‘Application Process’
Understanding the Mid-50%
Dec. 9, 2010—As a counselor at a highly selective college I frequently field questions about standardized testing. I noticed in recent months, though, that many students I work with don’t apply testing statistics to their college search process appropriately. Numbers aren’t helpful if you don’t understand their reference. Here I break down testing statistics: questions to ask...
Committee 2011
Dec. 6, 2010—I know that once you click “Submit” on the Common App it feels anti-climatic. This year I’m walking applicants through the process at Vanderbilt in real time. Hopefully this transparency helps you feel less stressed. In a previous post I walked you through how I read an actual file. Here I answer questions about the...
Meet Alex Gano
Nov. 29, 2010—My hometown is Charleston, Illinois. I am the admissions counselor for Illinois (non-Chicago) and Southern California. I share these territories with Nicole Molina.
Meet Torrey Morgan
Nov. 23, 2010—My hometown is Golden, Colorado, but I spent most of the past 13 years in Southern California and Seattle. I am the counselor responsible for the areas of DC, South Florida, and Wisconsin. I also work with home school students.
How We Read a File
Nov. 19, 2010—In a previous post I walked readers through how all of our mail makes it into a complete application file. I ended with the file landing in the “Read me!” bin of my office. The question begs, then what? How does an admissions counselor actually read a file, what are we looking for, and where...
TROUBLESHOOTING the Alumni Interview
Nov. 18, 2010—Here are a few troubleshooting tips for our alumni interview process. If you have additional questions, please feel free to post in the comments and we’ll get you an answer shortly!
Meet Mike Drish
Nov. 15, 2010—My hometown is Moline, Illinois. Dallas/Ft. Worth, China, Australia, and New Zealand are the areas I am responsible for as an admissions counselor.
Application Status UPDATE
Nov. 3, 2010—You hit submit. Whew. Take a breather, you’ve earned it. I understand that now you want to follow up and confirm we’ve received materials. However, give us some time. We have HUNDREDS of applications and pieces of applications pouring into our office every day. It takes time to process all of that snail mail and...
Early Decision on the Mind
Oct. 26, 2010—Yesterday I was sitting in a coffee shop in Bloomington, Indiana spacing off and thinking about the small joys of life – I had my first John Cougar Mellencamp sighting! I spent four years in Bloomington and it wasn’t until I came back several years after moving that I saw JCM milling about. This was...
Meet Sarah Quin
Oct. 25, 2010—I am the admissions counselor responsible for Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia & West Virginia. I work as the AmbassaDores coordinator in the office.
Tips for Your Alumni Interview
Oct. 20, 2010—Interviews for college admissions can be a stressful experience. Let’s admit it, a large portion of the college application process can be stressful. Try to squash the stress. This should be fun. During your senior year of college you have the opportunity to dream about what could be, about the possibilities, and you can imagine...
Alumni Interviews NOW Available!
Oct. 18, 2010—I can’t believe I’m wrapping up my final week of fall recruitment. Hopefully, I’ll see many of the students I’ve met these past few months on campus next year! As we reach the peak of application season, be aware that alumni interviews are an optional part of the application process at Vanderbilt. Alumni interviews at...