Gatekeepers
Last week, the office wrapped up the reading process for the Early Decision applicants for the class of 2016. After a weekend to decompress and refocus, our office separated into three “committees” to make some final decisions on the first members of Tufts 2016.
With almost six months in the office under my belt, I have finished my first day of committee and performed one of my most essential duties as an admissions officer. I know all you applicants are nervous but…I am too. It’s my job to advocate for applicants and while some decisions are clearer cut than others, losing sight of the humanity in our conversation is impossible.
Tufts is a school that cares about who you are and what you offer at every level of our office. We visited your schools to get to know you one on one in your home environment, designed a new website to introduce you to the Tufts vibe, and now sit here discussing why an applicant should be a part of the community.
During our lunch break, I sojourned to the Campus Center and couldn’t help but look at the students around me. A group of students had gathered to offer free compliments to library passersby (they liked my shirt…its new! Thanks!), a young woman walked by wearing headphones bobbing her head to a bass line, and a political discussion got a bit too loud at the Hotung Café.
These are the students who started as an unassuming blue folder in our office and these are the students who deserve equally if not more talented class mates. So far, I have found the process immensely humbling as we, the gatekeepers, inch closer to the class of 2016.