The Vandy Admissions Blog

kyliestanley November 18th, 2009

When I was a high school student visiting colleges and universities I had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up. I was a first generation college student and just the idea of going to college was both overwhelming and exciting. During a visit to Indiana University (which I eventually attended for my undergraduate education) the admissions counselor I talked with after the group information session asked me which career field I was interested in. Dazzled by her energy and enthusiasm for the institution, I told her that I wasn’t sure, but I thought it would be fun to be an admissions counselor!

During my second year of college I was away at a leadership retreat when we were going around the room announcing the usual (name, hometown, major, what you want to be when you grow up). I still had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up, so when it became my turn I said, “Kylie Stanley… LaPorte, IN… English and Political Science… and I have no idea what I want to be, but I am pretty sure I never want to leave college.” One of the staff leaders responded, “I have the perfect field for you, talk to me after group.” Later he told me about higher education administration and about all the ways I could work for a college or university.

Fast forward about five years. I graduated from an amazing public flagship university. I received my master’s from the top ranked education school in the nation (Peabody College at Vanderbilt University). Now, I am an admissions counselor at one of the best national universities in the country.

When I hear those in popular media call admissions counselors “gatekeepers”, it makes me think they really don’t get who we are as individuals. Every single one of my colleagues has an equally inspiring story about how they came to work here, and all of us run into high school students that remind us of ourselves not too long ago.

You have to do your part as an applicant (i.e. get good grades, proofread your essays, ask individuals for letters of recommendation), but know that we are not standing on the other side of the gate trying to keep you out. More accurately, we’re on the same side as you, adding a bit of manpower to help you open it.

• Advice for Parents , Application Process , College Fairs and VU Visiting Your High School , Peabody College of Education and Human Development
• Comments(0)

Thom August 20th, 2009

Got a long drive tomorrow for move-in weekend at the commons for first-year students?   It’s not too late to talk about:

-Personal finance - I can’t tell you how many buddies I knew at college that started a life of consumer debt over a table on the quad for the prize of a lousy college t-shirt.  Will he or she have their own checking account for any bills?  Discuss whether he or she will have a job while in school?  My parents were adament that I wouldn’t, but many of my friends did work while in school.  The current research on the matter indicates that working less than 15 hours a week at a part time job has an insignificant negative impact on college GPA.  In fact, there are many educators who hold the belief that working part time (again, less than 15 hours) is better for the student, because it makes them have to better budget their time.  Less time for idleness.  Also, talk about always having money in his or her pocket for a cab ride home - or make sure he or she knows all about the Vanderbilt Cab Cash program, where local cab companies will accept money from a debit card on the Vanderbilt ID Card.  The mistake with this confab is to think this talk is an economics lecture.  This is all about personal responsibility.

-Alcohol - Clearly a topic that hits closer to home, but an important one nonetheless.  Part of tackling an adult life (what college is largely about) is personal choices and owning the consequences for one’s actions.  I think back to something my dad told me before going off to college, “Don’t drink something just because somebody else wants you to; you’re better than that.”  I of course dismissed it at the time because I was 17 and bulletproof.  He didn’t press it then, but I think he knew I heard him.  He was right of course.  Likewise, you know your son or daughter, and he or she will listen to you about alcohol use.  If you’re not sure what to say, Vanderbilt has some helpful tips and advice for first-year parents.

-Make sure they know how much you love them.  Ultimately, it’s your unconditional love and support that means the most and has gotten them this far.

Also, don’t forget about Family Weekend, October 2-4.  Our office is teaming up with the Parent and Family Association for the Vanderbilt Siblings Admissions Breakfast on Friday October 2.  This program attempt to demustify the admissions and financial aid at highly selective institutions (including Vandy of course) for interested parents and siblings of current Vanderbilt students.  The program will be hosted by myself, John Gaines (Director of Admissions) and Doug Christiansen (Dean of Admissions).  Spots are going quick so regsiter now.

• Advice for Parents , Vanderbilt Safety
• Comments(0)

Thom August 17th, 2009

Thanks to many of you for the signs of support and interest in my doctoral research.  I wanted to post some additional information about my research and what we found in hopes that it may be helpful to you and your family.  Please forgive my academese.

The college choice requires the adolescent to gather and synthesize vast amounts of information, reconcile sometimes competing personal and familial goals, and manage a range of emotions.  This decision process represents a major developmental crisis with which the adolescent must cope.  Scholars have noted that psychological strain and heightened anxiety may commonly accompany the college search.  One explanation for the adverse reactions some adolescents have to the college search is that some employ less effective coping strategies to manage their emotions and behaviors to address or adapt to the stress of this major decision than others.  The purpose of the study was to ascertain the nature of the relationship between Myers-Briggs personality preferences and college search related coping behaviors in a sample (n=285) of 11^th and 12^th grade students at a high school in central Tennessee.

We found that introverts were much more likely to cope by disengaging from the college choice process, while extraverts were much more likely to engage in the choice process.  In addition, considering whether someone was an introvert or extravert significantly added to our ability to predict how someone would cope with the college search process after controlling for important demographic variables (gender, ethnicity, first-generation status, and academic achievement level).   We also found that people who preferred a more structured and orderly approach to life (J-types) were siginificantly more likely to cope by trying to deal directly with the source of the stress (called primary coping, which has been shown to be the most effective kind of coping).  In fact, whether you were a J or a P on the Myers-Briggs significantly predicted how you would cope with the college application process.

