Hopkins Insider

Giving Thanks for the 4 Fs

Let me begin by wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving. I have survived the holiday traffic and arrived at my parent's home for the start of a lovely Thanksgiving break with the family, Lilly, and Soze. This will be a traditional Thanksgiving of great food, great football, great family, and great files. Yes, the four "Fs" of my Thanksgiving holiday for the last nine years. Food, football, family, and FILES - FILES - FILES.

(((Popular Culture blog break: As I am writing about Thanksgiving I am thinking about last summer's movie "Grindhouse." Did any of you see it? This was the double-feature horror film with Quentin Tarantino's "Death Proof" and Robert Rodriguez's "Planet Terror." What made me think of it? Well during "Grindhouse" you get these fake trailers to fake movies and one is by Eli Roth of "Hostel" fame and is titled simply "Thanksgiving." It is one of the sickest things I have ever seen and has changed the way I think of this Turkey Holiday.)))

Back to the blog .... So files during Thanksgiving, that's the life of a dedicated Admissions counselor. Starting in November and running through March your life in many ways becomes reading applications files first and everything else (even holidays) second. For me this is just fact and actually not something I really complain about. Especially with my family ... I've trained Lilly (my nearly two year old niece) and Soze (my nearly six year old dog) to help read files. Soze is great with transcripts and Lilly is even better with letters of recommendation. Obviously, I am kidding ... OR AM I?????

Well as you all prepare to take a break from school I thought I would share a  few updates in the world of Admissions at Hopkins. As you can see from the pictures the reading of Early Decision applications has truly begun. In fact, it began earlier this year than ever before since we moved the ED deadline to November 1st. That has been a wonderful blessing to the Admissions staff both from the Operations side with more time to process and from the Counseling team side with more time to read. I actually got my first batch of applications to read on November 5th, nearly two weeks earlier than in any previous year. (Read last year's "Ready, Set, READ" blog entry that the official first day was not until November 21.) This has been wonderul because my stress level has not risen and I really have been able to pace myself with my evaluations. Plus we are going to have a good amount of time to discuss things in Committee before finalizing decisions.

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For those of you who applied Early Decision, I thought I would provide you with answers to some of the questions I have been asked over the last couple of weeks. (Regular Decision applicants don't fret ... I will post an FAQ list for you all in the coming weeks.)

When will ED notifications be released???

The plan as stated on our web site and in the application materials is to release Early Decision notifications to all ED applicants by December 15th. For the last few years that means we release decisions ON 12.15. I suspect the same will be true this year, but if our plans change and we are able to release decisions a day or two earlier I will update you all through this blog.

When decisions are released that are mailed out during the day and then an email is sent at 6:00pm EST. For further details about the process of notification for ED, please read "Down to the Wire..." and "Notes on the Release of Early Decision Notifications", two blog entries I wrote last December.

How many Early Decision applications were received this year???

Since this generation of college applicants is so obsessed with numbers, this has become the question I am asked constantly. How many applicants? Is that more than last year? Less? Why such a change? What does that mean? AAAAAAHHHHHH! Here is my answer ... calm down ... patience ... and the numbers do not tell the story.

Director of Admissions Dr. John Latting did reveal earlier this week that it looks like our Early Decision application total for the 2007-08 application cycle will be ... 1055 applications. This number is subject to change as we continue to complete applications and confirm Early Decision agreements. But, it is looking like the largest ED applicant pool in Hopkins history surpassing the record 1004 applications two years ago. I always think it is impressive to note that just six years ago in 2002 we received 516 ED applications and ten years ago we received 462.

Is my Early Decision application is complete???

It would be great if we had an online system where you all could log-on and checking to see if your application is complete. Unfortunately we don't, but after a series of demos/discussions I sat-in-on last week that possibility is looking much brighter for next year. For now the process is a simple one.

As you can imagine, it gets busy in the Admissions Office as we process application materials. Because of the volume of records being handled, we regret that it is not possible to confirm personally whether application files are complete or to identity which individual items have been received. Applicants will be mailed an acknowledgment postcard after your application is received and processed. It can take up to 4 weeks for a received application to be processed.

