Posted in Applications
If You Just Heard
I am so ridiculously excited about #Tufts2016. So so so excited. I'm giddy that decisions are released online so I can finally start congratulating those applicants whose personalities and stories resonated so strongly with me.
For those of you who will be admitted, here's what I can share with you from my vantage point as an admissions officer.for your class and what you'll become.
- We were extremely thorough. We read all your essays, we understood that slightly veiled reference to Sherlock Holmes even though you didn't mention Sherlock Holmes, and we recognized which tour guide you said you liked even though you couldn't remember her name.
- We, like you, are really excited for what comes next. I hope you'll share that excitement. I hope you'll visit campus again, that you’ll track down the admissions officer who gave your info session just to say hello, that you’ll photoshop out that guy sitting in that picture on that green space in that Tufts brochure and photoshop yourself...
The Admitted Student Guide
In case you hadn’t noticed, my colleagues and I are fairly connected online with Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, the Admissions Blog, and our Student Blog. Oh, and we even release a magazine three times a year. Students even write messages on our cannon to get their points across. What can I say? We over communicate.
The last three weeks have been a whirlwind of committee decisions that have had their fair share of highs and lows. After all the stress that surrounds the process on your end, I can’t help but chuckle at how very much we want you to choose us. You found your voice and we heard you. Now we want to herd (elephant reference anyone??) you to Matriculation Day.
As it turns out, your future classmates are already buzzing and our newest blogger (and Jumbo!) Liz Dielentheis has begun to share what makes the class of 2016 special. Come to think of it, there are a lot of voices that can share what makes Tufts worthwhile for future Jumbos at home and abroad. They’re waiting for your questions;...
College Conversations #2
College conversations for seniors—now what?
As parents we often feel the same range of emotions our children feel during stressful times. During this college decision season it is no different. We get anxious, worried, elated, disconcerted and confused just like our sons and daughters.
As a mom who has been there, I have some suggestions for Families of High School seniors:
Take a deep breath.
Some students have already heard from Early Decision, Early Action and Rolling Decision schools and we know that for all the other students, the waiting is torturous. I can attest to the fact that we are spending every waking hour reading applications and in meetings in order to make the best possible decisions – hang in there!
Parents -your role is to step back and support your child. The admission decision is not a reflection on your parenting –how you react, is. Give your son or daughter space to absorb all of the decisions, to process the news. Be available for hugs, support & guidance...
Remix to Admissions*
I asked you for recommendations for my application reading, and you came through (I cannot stop listening to Fleet Foxes). Now it's our turn to share our music with you. Quick aside: I firmly believe your music does not say as much about who you are as one would expect. There are BIG surprises in this list for me, so don't interpret too much from any single person's list, but I like what this says about the array of personalities in our office as a whole. Next to each admissions officer, I've included the territory they manage.
Here is what we're listening to when we read applications.
Emily Roper-Doten (parts of California, central New York, Tennessee): Depending on the day, a white noise app (either “gentle rain with distant thunder”, “gentle rain on forest foliage”, “medium rain against windows”) or Josh Rouse (albums 1972, Country Mouse City House or El Tourista), Fleet Foxes, Book of Mormon Soundtrack, or one of my Pandora Stations (Adele modified by Fitz and the Tantrums and Morrissey...
Candy-Coated Committee
Some of you may have heard a description of the committee process before where we perform the final review of the applications. It probably sounded something like this: A group of admissions counselors are huddled around a table. Laptops are open. Glasses are on. Thinking caps are donned and files are read, discussed, and voted on. Can you picture it?
The one piece left out of this image is what many in the business consider the darkest side of committee, and what I find to be the most important. In the middle of the table is the part that strikes fear into the hearts of many-an-admissions counselor…