Territory: It’s a big one: Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, Texas, Utah, Wyoming and Mexico
Education: Stanford University - B.A. in Political Science with a concentration in American Education Reform and Spanish minor
Johns Hopkins Start Date: July 2007
Years in Admissions: This is my first year.
Why did you choose to enter the profession of College Admissions?: I love the idea of getting to know an individual, even if via paper, and trying to picture her or him on campus at Johns Hopkins University. I also really like stories of how higher educational opportunities have a meaningful effect on young people, and often on their communities.
What is the most enjoyable part of reading college applications? And the least enjoyable part?:Opening an application is similar to familiarizing oneself with an individual – where are they from, what interests them, in what do they excel, what part do they play in their community? An aspect I don’t like is placing an application, which I would have liked to read longer, in my “has been read” pile.
What is your personal approach to reading an application?:As I read, I circle components that seem essential to me, and then compile them in my mind, to get a sense of the applicant as a whole. It is also helpful to hear how colleagues’ opinions about one applicant are distinct. These differences, and the conversation that results, is the reason that we work well together.
What is your favorite thing about Johns Hopkins University?:It seems cliché but…the staff in the Admissions Office, and the students that we meet, each differ in many ways: their education, academic specialty, personality and also their interests. This makes for a fantastic place to study or work, and always for an interesting conversation.
If working in College Admissions wasn't an option, what would you be doing as an occupation?:I like what I do (so far!) and honestly haven’t thought about this. If I had to choose … I suppose it would be working, in some form or fashion on international educational opportunities for students.
In your personal opinion, what is the top issue facing the field of higher education currently?:Two questions of interest to me, although not necessarily top issues: (1) How should differences in background, including race and socio-economic class, be considered? (2) How will changes in Early Decision v. Action programs and also in the design of financial aid packages affect students and the universities they attend?
What is your top Johns Hopkins University memory to date?:My most vivid memory (many more to come!): During my first days at Johns Hopkins I was trained by a staff member, who bounded up staircases, all the while telling us useful information. There is a lot of energy in the Undergraduate Admissions Office, partially thanks to the students who work here. They keep us in touch with, and informed about, what is going on around the campus.
What book, what movie, and what album should all students have read, watched, and listened to before enrolling in college?:That would be a good application question. I’ll just share my personal favorites:
Book: Anna Karenina
Movie: Schindler’s List
Album: Music is harder. I’m a fan of the 80’s/early 90’s: Mariah Carey’s “Greatest Hits” and Journey’s “Escape”: “working hard to get my fill, everybody wants a thrill, don’t stop belieee-ving.”
Territory: Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, Wisconsin and certain International Regions
Education: Boston College - B.A. in Sociology and Communications; New York University - M.A. in Higher Education Administration / College Student Personnel
Johns Hopkins Start Date: August 2007
Years in Admissions: 3+ years
Why did you choose to enter the profession of College Admissions?: It leverages my ability to create access where there was none, to ensure equity in an often inequitable situation, and to protect the integrity of what I see to be the overall mission of higher education. Day to day, I am able to guide young individuals and serve as a resource for them in their application process.
What is the most enjoyable part of reading college applications? And the least enjoyable part?: My favorite part is trying to get to know the student the best I can through an application and meeting them if they ultimately choose to matriculate. My least favorite part is rendering an unfavorable decision to a deserving candidate, simply because the process is so competitive.
What is your personal approach to reading an application?: I like to listen to light music and be in a comfortable environment. I review applications continuously until I finally need a break. I try to take a lot of notes. I try not to make assumptions and review the application as objectively as possible, understanding the student’s strengths and weaknesses.
What is your favorite thing about Johns Hopkins University?: I think the opportunity the undergraduate students have to participate in research with world-renowned faculty is simply incredible. Students take initiative, are motivated and intelligent but know how to enjoy their college experience. Also, it is great to have an enclosed campus in addition to the vibrant, diverse city of Baltimore. The opportunities and resources that the city brings are endless.
If working in College Admissions wasn't an option, what would you be doing as an occupation?: I would probably be working as a College / Guidance Counselor at a High School or working in an Academic Advising or Study Abroad office for a college. Definitely something in the field of higher education.
In your personal opinion, what is the top issue facing the field of higher education currently?: That's simple; the rising price of tuition and lack of access for many to U.S. higher education.
What is your top Johns Hopkins University memory to date?: Meeting and greeting prospective students and families at our Open House and overnight programs. I enjoyed seeing the faces of anxious, yet hopeful and excited students.
What book, what movie, and what album should all students have read, watched, and listened to before enrolling in college?: I would suggest watching movies like Wedding Crashers, Zoolander, Old School, and / or Blades of Glory. These are just funny, great one liner movies, that you will hear being quoted over and over again. I would listen to your parents one last time because 99% of the time, take it from me, they are right! I would also make sure you read the paper everyday, because it is important to know your current events!