Rest assured that application files are checked carefully for completeness. Starting next week (Nov. 26th) we will contact students whose ED applications remain incomplete. Those students will be given an opportunity to provide us with any missing items before we complete the evaluation of their applications. Early Decision applicants may call the Admissions Office at (410) 516-8171 after November 30 to check if their application materials have been received, but once again we can not confirm individual parts of your application.

What are you looking for when you review the applications??? How do you choose who gets admitted???

These are questions that I am often asked and unfortunately there is no easy answer. Plus, Lilly just woke up from her nap and therefore I prefer to end this blog entry and go play with her. Fortunately though I have written on this topic twice before. Last year I posted "The Approach..." and the year before I posted "Three Months..." Take a read and hopefully my words can shed some light on the process.

Hope this little Q&A helped clear up any confusion. If you have further questions, I recommend reading through our Early Decision Questions on the Hopkins Forums and posting your question.

Happy Thanksgiving all.

[[[Photo Captions: (1) Mmmmm....turkey. (2) Lilly teaching Soze as they prepare to read applications. (3) & (4) Reading applications in my amazing new office. (5) To be filed bins beginning to stack up. (6) Decision support sheets and files waiting to be merged. (7) The printer is working over-time. (8) The office supplies are ready, including the blue application confirmation postcards.]]]

Thanks to Zuckerberg, Jessica, and Roxi

Amidst the reading of Early Decision files (more to follow about that in my next blog entry), I have also been busy with the Hopkins Interactive Students in updating the Hopkins Interactive Web site. Unlike in previous years (read about the launch of H.I. and also our version 2.0 launch), this 3rd edition of the student-created site will roll out in sections. I've already discussed some of the updates in previous entries the past couple of months:

• Nov. 8 - Clearing Away the Post-It Notes; discussed the re-launch of the Guest Blog, the launch of our Blue Jay Buffet blog, and also a teaser of our coming soon Video Blog. I also mentioned the updating of the Hopkins Forums.
• Oct. 14 - Newest Blog, ...; announced the launch of the 2011: Freshman Blog featuring four new Hopkins students.
• Oct. 6 - New Bloggers, New Office; debuted our newest student bloggers Mandy (Simply Serendipitous) and Lauren (Wish You Were Here).

In the coming weeks there will be new student profiles, revamped blogs and chat with us pages, and some special surprises. One of these new advancements actually quietly launched this past week. If we had decided to write-up a press release, the title would probably have been:

"HOPKINS INTERACTIVE EMBRACES FACEBOOK"

Yes, this past week we launched our "Johns Hopkins University -- Prospective Students" Facebook group. This is our second foray into using Facebook as a communication tool with prospective Hopkins students. Last spring/summer we launched a Class of 2011 group for enrolling students and it was a resounding success. So as we moved towards the recruiting and reviewing of potential Class of 2012 and beyond students we all agreed that a Facebook group for Prospective Students was a grand idea.

For those of you not familiar with Facebook, where have you been the last few years? Seriously though, for the official summary of this revolutionary social networking site created by Mark Zuckerberg (hence the title) in 2004 which claims 43 million plus members worldwide, read the Facebook Wikipedia entry. Also to hear what our students say about Facebook, read this Facebook discussion thread on the JHU Forums. Basically Facebook has become omnipresent on almost all college campuses around the U.S., and for us it is just another great way to communicate about Hopkins and continue to dispel all those myths.

So if you are an Early Decision or Regular Decision applicant for the Fall 2008 term, or a prospective student for a future term, or a friend of Hopkins, or just curious to connect with a great group of current  students ... JOIN OUR FACEBOOK GROUP. If you currently have a Facebook account, then just search for the group title "Johns Hopkins University - Prospective Students" and add yourself. If you don't have a Facebook account, then sign-up here. And if you love the group, then send all your kudos to JHU_Jessica, the architect and inspiration behind the group (yes that's her in the picture).

One other person to thank before signing-off ... and that is JHU_Roxi. Roxi played around a little bit with Windows Video Maker and created a nicely little tribute video to this past October Open Houses. Enjoy:

I'll be back next week with an update on what's going on in the office currently ... I know you ED applicants can't wait. Cheers!

