I know every individual step probably makes sense to the person who designed it. Together, though, the process feels like a scavenger hunt where the clues arrive in different inboxes. One portal says my documents were received. Another says something is incomplete. An email tells me not to worry if the status has not changed, but does not say how long not worrying should last. I have reference numbers for things I no longer remember applying for. The hardest part is that this is not just paperwork to me. It is housing, moving, money, and months of planning. When a status stays grey, my brain does not read “processing.” It reads “your entire plan might fail for a reason you have not found yet.” I do not need official information from another student. I mostly need to know I am not the only one refreshing a page that explicitly says no action is required.