A group of students was in the house the other night (I can’t take myself so seriously as to call it the Dean’s Residence, but please do understand that my family and I literally live in the center of The Commons). They were my Visions group (shout out to Group 80!). Every first year student belongs to a Visions group that meets weekly with a student and faculty “VUceptor” to discuss the transition everybody is experiencing as they move from high school to college. It’s a steep learning curve. For our group, that translated into talking for an hour a week about where we were at in the semester—sometimes structured discussion but more often than not general chat. We’d always start by going around the circle and playing “highs and lows” of the week. “My high of the week was seeing my girlfriend from home and my low of the week was the calculus exam.” You get the idea.

Since this was the last official session of the semester (we decided to have one more after the Break to spend our group activity fee on dinner at the world-famous Loveless Café!), we played “highs and lows” of the semester. There were lows. “The Swine”—H1N1—has been an issue here this semester, so sickness was one constant,, as was lack of sleep, as was the discovery that, in fact, not everybody possibly can get A’s. I remembered that my high of the semester was Lindsay’s low; she was crushed that the Phillies lost the World Series and hated the fact I was a Yankees fan! The group started pausing, though, when it tried to remember the “high” of the semester, and fairly soon the consensus started to emerge that there were “highs, ” but these just reduced to a common denominator. They simply liked it at Vanderbilt, they felt at home, were having a good time of it, and felt a growing self-confidence. “Yeah, I’ve talked with some of my friends from high school, and they’re just not as happy as I am.” “That’s true for me, too. I just like it here.”

Of course, for me, as a professor, to be surrounded by young people in both my classrooms and my neighborhood who are comfortable enough to be themselves means that they are tapping into their capacity for personal and intellectual growth—the chief reason we brought them to Vanderbilt in the first place. As they grow and explore, my life becomes richer. That makes me—and my colleagues—happy as well. As does having a Thanksgiving Break.

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.

• A streamlined and dramatically simplified structure where all of the admissions/financial aid/Vanderbilt information you’ve asked for is one click away including a “find your major” drop down.  No more having to crawl through dozens of websites just to find your major.
• A media player where to watch video interviews from Vanderbilt students and faculty.
• An Admissions Quick Guide that puts 100% of our application process into simple steps without any buzz words or admissions jargon.
• A social media toolbar that lets you take Vandy with you, either through Facebook, Twitter, Youtube or by loading our RSS feed into your feed reader.
• Easily share information with your friends through our “Share this Page” section.

Have a great Wednesday blogland!

In the spirit of creativity, it seems as though someone placed a costume mask on the Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt statue yesterday.  It is not that uncommon to find various articles of clothing on the big guy from time to time.  Have a great Fall weekend.

For your Autumnal enjoyment, I snapped a few shots of the Vanderbilt grounds ablaze in color while walking to the office this morning.  Such a wonderful time of year . . .

Vanderbilt Walkways Along Alumni Lawn in Fall

Vanderbilt's Fall Colors on Curry Field