The Vandy Admissions Blog

Thom April 21st, 2009

I’m a Friday afternoon guy.  The undeniable buoyancy in the air, the simultaneous anticipation of things to come paired with an exhaling from the week, and the mutually held good mood that’s passed back and forth between people that only happens on a Friday afternoon.  The energy is pure and tangible.  It’s not the trite ”work hard - play hard” stuff, I am in my early thirties after all.  It’s a simple joy in life, a weekly tradition that is experienced by many, but in a tight community like Vanderbilt, it’s something special.

I have been talking with admitted students from all across the country at programs and on campus and I have been struck by the complexity of the decisions they are making right now.  It’s east coast/west coast or Nashville, it’s big school with an honors program or Vanderbilt, close to mom and dad or far away, go to the school that my girlfriend/boyfriend will be attending or not?  I have to admit that having a front row seat to this developmentally important process is one of the major reasons I love my job.  I believe fully that the college decision is your first draft on a full and independent adult life.  It doesn’t define you, but it formalizes ever so slightly the person you think you want to become, the people you want to be around, and the experiences you want to shape you.  How you go about making that decision is a good first step into adult decision-making.  I have heard about college decisions that ended with the fabled “ray of light” theory, where someone wakes up with an unfettered clarity and an intuitive peace about which choice is right.  While I don’t mock that this happens to people, whether through meditation or prayer for example, I do think expecting that kind of serendipitous certainty can endlessly taunt many students. 

So if you’re one of those who will have to work at your decision, going over pros and cons and debating your options, I offer up this theory: often the best choice is the one that involves the least negative-sum exchanges.  What I mean is that in any decision of consequence you often give something to get something.  A super high paying job may be what you get, but you will likely have to give much more than 40 hours a week, which ripples outward and impacts your family/social life and potential happiness.  Attending a school that’s far away from home may bring a sense of autonomy and “being out on your own” but you may give up the benefits of closeness with your family and close friends.  For example, I have found that many admitted students I talk to are choosing between schools that all offer a high level of academic horsepower, but very different community dynamics.  At Vanderbilt, we feel comfortable putting our classroom experience up against any University (but we’re biased).  What I have come to understand in my three years here though is that this highly intellectual community maintains such a high level of livability for many Vanderbilt students. 

To me, Vanderbilt offers Tuesday morning academics in a setting that feels like a Friday afternoon.  I reject that if a student wants an elite academic experience that they have to put up with a community that is cut-throat and staid.  I suppose that is why I feel so at home at Vanderbilt.  Everyday I meet students who are so diverse in their backgrounds, so interesting as people and at the same time, are some of the top intellects in the country.  I rationalize that you can chalk this balance up to Nashville as a backdrop for Vandy.  It’s a progressive and youthful city for sure, but has a famously laid back vibe.  Perhaps it’s the weather?  The professors?  Ultimately, whatever the source, it sets the scene nicely for students to not have to make concessions in their decisions, at least not when it comes to the nexus of academics and community.  Being close to your family or your significant other?  You’re on own with that one.

• Balance , I've been admitted - now what? , Nashville
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Thom March 19th, 2009

There are things in this world that are perceived to be more fascinating than they really are: haggis, turkey bowling, Dancing with the Stars, that game where you spin around on a bat 10 times and wobble toward the finish line - oh, and admissions committees.  For the past two weeks I, along with my fellow Associate Director and Director of Admissions at Vanderbilt, have reviewed the decisions of hundreds of individual students all across the country.  Think of a meeting that lasts 80+ hours long.  Yes, it is that fascinating.