So what does that mean?  First, the adage that the more organized you are in your college search, the better off you’ll be, seems to be great advice.  In this world there are pilers and there are filers.  You know those pilers, they keep papers in stacks and don’t mind a little clutter in their rooms.  And then there are filers where there’s a place for everything, and everthing is in its place - order rules.  When it comes to applying to college, embrace your inner filer, even if you are a piler.

The more troubling takeaway though, is the indication that introverts are much more likely to disengage from the college search process.  There may be some dynamics of the college search and application experience that may explain this tendency.  One factor may be the very public and social nature of the college search.  Often, when others around the student (employers, peers, teachers, or family members) know that he or she is applying to college, it becomes a recurring focus of conversation.  This constant attention on such a highly personal decision may overload the introvert and thus trigger a retreat coping response.  In addition, a central requirement of the college application process is that a college applicant must externally present or package (some would argue) various components of him or herself for evaluation by colleges.  This task may be perceived as too daunting for an introvert.  In reaction, the introvert may retract to collect his or her thoughts and deal with the stress alone.

Whatever the explanation, the place of the introverted student (estimated to be between 35-45% of the American high school population) in college admissions is a topic that derserves a deeper dialogue.  I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section.

• Advice for Parents , Preparing for College
• Comments(4)

Brad July 6th, 2009

Good morning blog readers, friends, and people who were mysteriously sent here using Bing:

This blog began several years ago as an experiment. It was not rolled out with fanfare, nor was it vetted through a massive team of consultants in suits. In fact, it was quite the opposite. I built a simple site on the now defunct Blogspot, recruited a few students to help and away we went. Our goal was to demystify the admissions processs and put you in our shoes. Of course, we quickly learned what it means to be in your shoes as well. I don’t know for sure if this blog has been successful or if it has helped meet those goals, but one thing I do know: It’s been a great time.

Sadly, this will be my last post as an official VandyBlogger since I am leaving Vandy to pursue graduate coursework in Educational Policy and Administration. Sadder still, is that the previous sentence may be the dorkiest thing I’ve ever written.

I may drop by from time to time to post a comment or to razz Thom for one of his dramatically flourished opening salvos. I hope you all continue to enjoy the dispathes from this office and that you keep the tough questions like, ”Can I combine my SAT and ACT score into a super-super score?” or “How do I make pesto?” coming.

Mostly, I hope your take our advice to heart. College admissions is not a sport or a game or a contest. If it was, admissions counselors would get paid more and would have a Hall of Fame/Truck Stop/Gift Shop somewhere in Indiana. Admissions is a subjective process, run by flesh-and-blood human beings who care a great deal about getting it right. Still our decisions come down to distinctions that can be immeasureably small or just plain unmeasureable.

If you decide to make your education a lifelong journey, then everything will fall into place.

It’s been fun. Go Dores!

• Advice for Parents , Uncategorized
• Comments(1)

Thom June 3rd, 2009

I have three sons, all under the age of three, and I work in admissions.  That means that my ability to make a living depends on the decision-making of 17-year olds, and my ability to get a good night’s sleep depends on the whims of 4-month olds (our twin boys).  I am like the dad in the car commercial from some years ago that wonders out loud while driving his toddler around town, “Now I’m a dad, and it’s my job to tell him, ‘No, that cookie’s fallen on the floor, you can’t eat that . . . when inside my head, I’m thinking - five second rule - that cookie’s still good.’”  I am, like most parents I know, a work in progress on the parenting front.

Watching that move-in video from last week got me thinking about what the parents who read this blog are going through in this process of supporting, and ultimately preparing their child to go off to college.  I think about what my parents did for me when I went off to school.  They had just driven off after hugs and few wetted eyes.  I got back to my room and started up my computer and on my desktop they had each written me a letter.  Each one stated how proud they were of me, and gave advice about what to look out for in the coming years.  I still have those letters.  I loved it so much, in fact, that for each of my sons, I have been writing them letters since they were born.  The thought is that I will someday give them over to them when they go off to college.

So it is with humility that I attempt to offer advice to parents at least 4 times my senior in the parenting biz.  I won’t pretend that I know first hand what it is like to send your child off to college, but I have been a second hand observer to the process, having worked for colleges almost a decade.  The Southern journalist Hodding Carter wrote, “There are two lasting bequests we can give our children: One is roots, the other is wings.”  You’ve given them so much throughout their life, and have taught them well.  Trust them now in hopes that some small portion of what you’ve taught has sunk in, most importantly the love you gave them.

So with that here’s a couple of pieces of advice:

1) Most college students change their major, it’s not a big deal.  Be prepared for some homesickness, it’s also not a big deal.

2) Leave his or her room like it is for a while.  Yes, he or she will be living at college, but that room is still home, and it can be unsettling to come back and see the room has been reacquisitioned by the family.  It’s not a scientific sample or anything, but every friend I had in college that had this happen to them had issues like a magazine rack about it.

3) Come for parent weekend.  You’ll love it.

4) Send care packages, your child will love it.  The Vandy bookstore will even have ready-made packages for you to order in the fall.

5) Consider getting involved in the Vanderbilt Parent and Family Association and stay connected to your son or daughter’s community.  There’s also a parent hotline for any questions that you might have.

Waitlist Update

As of right now, all of the calling from the last wave has concluded and no new calling  is currently being done.  Our waitlist is still active though and we are watching to see how some of the remaining deposits shake out to determine if another wave of calling needs to happen.  That’s all I know right now, and will update when I can.

• Advice for Parents , Waitlist
• Comments(11)