There has been a lot going on these first few weeks of the new year, so I thought I would spend this entry updating all my readers.
APPLICATION PROCESSING AND READING:All is proceeding quite well throughout Mason Hall. The third floor is overflowing with application materials and an amazing cadre of Operations staff and student workers who are steadily organizing, alphabetizing, filing, sorting, and distributing all the application files. A number of the student bloggers have mentioned working in the Admissions Office during Intersession (Jessica, Stefanie, Kate, and Julia), and I must say they have been a great help. Enjoy these pictures taken over the past few weeks ...
*
*
*
*
*
THE VIDEO BLOG HAS LAUNCHED:
Hooray! Last week we finally launched our much anticipated Video Blog. Take a look:
The Hopkins Interactive team and I have spent a good amount of time on this project and we hope you all enjoy. Speaking of the Hopkins Interactive students, they are the subject of our first Video entry; the Starting Line-up.
Next Monday we will post the next entry, a tour of Mason Hall. Check back each week as we post new and more exciting video blogs, including a look at the Holidays at Hopkins, a tour of Gilman Hall, the Life of an Application, and the next series of Hopkins CRIBS.
EVEN MORE BLOGS TO EXPLORE:
The Video Blog is not the only new entry in the Hopkins Interactive blog line-up. Earlier this year through our Blue Jay Buffet blog, we posted our second Alumni Blog and our first Current Parent Blog. Check them both out:
Current Parent Blog: These are Days - Mother of freshman Josh G. (read his blog here) flashes back over a year ago to the college search process and provides advice and assistance for parents currently going through the motions.
Alumni Blog: Blue Jay on the Hill - A class of 2006 Writing Seminars graduate discusses life after Hopkins as a reporter covering the health care industry living in Washington, D.C. (If you are new to the Alumni Blogs you should also check out our first entry too. More to follow.)
MEET THE ADMISSIONS COUNSELING TEAM:
A couple of years ago, the Hopkins Insider blog featured a collection of profiles of the Admissions Counseling Team. (See the middle of this old post for links to those old profiles.) There has been some changes to the staff and many new readers to this blog, so I thought it was time to doing a new series of profiles.
Starting next Monday (January 28), the Hopkins Insider blog will feature a series of entries profiling each member of the Admissions Counseling Team (a.k.a. The Admissions Committee -- the people who evaluate the applications). Every Monday and Thursday over the next five plus weeks you will be able to read a profile / questionnaire completed by each member of the Admissions team. I am confident you all will enjoy these entries.
BUT WHAT ABOUT ADMISSIONS_DANIEL???:
While the next month and a half this blog will be featuring staff profile entries, some of you may be missing the weekly updates typically posted to the Insider blog. I understand you will miss your "news" but one of the underlying reasons behind the Meet the Admissions Staff posts is so that I can focus on evaluating applications. Yes, for the time being you will miss my thoughts on LOST, the Oscars, updates about application processing, my occasional rants ... but rest assured, I will return and be better than ever. As well, if any big news occurs, I will interrupt the Meet the Staff series and post an update entry. But most importantly, AS ALWAYS, the easiest way to reach me is through the Ask Admission section of the Hopkins Forums.
CONCLUSION: And to finish the updates, here are some personal notes about Admissions Daniel for those who care: ... my niece Lilly turned 2 this past week ... my dog Soze turns 7 at the end of the month ... I am happy to say that the car purchase went extremely well and I am now the owner of a brand new Chevy Trailblazer ... the writer's strike is really getting on my nerves right now ... I have seen Juno and I absolutely loved it (I can't stop listening to the soundtrack too) ... I saw Cloverfield and I enjoyed it and would give it a B+ (B- if you don't follow the various clues on the Internet) ... I am keeping my fingers crossed that the Oscars will be televised ... I have only had two paper cuts and one folder cut (those are nasty) through the first few hundreds of applications ... I am, like many, eagerly anticipating the return of LOST next week ... I re-discovered my love of the word juxtaposition recently.
Very rarely in the two plus years of the Hopkins Insider blog have a stepped up on the proverbial soap-box and become all preachy. Well after a week of frustrating conversations and discussions I am motivated to step up and state my opinion now. (No this is not related to the frustrating writer's strike or the ridiculous attention being paid to Britney Spears in the mainstream media -- though I definitely could go off big time about both of those topics.) This post is dedicated to the disgruntled students out there and my advice for them after ten years of witnessing these students and listening to their complaints.