Here’s how it works:

• Each officer brings in a bundle of applications, which at this point have been first read and second read.  Nearly all of them have already been “decisioned” (as we’ve talked before on this blog) and the officer is proposing a decision change.
• In the picture above you see a laptop connected to a monitor.  It displays all 19,300 applications we have received this year, broken out by high school (all 928 pages of them).  It is useful as we progress through each region to view a student presented in committee in the broader context of his or her high school.  The computer is also clutch for hunting down mundane yet (in the moment) pressing matters such as checking the lyrics to Billy Joel’s Allentown in between Eastern PA apps.   Or “How do you pronounce Nacogdoches (TX) and how is it different than Natchitoches (LA)?”   By the way, it’s Knack-a-Doe-Shuss and Knack-a-Tesh respectively.  Ahh Google.
• When there is an individual applicant that needs discussing, the officer presenting in committee will place a summary sheet of that applicant’s grades, test scores (and a ton more)  in the middle of the committee table and begins describing the applicant.  The officer keeps the rest of the file (as you see in the picture) drawing out snippets of the essay, the eca’s, the recs, etc.
• Most of our conversations center along the faultlines between an admit and a waitlist, although we sometimes discuss when it would be best to waitlist a student or simply let them go.  We do not want to be placing students on a waitlist who would never stand a chance of coming off of it.  After the conversation/debate ensues, a decision is rendered.

Today is the final day of committee and decision checking started yesterday.  Decision checking is where we check each file to make sure the decision is recorded in our system correctly.  Letter checking then takes place to make sure that Tim from Toledo doesn’t get Tina from Tacoma’s decision letter.  If all goes like we think it will, letters will be in the mail a week from today.  Stay tuned.

• Admissions Committee , File Reading Explained , Waitlist
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Brad March 17th, 2009

Hello Friends.

Committee is in full swing and decisions are getting finalized. Meanwhile, our staff is gearing up for letter printing, decision checking, and mailing. Of course, as March Madness is upon us, several of our hoops meistros have taken the time to discuss the nuances of bracket seeding. There is also a lively debate about the comparative quality of ACC and Big 10 teams. A big congratulations to the Vanderbilt Women who earned a #4 seed and another SEC Tournament championship.

We are on track to mail on Thursday, March 26th. Check out the photos below.

• Application Process
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Brad February 24th, 2009

Nashville has plenty of culinary choices. But there is one type of food which is distinctive to Music City: Hot Chicken.

Hot Chicken is southern-style pan-fried chicken cooked in a cast-iron skillet. There is, however, one twist. The chicken is breaded in a super-secret blend of spices which give the chicken its…hot. And trust me, it is spicy. Dangerous even.

The main purveyor of this delight is called Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack. Former Mayor Bill Purcell declared it his favorite restaurant and legend has it that one could garner political favor by stepping up from the milder varieties. The truth is, that I frequently crave Prince’s. Eating it on Tuesday can guarantee that you’ll want it on Wednesday. Fortunately for me, I am eating Prince’s tomorrow. After all it’s a Data Day tradition.

So what are data days? Well, you’re about to find out. Because as much as I’d like to use this blog to promote Hot Chicken, it’s really not the point.

Data Days are the days where we evaluate the overall depth, quality and diversity of our applicant pool just before starting admissions committee.  There are three per year, one for each of the Early Decision rounds, and one for Regular Decision. Thom alluded earlier to the admission officer deadline by which all applications must be first and second read. That date was last Wednesday. Since then, our support staff have been frantically entering decisions (admit, deny, waitlist, or committee)  into our database so we can have a complete look at the pool by Data Day.

Then, using some fancy schmancy reporting tools (we actually use Business Objects, a French data solutions package) the admissions committee will answer some critical questions:

How many students should be admitted?

This number is calculated by taking the number of spots in the first year class and subtracting the total number already admitted during Early Decision. Then, using a yield projection for Regular Decision we multiply to account for students who are admitted but will not choose to attend. From this number we subtract the regular decision students who have already been admitted or will be shortly. The only students in this group are MOSAIC invitees, Scholarship Finalists (Ingram, Cornelius Vanderbilt and Chancellor’s) and recruited athletes.