True or False

Johns Hopkins University: True or False

Back by popular demand, the Hopkins Insider presents the second annual Blog Quiz. Unlike last time where I tested your knowledge of an amazing topic, ME (Admissions_Daniel), now I am going to see how much you know about Johns Hopkins University.

So here I present the Johns Hopkins FAST FACTS, True or False quiz. Let's get started:

1. In 1999, JHU scholars helped verify the first alphabet - from which modern alphabets evolved.

True
False


2. Renowned environmentalist, Rachel Carson, earned her graduate degree from Johns Hopkins in 1932.

True
False


3. In its first 120 seasons, the men's lacrosse team won more than 1/3 of all national championships.

True
False


4. JHU was the 1st university in the U.S. founded on the principle that research is indispensable.

True
False


5. Chemists at Johns Hopkins developed saccharin, the first synthetic sweetener.

True
False


6. Claiming that he did not deserve the salary,Einstein turned down an offer to join the JHU faculty.

True
False


7. Since 1981, Hopkins has been home to the Space Science Institute,the home of the Hubble Telescope.

True
False


8. The first modern classics department at a U.S. university was organized at Johns Hopkins.

True
Fasle


9. The ashes of Ira Remsen, second president of Hopkins, are interred behind a plaque in Remsen Hall.

True
False


10. The Peadbody Institute was the first music conservatory to be established in the United States.

True
False

So how did you do? Post your scores in the Comments sections to compare with others.

And if you enjoyed these Fast Facts, you should come visit campus and check out the new Auditorium in Mason Hall. The room is filled with these various accomplishments.

Clearing Away the Post-It Notes

Despite being quite busy over the last couple of months, I have found the time to jot down notes about potential blog topics on various post-it notes. Knowing that the next month I will need to focus most of my time on reading and evaluating Early Decision applications, I thought I would do one of my multi-topic entries. I consider these type of entries a Brain Dump ... with the ultimate goal of clearing away a lot of mini-topics that are not full blog worthy. This time the goal is to get rid of these pesky Post-It Notes.

Fluorescent Pink Post-It Note: A Good "New York Times" Article

About a month ago I posted a critique of a New York Times article about the role of Thank-you notes in the admissions process (you can read it here). Well as I caught up on some professional readings over my mini-vacation last week I located a New York Times article that I really enjoyed. Read it here:

Don't Worry, Be Students by Jacques Steinberg (9.30.2007)

I am so often critical of how the media portrays the entire collegiate experience from the application and admissions process, to the four year undergraduate experience, and to the ultimate graduate outcomes. But every once in a while a great article if written and I will encourage everyone I know to read it. This is one of those times. In fact, I was not surprised that I enjoyed the article so much because its author, Jacques Steinberg, is one of the few national educational journalists who GETS IT.  His writings are less about sensational headlines or claims (Thank-You Notes abuse College Admissions!!!) but are rather thought-provoking analyses and  summaries of the real collegiate world. Mr. Steinberg wrote for me the best book on College Admissions a few years ago, The Gatekeepers. Check it out.

As far as the article, I enjoyed it so much because it truly summed up the experiences I have heard from most students I have come into contact with over the past ten years. After all the anxiety over "getting in," it really is nice to know that most feel that "college is great." Take a minute to the read the article. I also encourage you to take a read of Julia's blog about the same article back on October 8th ... she does a much better job than me of summarizing why the article is a must read. ENJOY!!!

Traditional Yellow Post-It: New Blogs to Announce

If you are frequent visitor to Hopkins Interactive (is there such a person???) then you may have noticed we have launched a few new blogs in the last week. Check them out:

• The Guest Blog has returned for another semester; click here.
• Blue Jay Buffet will be our smörgåsbord blog ... a collection of stories representing all aspects of the Hopkins experience; click here.
• COMING SOON - the Hopkins Interactive VIDEO blog; click here.

Aqua Blue Post-It: The Return of the Hopkins Forums

Have you noticed? The Hopkins Interactive Message Boards are back and better than ever.   HOPKINS FORUMS LINK

Yes we've been doing a lot of upgrades to our message board system and encourage you all to visit, post, and ask questions. We have a cool new "Off-Topic" forum with polls, trivia, and random discussion threads. Also, you still have the opportunity to ask direct questions of any of the H.I. students or the Admissions team. Look forward to connecting with you on the Boards!!!

