Rites of Spring in Full Bloom
At some point today I became a member of the media. I don’t feel different, but I am now a part of the press. We hosted a camera crew on campus today to shoot footage for an admissions video and since Rites of Spring (http://www.vanderbilt.edu/ros) starts today, we all got press passes to film inside of the venue. How rock star do I feel? Quite.
I want to say thanks to all of you who read these posts, who weigh in on the issues we raise, and to those who post questions. We may not be able to get to everything you ask, but we try. We view this blog as an open forum where people can discuss a range of viewpoints (even if we disagree).
One issue that was raised recently in our discussion pages was an inference that an admissions decision to deny or waitlist is one that can be rendered flippantly. While I recognize where this stereotype comes from, and I respect the poster for raising the issue, if you have been reading this blog for any amount of time, you know that nothing is further from the truth. The review process is difficult, and our staff invests a great deal of emotional energy into it. As I’ve said before, it is personally taxing to turn away such amazingly gifted students.
Admitted students have been visiting campus to get one last look in before May 1. And while we don’t ask, sometimes they do tell us which college(s) that Vanderbilt’s “up against.” That too is an exciting process to watch. The decisions you all have to make are equally tough, I’m sure.
Have a great weekend everyone!
April 19th, 2008
Any chance you will fall short of your anticipated class size even with the waitlist?
April 20th, 2008
Nice post Thom. Maybe next year, you can sneak me backstage so we can dine luxuriously from the hospitality tent. I hear they have WICKED deli trays!
Rites was fantastic, especially Grace Potter and the Nocturnals.
April 24th, 2008
That’s a good question Anonymous. I guess that could happen at any college or university. It’s why we monitor things so closely, and build models on past trends and statistics.