The final number will be the total number of admissions letters that leave our office on mailing day. You can try to guess the number, but we do not release it publicly. Remember that we keep it intentionally low  to prevent over enrollment. Then we admit from the waiting list to ensure the porridge is just right.

2. How many students can be heard at committee?

An easy calculation. We average about 10 application discussions in a committee hour. With three committees running 6-8 hours every day, five or six days each week  for the next month. According to Amy, our committee guru, we have 330 hours scheduled but may need more or less depending on the answer to the next question.

3. What is the threshold by which any student should gain admission?

Ideally any application that reaches committee will include a compelling discussion and the full spectrum of decision options. Although we love hearing about the incredible, bizarre, hilarious and remarkable things that prospective Vanderbilt students accomplish, it is not useful to spend more time on students who are clearly admissible.

On Data Days we take a statistical snapshot (compiled from the espresso-fueled months of reading) and assume that we can admit most qualified applicants in the highest end of our pool. This process is known in our office as “Commando.”  The origins of the term are hazy, but if I had my guess it dates back to 1645 when Alan Commando, the former Dean of Oxford decided to admit everyone at once. A carnival was subsequently thrown in his honor.

At the conclusion of Data Days, the entire staff receives an email with “Commando Guidelines.” Any applicant who meets the guidelines is gathered, re-read and barring any concerns, summarily admitted. Remember that every last application has been reviewed in full (twice in fact), received hand-written comments, and a decision recommendation. 

The remaining applications are slated for committee review where we will spend the coming weeks discussing everything from extra curricular involvement to grades to curriculum to that essay describing that time you fell offstage at your piano recital.

To a geek like me, Data Days are like Magic Eye posters. For months I’ve closely examined the applicants from Maryland (except Montgomery and Prince George’s counties), Minnesota, Wisconsin, Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Alaska. Now I am able to inch backward and see how those students fit into the larger group considered for Fall 2009.  Now it’s time for some Hot Chicken.

Mmm...Hot Chicken

• Admissions Committee , Application Process , File Reading Explained , Uncategorized
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admin May 7th, 2008

As we anticipated and had planned, starting today and progressing throughout early summer, we will begin calling students on our waitlist to offer them admission to Vanderbilt University. I wanted to touch base with everyone to provide a little insight into how we will be making the decisions as to who will be admitted as well as making sure everyone understands some of the processes.

The decision process to admit a student from the waitlist mirrors the holistic review that the applicant has already gone through during regular decision. We consider academics (grades, test scores, rigor of coursework, etc), leadership and other intellectual and personal intangibles that are the foundation of Vanderbilt’s admissions process. More unique to our waitlist review though, we may consider the level of continued interest in Vanderbilt, the content of any new information that has been received since our decisions have gone out, and what elements of each application fit with the outstanding needs and goals of our incoming class (the aforementioned scenario, if we need oboe players, we’ll admit more oboe players, etc).

As I’ve mentioned, if you are being offered admission from the waitlist, an admissions officer will attempt to contact you and ask if you are still interested in Vanderbilt and in being admitted. If you say yes, we will priority mail an admissions letter and packet to you. If you completed an application for financial aid, we will priority mail that package as soon as it is available (usually within a day or two). In the admissions packet is a response form for you to complete. You have seven days to consider the offer of admission and mail that response card back to our office.

Important Question #1: But Thom, should I flip out if I don’t get called in the next several days? In a word, no. Keep in mind that we do this in waves and may possibly be calling into early summer. The students we admit from the waitlist have a tough decision to make in that they have already deposited at another school. We don’t know, and neither do you what they’ll decide to do. We will send out a notice once our class is complete, and our intent is to not go past July 1.

Important Question #2: Should I call my admissions officer to get my waitlist status? Again, no. It’s fine to contact us if you are providing additional information towards your application (as we’ve discussed in previous posts), but we will contact you if you will be offered admission from the waitlist.

• Waitlist
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