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« September 2007 |
Main
| November 2007 »
...and then TWO in the last four! Congrats to the 2007 World Series Champions-- The Boston Red Sox!!! (umm... sorry, Yankees fans...)
Off to Houston to celebrate at some college fairs!
*Scott
10/29/07
Logan Airport, Boston, MA!
I just happened to stumble upon an article written by Jay Mathews from the Washington Post... It's called "Ten Stupid Ways to Ruin Your College Application." It's a good read... I really enjoyed it so I figured I would pass it along!
And as you'd guess from the title, I am extremely excited about it! St. Joseph Central High School was my final HS visit of the travel season-- and it was a good one as expected! 8 out of the 63 students in the senior class attended (not a bad ratio!) and had some good questions, which I always appreciate. I also had the chance to catch up with the guidance staff and my former AP US History and AP English teachers... always good to hear the latest high school and hometown news (or gossip!). Anyway, I am back in Providence today with only two more college fairs ahead of me next week before (drumroll please)... we shift gears and start spending a LOT of time in the office-- reading your applications!!!! Time for me to go catch up on some office work! Have a great weekend!
*Scott
10/26/07
Providence, RI!
Greetings from Berkshire County and Pittsfield, MA! I am sitting at my parents' computer as I type this entry between high school visits today. There is nothing quite like doing visits in your hometown-- people recognize you, there is no need for directions, you get a home-cooked meal, and you can stop by home in between visits instead of spending half an hour sitting in a high school parking lot!
My final visit this afternoon is actually my last high school visit of this fall travel season (wow, that went by fast!). In fact, it is my own high school, St. Joe here in Pittsfield, that I saved for last... It's always one of my favorite visits because I get to see some of my old teachers, coaches, and counselors... and there is usually a strong turnout of students interested in PC at the visit. I will let you know how it goes!!
*Scott
10/25/07
Pittsfield, MA!
It's incredible how quickly the months of September and October go by when you are constantly on the road moving from high school to high school, hotel to hotel, and city to city. I spent today in... the office(!) for the first full day since September 25. Wow. So, as you would expect, I had a bit of catching up to do! Today was also incredibly busy with campus visitors-- when you walk into the office at 8:30 AM and the front office staff already has extra chairs stretching down the hallway, you know that it isn't going to be a quiet one...
Today also marked the first time I've been to an Admission Ambassador meeting since September 24 (the Ambassadors are our student volunteers who host prospective students on our day visit program, greet families in the Office of Admission, and speak at our Group Information Sessions on campus). We always tell prospective families that the best way to learn about any institution they are visiting is to speak to current students-- they are the ones currently going to classes, living in the residence halls, eating in the dining hall, working out in the fitness center... and so they are the best way for you to get a first-hand account of what campus life is like. I am obviously biased as the co-coordinator of PC's Ambassadors, but we have an incredible group of about 120 students who volunteer so much of their time and energy to help our office welcome prospective families to PC. If you have yet to meet any of our Ambassadors on a campus visit, I definitely suggest that you come visit and take the time to chat with our students-- they are very welcoming, friendly, and knowledgable, and are a great resource as you continue your college search.
As the title of this entry states, it is the "home stretch" of our fall travel season in the PC Admission office. The majority of the counseling staff will be back in the office for good by November 1 (except for one lucky counselor who is headed to the northwest-- Portland and Seattle to be specific... don't worry, we haven't forgotten about the west coast! We are still coming!!)... I am currently in Springfield, MA, and have two days of high school visits ahead of me here (that stay in the office didn't last too long...). Then, I have a brief trip to Houston, TX next week and am back home to get ready for the next step in the admission process... reading your applications! Much, much more to come on that topic in the next few weeks and months!
I hope that all of you seniors out there have had a successful (final) first quarter and are busy narrowing down that list of schools you will be applying to. Just as a reminder, our Early Action deadline is coming up (quickly) -- it is November 1. Our Regular Decision deadline is January 15. Again, a lot more on the application process still to come... Until next time, enjoy the week!
*Scott
10/22/07
Springfield, MA!
October 19, 2007 marks the one-year anniversary of this admission blog! When I started writing, I promised to take you through the entire admission cycle-- and here we are one full year later (with many more to come, I hope!). Thanks to all of our loyal blog readers and please keep your e-mails, questions, and comments coming! Until next time...
*Scott
10/19/07
Providence, RI
Hello from New Orleans! As I wrap up another week on the road, I wanted to pass along what's happening back on campus... Coming up on Friday, October 26, the Department of Theatre, Dance, and Film will be holding their annual Open House in the Smith Center for the Arts. Prospective students will have the opportunity to tour the Smith Center, meet with faculty members and admission counselors, and if you are planning to major in Theatre Arts, you have the opportunity to audition with a theatre professor. If you would like to attend the Open House, we ask that you please call the Department of Theatre, Dance, and Film to register at (401) 865-2327. If you have any questions about the program, please feel free to contact the Theatre Department at the same number. We look forward to welcoming our aspiring Theatre majors to campus in a couple of weeks!!