Green Post-It Note: 24 Returns!!!

The final post-it to clear away is a simple one ... time to get excited. 24 returns 1.13.08 !!! Season 7 needs to be much better than Season 6. TONY!!!

The Return of Admissions Mark

Life is still a bit Busy, Hectic, Crazed for me. So, since you all enjoyed his first guest entry back in September, I have asked my colleague Mark Butt to return to tell you all about his second round of recruitment travel this Fall. Enjoy!!!

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One of the most exhilarating times of the year for admissions counselors is travel season.  We at Hopkins set out to comb the planet and seek out the top students who are interested in pursuing higher education here.  That said, I’ve returned safe and sound to Baltimore after four weeks of travel.

Chinese writer and inventor Lin Yutang once said “No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.”  I can most definitely attest to these sentiments.  This was my second overseas trip for Hopkins and in two weeks I was able to visit five beautiful countries in Europe.  Needless to say I was taking part in what I like to call the newest Olympic event:  Power Sight-Seeing.  This is where the traveler will make concerted efforts to visit as many locations as possible in the shortest amount of time.

In my time overseas I was traveling with my colleague Martha from Swarthmore.  And let me tell you, we had a blast.  Traveling with a colleague makes the adventures that much more fun!  It’s twice as much brain-power first of all when making efforts to navigate quickly in foreign countries which includes, but is not limited to finding hotels, catching flights, locating taxi stands, paying bills and locating schools and fairs!  We were able to visit high schools and attend three International College Fairs run by the Fulbright Commission in London, Paris and Istanbul.  In total I met over 700 prospective students who were interested in coming to Hopkins for either this coming fall or the following year. 

Like most things, familiarity is your best friend.  New locations are challenging in the sense that it takes a while to understand how to move effectively between schools, calculating appointments times and using domestic public transportation.  Traffic is almost impossible to estimate.  I never could have told you it was going to take three hours to land in Istanbul and then get to our hotel which on the map, looked close.  However, traffic was another story on Saturday night in Istanbul – you know it’s bad when the driver turns off the car!  That said, we were on time for 98% of our visits which was a pleasant surprise – and much better than anticipated. 

Perhaps some of the more notable moments of the two weeks were the following:

• Realizing I packed too many suits and having to carry them for two weeks.  Never again.
• Finding an evening to see Fiddler on the Roof at the Savoy in London.
  Strategically navigating the London tube despite the Circle & District line shutting down.  I also got stuck in the jam-packed lift at Gloucester Rd. 
• Finding myself drawn into French game shows (Des Chiffres et des Lettres) which I recognized from growing up in Canada watching TV5. 
  Having our dare-devil driver in Italy take us 100 mph on the Rome Autostrada on the way to the airport!
• The re-kindling of my love for authentic Turkish cuisine.  Menemen, anyone? 

After returning from my European adventures which I was covering for my colleague Rachel, I still had a week left of my own domestic travel in New Jersey and Delaware.  My last Explore Hopkins took place at the Crowne Plaza Cherry Hill which had about 250 people attend.  The presentation and visits were great and I was able to see some familiar faces of students and counselors.  One of the best parts of the week was having three current JHU students and one alumna attend the Explore Hopkins presentation with me!  I always love having Hopkins students and alumni at the events because once again, it’s way more fun than just hearing me talk about Hopkins being such an outstanding place. 

As for now, I have but one trip left over American Thanksgiving which is to Madrid for the ECIS Conference and fair.  Now approaches the Early Decision reading season.  This means our new building, Mason Hall, has already started to see the increase in mail volume flowing into our office.  To all the prospective students, you should receive a blue card in the mail indicating your application is complete.  We will contact students if they are incomplete during the process so my best advice is to sit tight, continue working on your other applications for Regular Decision and enjoy your final autumn of high school.   

Busy, Hectic, Crazed ...

