Admissions Committee Category
ED1 Decisions for VU Class of 2014 Are Out the Door
Dec. 15, 2009—At 7:30 AM this morning, the US postal service carried the first decision letters of the Vanderbilt class of 2014. The momentum that Vanderbilt has been on for the last five years keeps on rolling, due at least in part to The Commons, our Expanded Aid program, and our increasingly national and international reputation.
The Family Reunion Two Question Phenomenon
Nov. 24, 2009—If you're a college applying senior though the gathering of uncle Sid and aunt Colleen over the holiday means one thing, you better have an answer for those inevitable two questions you'll be getting: "Where do you want to go next year?" and "What do you want to major in?" My advice: make something up and make it awkward funny.
How Admissions Committee at Vanderbilt Works
Mar. 19, 2009—For the past two weeks I, along with my fellow Associate Director and Director of Admissions at Vanderbilt, have reviewed the decisions of hundreds of individual students all across the country. Think of a meeting that lasts 80+ hours long. Yes, it is that fascinating.
Stop Reading This Blog
Feb. 26, 2009—Seriously, stop it. Not to go all Billy Gates on you, but there's this little squared red X in the top right corner of your computer screen and I'm begging you to punch it in the face.
Hot Chicken and Data Days
Feb. 24, 2009—Nashville has plenty of culinary choices. But there is one type of food which is distinctive to Music City: Hot Chicken. Hot Chicken is southern-style pan-fried chicken cooked in a cast-iron skillet. There is, however, one twist. The chicken is breaded in a super-secret blend of spices which give the chicken its…hot. And trust me,...
Admissions deadlines for Admissions Officers
Feb. 16, 2009—You think you're the only one that gets stressed meeting admissions deadlines? Our officers are reading their eyeballs out right now, pouring over applications trying to meet our own internal priority deadlines. In our office, we set goals as to when all applications should be first read, second read, and decisioned (more on this term and a minute), etc. One such priority deadline is coming up this week.
2009 EDII Information and RD Update
Feb. 9, 2009—To the Vandyblogger Community: It was a great weekend. We all got a brief chance to relax between mailing ED 2 letters on Friday and finding freshly stacked, unread bins of regular decision applications Monday. As promised, here are some are some statistical data points regarding the 2009 Early Decision pool. Remember, it is our practice to report both...
Super Mega Hella-Blizzard 2009
Jan. 20, 2009—A blizzard of another kind is winding down at 2305 West End Ave at the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. During the height of the days surrounding our January 3rd application deadline, our operations staff was handling an avalanche of mail. On January 5th we received 30 bins of mail. That following week, each day brought an additional 10 bins of materials to our office.
The College Admissions Essay Part II: Beyond gimmicks and hooks
Sep. 12, 2008—We talked yesterday about the importance of voice in your college application essay. Today let’s discuss the second insight your college application gives our admission officers, specifically, how you put your thoughts together to convey a point. In college a buddy of mine introduced me to a friend of his at a party like this, “Hey...
Headed to Admissions Committee…
Nov. 29, 2007—Well, I just finished reading the last of my ED applications. Whew! We received a few hundred applications more this year for ED than we did last year, and due to technical issues beyond our control, we just started reading those applications right before Thanksgiving. So… it has been a busy couple of weeks to...