By Chris Lydon, Dean of Admission

My thanks to Scott for lending me his space to share some of my thoughts about the selection process that has just ended for the Class of 2012.

One of the recurring themes this year and every year for me is, “don’t trust the numbers." Countless times we’ll be sitting in our committee meetings and we’ll see the academic credentials for the next candidate on our roster before the counselor starts the presentation. Sometimes, the initial reaction is, “this will be an easy one." Only to find out that the very attractive “numbers" (rank, gpa, standardized test scores – if submitted) aren’t matched by the counselor’s presentation. Glowing cumulative numbers are great, but grade digression, reduced curriculum challenge senior year, poor writing samples and superficial extracurricular participation can change that initial reaction in a heartbeat.

Conversely, there are times when you look at the next candidate’s numbers and wonder, “how did he/she make it this far?" Only to find out that the candidate has a “story" – overcoming personal or medical obstacles, contributing in distinctive ways to their school or community, articulating genuine and specific interest in attending PC – and doing their best work as a high school senior. Bottom line? You may be able to form a class by focusing on the numbers, but you can’t create a community.

This fact was brought home to me most vividly during the 12th and final day of our committee meetings. That day is reserved for the applications that have had multiple reads, have already been heard in committee, but for whom the final decision is still in question. As Scott noted on Monday, we started the final day with 170 applications left – and 66 class spaces available. Every single candidate in the room was academically attractive. No senior year digression, wonderful involvement and leadership in activities, and the support of multiple members of the admission staff. This is Final Committee –and it’s both tense and ultimately, exhilarating.

But that’s the end of the process – how did we get to the final committee day?

The first and second read components of our review justifiably focus on academic preparation and achievement as well as the personal qualities the candidate exhibits. Between recalculating the GPA, evaluating the curriculum, and reading every item submitted, the first reads alone average between 35 – 45 minutes. Scott has mentioned this many times, but it’s important to reiterate it here, the vast majority of our applicants are academically qualified to succeed. The further along we get, the more the academic preparation blurs between candidates – and the personal qualities become the separation points.

But go back to my “story" example. I hear more and more from students who lament that they don’t have a “hook" to their application. No personal tragedies (as if that’s bad), no truly unique experiences, no legacy connection or special talents. In fact, an unusual number of essays seemed to address some variation of that theme this year.

“Hooks" are less common than you think. Most candidates present applications that are thorough and demonstrate academic and extracurricular achievement. Candidates who have helped us understand something about their personal qualities (primarily through their own writing and their recommendations) often become most attractive to us. Remember, we’re trying to build a community. The qualities about Providence College that made you apply in the first place must be preserved with each entering class. Providence College is a distinctive community – as you’ve told us over and over in the thousands of essays we’ve read. My best advice to future applicants is to let yourself come through – it’s not about the style, it’s about the substance.

Third reads follow second reads, and by this time, the majority of the applications have a consensus decision. That doesn’t mean that they won’t get looked at again, but usually at this point they are flagged as invited, waitlisted or denied. They may be looked at again if a coach calls to inquire on behalf of a recruit, if a fine arts faculty member wants to check on a candidate who auditioned or submitted a portfolio, or if another member of the Providence College community asks us to look at someone of interest to them. These applications may also be pulled into a committee meeting if the counselor believes that new information (like late-arriving mid-year grades) could change the outcome (positive or negative). All of this leads to the last day.

How did we select those last 66? By listening to the presentation, by focusing on each candidate and their interest in Providence College, by considering the fit to their chosen major (without penalizing those who applied undeclared), and putting these last candidates into the context of all of the decisions already made. Votes are taken and the pile dwindles – as do the number of spaces remaining. Finally, after several rounds, it truly is down to two files and one remaining space. And this year, after all of the back and forth, when the last vote was taken, the staff was unanimous about our final selection. That doesn’t happen all the time, but it certainly was a wonderful conclusion to the building intensity of the last several weeks.

Scott has a done a fabulous job of conveying what we look for and how the various stages of the selection process work. I’ll add that between the early and regular review processes, we put approximately 2,600 candidates through the full committee review. Some discussions were brief, others went on for 15 minutes. And sometimes after all that, we still pushed the application to the final committee day, where it was heard again. At Providence College, our review is deeply personal. I know that students who are denied or waitlisted usually disagree with our judgment – and I respect that our choices may not seem right to some people. While I’m proud of the profile of those students invited to be part of the Class of 2012, I am most proud of the fifteen counselors in the Admission Office who have carefully and respectfully considered every candidate.