which must be suffered through in the event of error and I am living proof that again Kaplan fits the mold. Initially, I had enrolled in the 2+2 Criminal Justice Bachelor completion program because I have previously earned an associate degree from another institution as I have already stated.

There was a mistake somewhere in the process and somehow my transcripts were never recorded to reflect this historical, relevant and factual information and someone in admissions decided to enroll me in the four year degree program instead. Of course, the substantial steps to correct this mistake on Kaplan’s behalf first required that I be held responsible for something entirely outside of my own personal control so as not to suggest any blame on the academic institution.

Next I was forced to initiate and endure a series of phone tag with the admissions office and what is referred to as systematic “red tape” before the issue could be corrected.

My only defense that I am not to responsible for the situation that of logic. Why would I wish to needlessly repeat two years of courses which I would gain nothing additional and that I have no access to the admissions software to input such erroneous information. Who could argue with logic? Insisting that the guilty party was inconsequential to my interest and that I only wanted the error corrected was falling on deaf ears as no one wished to be thought of as the party at fault made my situation worse.

I found myself repeating this to anyone willing to hear me out. Next, I was told that I must withdraw and re-enter the college as if I were a returning student. What a frustrating experience and all based on a system of rules that were put in place to ensure compliance on the part of any and all involved. While this entire process seems a bit redundant and falls just short of being entirely ridiculous I was told it was the only way in which the situation could be resolved. Hence, the phrase “bureaucratic nightmare”. The meaning of just such a phrase had become abundantly clear.

Admittedly, the admissions office suggested that it was not a common characteristic for one who had already spent the initial two years of studies to insist on repeating the same or similar courses which is exactly why I argued that there was in fact a mistake in the first place. As illogical as it sounds the computer system could not contend with any form of correction with the exception of withdrawal and re-entry into the degree program. An example of bureaucratic efficiency? I think not, but again, I am merely a student seeking a degree. Those in the administration office have already earned theirs. This seems to prove the basic theory often heard echoing in the academic world, “Common sense is not so common these days in America.”

While bureaucracies are suggested to be rational and predictable systems, it seems there is no mention of logic in the equation. Nor on behalf of the policy enforcers. The existing rules and procedures are definite and consistent yet sometimes fail nonetheless. It further seems that the rules and procedures of a bureaucratic organization hold firm even in light of their own error and do not take into account any individual or unusual circumstances on a per case basis as the system is rigid, rather than permitting of any degree of flexibility. Perhaps this is what President George W. Bush felt of the Constitution when he sought to expand governmental powers.

Clearly, the suggestion of this experience with what was then Kaplan College as an example of a bureaucratic organization is proper and fitting and created needless headaches for me despite my intentional pursuit of knowledge.Yet, all is well that ends well. I enjoyed completing my bachelor degree online and eventually earned my degree graduating with honors.