First, a bit of background. About a week ago I received a friendly call from a guidance counselor I have known for a long time. The call was a quick check-in about an applicant, but then we started discussing a variety of topics. One of those topics was about Facebook and how today's youth really don't understand the concept of good common sense when it relates to such online social networking. That is a topic for another time though. Near the end of the conversation the counselor was talking about one of her former students who is now a freshman at a University I used to work at. This student is miserable and strongly considering the possibility of transferring to another school. Since I still feel a connection to this former employer, I inquired about what the student's chief complaints were about her school, which by the way she applied Early Decision to and was admitted. After the counselor explained the student's main criticisms I just rolled my eyes because I had heard them so many times while working at that University. To keep this story short, the basic summation is that the student made the wrong choice and now is regretting her decision.
This discussion would not have stuck with me if I didn't get an email the next day from one of my childhood friends who was asking me some questions about my alma mater. She had had a discussion with someone a few days before about the school I attended and shared my tale about how in the end I didn't think my alma mater was the best place for me to go to school. Basically the person my friend was talking about had similar experiences at her alma mater and had always thought if she had gone to the school I went to her collegiate experience would have been perfect. This reminder about my problems with the college I chose to attend reflected a lot of the emotions I had the day before during my conversation with that guidance counselor.
Now I have been focused on two major things lately ... reading applications obviously and purchasing a new car. For these reasons I didn't spend much time reflecting on this little tickle in my brain that was saying deep down inside that there was something I wanted to get off my chest. It wasn't until earlier this week that the tickle became a pounding in the back of my head and I decided it was time to put pen to paper. (Yes I actually use the archaic form of pen and paper to outline the blogs I write - call me a technical dinosaur but it works for me.) As for what pushed me over the edge, let's just say in the last two days I have come into contact with a number of what I label "disgruntled students." One of these contacts was overhearing a conversation between two students as I walked from the library back to Mason Hall ... another was a conversation with a prospective transfer student ... and finally let's just say I have been reading too much of College Confidential lately.
So what is it I want to say you ask? Well to those disgruntled students out there, very simple ... STOP COMPLAINING AND DO SOMETHING! Get up and make a change. No one is going to do it for you. Opportunity is out there if you just get out of your own way and seek it. Decide what it is you want and then go pursue it. The only change that will occur is one that you set forth and pursue on your own.
What do I mean when I use the term disgruntled student? Well I am narrowly defining this term as current college students who basically don't like / enjoy / value the current institution they are attending. Every school has these students, even those historic Ivy League schools. These students are miserable. They find fault in everything about their university from the academics, to the social life, to the people, to the faculty, to the facilities, to the resources, etc. They complain constantly, they infect those around them, and they have a chip on the shoulder feeling that their institution is out to make their collegiate experience horrible.
Where do the disgruntled come from? First in my opinion these are students who conducted a poor college search and ended up choosing the wrong school for them. Many times these are students who choose more because of reputation rather than looking at personal fit. These students typically did not put enough time in conducting their own research about the schools they were considering attending. Word of mouth is usually considered more reliable than actually experiencing a campus visit and engrossing themselves in a campus before signing that enrollment agreement. And when I say word of mouth, I include the "marketing" messages coming from the specific colleges too.
The other group of disgruntled is those who are created after they arrive at their college destination. These are the students who feel that their institution of learning should lay everything out there so simply for them. They expect the University to make the academics fit their specific wants and needs. They expect the University to plan social events specifically for their interests. They expect their classmates to be perfect representations of what they consider the right student body. The expect faculty to be accessible 24/7. Clearly I am exaggerating the point here, but these are students who find so many things to criticize just because their college experience is not moving along as they had expected it to be. In the end though, it is always the fault of the University ... it is always that the University misrepresents itself ... it is never something within the disgruntled student.
Some may read this and say I have no background to talk about such things. Well, I do and that is because back in my college days I was one of these disgruntled students. I actually made the wrong choice of colleges to attend and for the second half of my undergraduate years I complained and criticized constantly. I didn't make change ... I didn't adjust my thinking ... I just wore my flannel, listened to my grunge rock and came up with theories on how my college was against me. I could have made my undergraduate experience better but I was too lazy, and it was so much easier just to criticize. I could have talked more with faculty, I could have experienced more of the city I lived in, I could have tried other campus events or parties, I could have gone to the Career Center, but I chose not to. Thankfully, I don't regret any of this now because my college frustration then, ultimately led me to become an Admissions Counselor now. And yes, I have found my dream job. (They call that a silver lining!!!) [I actually wrote a bit about this in the spring of last year during my Ode to the Transfer Applicant.]