Welcome to November. I hope you all enjoyed Halloween, the start of Fall-like weather on the east coast (finally!), and for many of you the arrival of the Early Decision deadline. I hope many of you have already clicked submit or made your visit to the Post Office ... but if not, good luck with meeting the deadline you procrastinators!!! For you EDers, I recommend taking a look at the "Early Decision Questions" thread on our message boards for answers to frequently asked questions, or for the opportunity to ask us your own questions; click here.

Today actually symbolizes for me the end of the busiest two weeks of my calendar year. As the title of this entry states, life has been busy, hectic, and crazed. Actually those three words barely describe my life for the last half of October ... but it is over now and I am off for a few days of Mental Vacation!!!

Before checking out for a few days, I thought I would update you all on what's been making life some crazed. So let's rewind to 12 days ago:

Friday, October 19

I got to the office early since I knew it would be a wild day. It was the day before our first Open House, the first day of Jameel's Colors of Hopkins program, our first of two overnights, and I had to head out to BWI Airport to pick-up my rental car for my up-coming travel. As the day began, I never expected it would be the last of these things to do that would cause the most chaos. Yes, I spent three hours at BWI because my car rental place (starts with a NAT and ends with an IONAL) did not have any cars in the size I had ordered. See my up-coming travel was group travel which meant four people, four sets of luggage, and four sets of materials for recruitment events. Finally, after me exploding on the manager, they drive down a beautiful extended-cab Dodge Durango. The car was awesome, though it did feel like driving a boat and was a gas-guzzler, but it worked. By no way should I have had to endure three hours in the rental car pavilion at the airport. Oy vei.

The rest of the day was great though. Before leaving for the Airport, I did have the chance to check-out the Overnight registration and enjoy a couple of songs by the Octopodes, one of the best campus a capella groups. Here is a bit of their performance, held in the new session room in Mason Hall:

Saturday, October 20

The Engineering and Natural Sciences Open House was a smashing success. Great weather and nearly 1000 visitors. The Hopkins Interactive students were in full force, staffing the ask-a-student table and helping answers tons of questions. They made my job very easy. Here's some pictures for you all to enjoy:

At the end of the final session of the Open House, I ran to the new garage, jumped into the huge SUV, and got on the road to New England. The drive was endless, and I feared I would fall asleep a number of times, but at 1:00am I arrived in Waltham, MA and checked-in to my hotel ... than hit the heavenly bed for some much needed sleep.

Sunday, October 21

Thankfully, I was able to sleep a bit before waking up and heading up to Manchester, NH to pick-up the friends and colleagues I would be traveling with throughout the week. My group travel program included:

• Me representing Johns Hopkins University
• Amy Atcheson representing Rice University
• Greg Roberts representing the University of Virginia
• Shep Shanley representing Northwestern University

This is our second year recruiting together in New England, and it was great to get together for another successful week of programs.

The trip officially began Sunday evening as we held our first evening program at the Sheraton Colonial Hotel in Wakefield, MA. Expectations was the turnout would be low because something else was happening that evening - The Red Sox faced a Game 7 versus the Indians, winner heads to the World Series. Well, shockingly the people still came to see us ... in fact nearly 400 people turned out. I was the host for the evening, and obviously I began with a Sox joke ... letting everyone know that I was the only rep from the four schools rooting for the Sox (which actually was not true, but brownie points always works). Though the room was crowded, it was a great start to the week.

Monday, October 22

Our group travel is not just about evening programs. As we travel from location to location, each morning we would also host a Counselor Breakfast. For these events we would invite local area school counselors to a local hotel for a nice breakfast. We would chat about the state of affairs of our respective fields (college admissions v. college counseling). Each of the reps would also give a brief update on their respective school, and then all four of us would do a Q&A. Each breakfast went exceptionally well, starting with the 35 Boston area counselors we met with. I also got in a second joke ... I started my update about Hopkins by telling everyone we had sold the Hospital and were getting rid of pre-med. Some people actually thought I was serious.

The evening was our second program in the Boston metro area, this time in Dedham, MA at Noble and Greenough School. Another great night as we had about 275 to almost 300 people in attendance. Lots of questions at the end of the program, meant we didn't get back to the hotel to close to 11:00. I crashed!!!