*Scott
10/11/07
New Orleans, LA
Yes indeed... It's been a busy couple of weeks for me, moving from Austin to Nashville to Springfield back to Providence and now to Baton Rouge, LA -- and on to New Orleans tomorrow.
What's the most popular question I've received so far here in the South? "What's the weather like in Rhode Island?" And the real question behind the question is "How much snow do you get?" Ahhh yes, New England winters... Indeed, we do get snow in the wintertime- which for a number of students I have talked to down here, is very exciting! They are excited to go college in the Northeast and experience all four seasons. My fellow blogger Billy mentioned in his blog that he has never seen snow, as he grew up in Texas and more recently California... Billy, you'll be seeing snow this winter! But back to the questions about weather I've received this week: While it does get cold and it does snow during the winter, it's not like it's so unbearable that no one ever goes outside. And having the cold weather during the winter makes the arrival of spring even sweeter.
My random thoughts from the road this week...
(1) Fast-food is not really that fast. (I am a little bitter today after one of the worst fast-food restaurant drive-thru experiences I have EVER had... Slow-food is more like it...)
(2) Thank you to the guidance and college counseling offices that have provided "goodie-bags" to the visiting admission counselors. I know I have said this before, but it is so nice to have a little snack to eat or bottle of water to drink while moving from one high school visit to the next. So thanks again!!
(3) From my own experiences and what I've heard from some of the other counselors in our office, a lot of students are talking about applying Early Action this year... Which is fine, as long as you are READY to do so... That November 1 deadline isn't so far in the distance anymore... and remember, there is NO competitive advantage to applying EA to PC. But it's up to you how you want to apply!
*Scott
10/9/07
Baton Rouge, LA!
To one of my favorite people on campus, Fr. John Peterson... He used to work in the Office of Admission and has since moved one floor away to work directly with our alumni. Last week, I flew home from Nashville only to find that my two potential "rides home" from the airport were unavailable-- one was sick and the other was in class. Enter Fr. John, who made the hour-long round-trip from campus to the airport and back to get a weary admission counselor home... Thanks FJP!
*Scott
10/7/07
Providence, RI
Greetings from Nashville! Moving on from networking at NACAC to telling the PC story in Tennessee, the arrival of October marks month #2 on the road for the PC admission staff. Here’s my random collection of thoughts from this week:
How do you find the front door of a high school? They tell rookie admission counselors to “look for the flagpole." It’s a good suggestion—many times it works. Unless the main entrance to the school is around the back of the building… (Who would think to look there?)…
Speaking of high school visits, I want to take this opportunity to publicly thank all of the high schools that have clearly marked visitor parking spaces. It makes our day much more pleasant when we pull into the parking lot and see this sign:
Once inside the high school, one of the more popular topics of conversation with students is our test-optional policy (year #2 for us!). The most common question for me has been, “You say you are test-optional but if I don’t send my scores, aren’t you going to know that they are bad?��? Fair question. But please understand something: SAT/ACT scores have NEVER been a make or break factor in the admission review process at PC—even when test scores were required. When I open an application file, I am NOT searching through the folder looking to see if test scores are in there—that is just NOT how we conduct our review process. So, if you haven’t submitted test scores, will I immediately think they are “bad��? scores? No. I will think that you want to be considered for admission based on your four years of high school rather than four hours on a Saturday morning taking a standardized test. (And if that is how you want your application to be considered, you’ve applied to the right place!)
I’m 99.9% sure that the “DOOR OPEN" and “DOOR CLOSE" buttons inside of elevators are just there for show. Yep… You’re in the elevator and someone’s running to catch it, and you’re hitting “DOOR OPEN – DOOR OPEN" and… the doors close right in their face. And then they think you were frantically hitting the “DOOR CLOSE" button to keep them out. Which you weren’t… Because if you were hitting that button, the doors wouldn’t have closed. (Told you these were random thoughts…)
Ever been to an outdoor college fair? I hadn’t either until last fall here in Nashville (when I attended TWO!). I had the opportunity to attend one again this year – it’s a very nice atmosphere that works well in warm-weather areas:
 
One thing you do have to worry about at an outdoor fair is an invasion of insects. Bees, to be specific. Now, I am not allergic to bees, but I will admit to being a little scared of them… Anyway, the counselor at the table next to me wasn’t – she killed three yellow jackets in a one-hour span. Which was great, except at the end of the fair there were at least nine or ten bees swarming around her table – they knew that she had killed their friend bees and were back for revenge. You’ll be happy to know I didn’t get stung…
And finally, my favorite exchange of the week came at an evening college fair while I was speaking with the parent of a prospective student. It went something like this:
Parent: Providence… Providence… Where is that, anyway?
Me: We are up in the Northeast – in Rhode Island.
Parent: Oh, of course, on Rhode Island – part of New York State. You know, I just love New York and it’s just great that your school is in that great state.
Me: Ummmm…
And so it goes…
*Scott
10/2/07
Nashville, TN!
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