Wednesday, November 12, 2008

First Deadline Down, One to Go

A big thank you to all of you who submitted your applications for our first deadline. We really are honored that you have included us in your college search, and we look forward to getting to know you better through your applications.

Now that you have submitted your applications, we have to read them all! We take our holistic review process very seriously and work very hard to be sure that every application receives a thorough and thoughtful review. You can be assured that at least two people will read your application; many are read by three or more people. For all the members of the Admissions Committee, the next month and a half will be extremely busy, to say the least. This is the time of year when my "Keep Calm and Carry On" poster reminds me to just keep chugging. A few weeks from now I will look at this comparably small stack of folders sitting on my desk and sigh with envy.

A couple things to keep in mind if you are a first deadline applicant:

We are working through bins and bins of mail. Really, our mail room looks like a tornado ripped through it, scattering paper all around. (Not really, it's actually all very meticulously organized. A miracle of organization, in fact, thanks to our great mail center staff. But still, it's a lot of paper.) If you mailed in any part of your application, it may take up to six weeks for us to get it properly filed and accounted for. If you get one of those "Urgent: Missing Application Materials" emails, DON'T PANIC. If an item that you mailed in is still listed as missing on your Homepage, DON'T PANIC. Most likely, the item in question is still making its way to its proper home in the little manila folder that has your name on it. If it is still listed as missing six weeks after you put it in the mail, just give us a call.

November SAT/ACT scores will automatically be considered with first deadline applications, no matter how early you submitted your application. All you need to do is have the testing center mail us the scores, and we'll be sure they are taken into consideration.

I can't think of anything else. Any questions? Just let me know.

For those of you who haven't applied yet, keep in mind our final deadline of January 15 will creep up faster than you might expect. Let us know how we can help.