Tuesday, October 23

Tuesday was our one sleep-in day. We gathered around noon, checked-out, drove an hour south to Providence, and I got to show everyone around College Hill. We had lunch on Thayer Street near Brown University, and actual were sitting right next to Lincoln Chaffee, former senator from Rhode Island. We checked into our new hotel, all took naps, and then headed down for our third evening program. Last year the Providence program was the smallest of our events, but this year it went amazingly well. Easily over 250 people. I always enjoy holding the Providence event because two of my favorite alums get to help out -- Steven Snow and Stephanie Cascio. Both are alums who have had children attend and/or graduate from Hopkins. In fact, Stephanie is the Mom of Esther, one of our current bloggers.

Wednesday, October 24

The Providence Counselor Breakfast was a bit smaller, about 15 counselors, but the more intimate environment was great. Some great conversations and questions, that actually had all four of us chatting as we headed out on a 2 hour drive to Norwalk, CT. The drive was actually pleasant not just for the conversation but also for the wonderful foliage we got to see. I wish I had my camera, but I left it on my desk back in Baltimore. Take my word for it, it was beautiful. The only negative of the day turned out to be lunch ... not that the food was bad, but our waiter was one of the most evil people we all had ever met. We were actually scared to ask for anything. So strange.

Our Fairfield County evening session was held at Darien High School and was another smashing success. Great turnout that was over 350 people, and the crowd actually included blogger Jackie's Mom, Dad, and twin siblings who happened to be high school juniors starting their own college searches. Another great night ... at this moment I made a mental note that Group Travel is really the best way to recruit nowadays.

Thursday, October 25

Another great breakfast ... 35 counselors ... a good bagel ... some good eggs (not runny) ... and some sausage. Plus, Shep had his bacon ... he loves his bacon. After breakfast and some email, it was up to Hartford and the site of our final programs.

The Hartford area evening session held at Simsbury High School turned out to be our smallest event, just about 200 people, but also turned out to be the only night when I was under 10 minutes in my presentation. Which was great ... since most nights I was closer to 15 minutes and we had all agreed to be between 10-12. It is hard ... I like to talk and there is so much to say. Thankfully, by the last night I had it down and now I am ready for next year.

Friday, October 26

Our final counselor breakfast with about 15 counselors from Hartford area schools. I love talking with Connecticut counselors because they can't hold me accountable ... I don't read CT students. Ha Ha Ha.

After the breakfast, it was the worst part of the trip. Saying goodbye to Greg, Shep, and Amy at the airport. They are three of the top Admissions counselors I have met in my ten years, it is a true pleasure traveling with them. It also meant I need to drive back to Baltimore, and specifically tackle the Cross Bronx Expressway.

I got back into Baltimore around 10:00pm. It was nice to be home, until my alarm clock went off at 5:00am....

Saturday, October 27

Why you ask? Well, Open House #2 for Humanities and Social Sciences students this time. Thankfully, this was not as big as the first Open House as we hosted between 350-400 people. The event went well despite horrible rains and winds in the morning. Honestly, I was so over-tired that I really don't remember much from the day. What I do remember is how great the Hopkins Interactive students were again with fielding questions.

Unfortunately, the day ended quite poorly as I returned to BWI airport to return the car. No problems with the return of the car, but when I went to pick-up my own car in long-term parking ... well let's just say it is not good when you turn the key to your car and nothing happens. An hour later I got a jump from a nice AAA guy, headed home, and crashed. I'd list Sunday activities, but pretty much it was just a constant day of sleep.

While I was dealing with a broken down car at BWI Airport, something was going on back on the Homewood campus. Saturday evening they held a black-tie optional formal convocation for the New Decker Quad, the New Mason Hall, and the New CSE Building. A full tent went up, and the event was supposed to be amazing. Here are some shots:

Hope you enjoyed this journey through my travels of the past couple of weeks. I'll be enjoying a few days away, and then will return to begin reviewing ED apps (and updating the blog).

OK, I am going to pander for comments. In the last two weeks I have spoken in front of more than 2500 people ... so if you met me either at an Open House or during any of my Group Travel programs ... let me know!!! Just post a comment below, I'd love to hear from you. CHEERS!