So to the disgruntled student I say, MAKE A CHANGE. Yes, you make the change. Try something new. Find a new group of friends. Go to a different party. Experience a part of the city you have never been to. Take some different classes. Read the student newspaper or daily announcements and attend one of the various campus events. Stop complaining. Stop making excuses. It is not "cool" to be disgruntled. And in the end, if it still is not working out for you then make the biggest change possible - TRANSFER.
Speaking specifically about Hopkins, I have never and will never say that the University is for everyone. I also have never and will never say the University is perfect. But this is true of all colleges and universities across this country, and globally too. There will always be disgruntled students at Hopkins, and always students who have complaints. I actually think that is a rite of passage for college students to complain. But I have absolutely no patience for the disgruntled student who has not attempted to change and improve their personal situation. College is WHAT YOU MAKE OF IT.
For the prospective student or current applicant out there, I sum it with two pieces of advice and one caution. The caution is that unfortunately you might make the wrong choice of colleges. This rarely happens, but don't go into this process thinking that everyone always makes the right choice. As for the advice to help avoid this, you need to first make sure you do the research and experience your future college before signing on the dotted line. And second, when you arrive in college, don't expect your school to create a life for you. Go out and grab it yourself, and design an academic and social life that you want. Don't be lazy about this, because the four years will fly by.
Thankfully in my four plus years at Hopkins I have come into contact with less and less of these disgruntled students. Heck, the freshman to sophomore year retention rate is above 95% so many, many, many students at Hopkins know they have made the right choice. The disgruntled still exist and though they probably will never read this entry I hope in some way they will heed my advice in the future. If I could back to my collegiate years and do things differently, I definitely would have. Hopefully, I can educate future potential disgruntled students and help guide them to finding ways to change and improve – or else they might follow my fate and become an Admissions professional.
OK, I am done ... time to watch American Idol. I'll be back later in the week with some updates and announcements.
Since the inception of the Hopkins Insider blog back in December 2005, I have chronicled two major constructions projects that took place at the Homewood Campus: the residential, dining, and retail complex of Charles Commons and the new Decker Quad including Mason Hall and the Computational Sciences and Engineering Building. With the new year comes the third major improvement project that will be chronicled over the coming years, the extensive transformation and renovation of Gilman Hall.
Gilman Hall is the most iconic building on the Johns Hopkins Homewood Campus. Dedicated in 1915, the four-story Georgian-style building was built on the concept that faculty offices, seminar rooms, and open library stacks would be grouped by department providing students easy access to all resources relevant to their work. The building named for the university's first president, Daniel Coit Gilman, last went through a partial renovation in 1985-86.
(Enjoy this selection of some of my favorite shots of Gilman Hall.)
*
*
*
*
*
The history of Gilman is long and impressive. In preparation for the renovation the University has begun to celebrate this history even more. The Johns Hopkins Magazine recently ran a fantastic, in-depth article about the history of Gilman, entitled "If These Halls Could Talk." (Click here for the article.) I strongly encourage you all to read this article as it provides a detailed description of every part of the building, debunks some of the great myths of Gilman Hall, and provides some unique detail about some of the more interesting rooms.
In addition, the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences has compiled a video that talks about how Gilman Hall is linked in so many ways to the history of Hopkins. "The Heart of Gilman" is a wonderful video that shows how much Gilman has meant to all that have come and gone from the Homewood campus, and why this project is so important. Enjoy!
Beginning in late 2007, the $73-million, three-year renovation will restore the luster to the 92-year old building. When completed in 2010, the exterior of the building will look pretty much the same, but inside will be a completely new and modern environment for the study of humanities at Hopkins. Academic department space will grown for the 10 humanities departments in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, while the renovation will also improve classrooms, faculty offices, and common spaces providing better traffic flow and a more collegial environment. President Brody explained this concept at the announcement of the project when he stated, ""The seminar system that is the bedrock of humanities study today was invented at Johns Hopkins. Gilman Hall was designed specifically to foster that system, and it succeeded brilliantly. Now, a renewed, reinvented Gilman Hall will support the study of the humanities in the century to come."
The most impressive improvement will be a three-story glass-topped central atrium. The floor of the courtyard will be a bridge between the Hutzler Reading Room and Memorial Hall and will sit atop a new home for the legendary archaeological collection. This new common space will provide an impressive environment, naturally lit, and designed to enable more interaction between the departments, continuing the tradition of interdisciplinary studies at Hopkins.
Click on the following links for a collection of stories all detailing the plans for the new Gilman Hall in 2010:
Letter to Faculty, Students, and Staff from Dean Adam Falk: Renovation of Gilman Hall; click here.
Arts and Sciences Magazine: The Renovation Begins; click here.
This "trans-formative renewal" of Gilman Hall will be documented in a number of places over the next two plus years. Obviously, you can turn to the Hopkins Insider blog for my perspective on the renovations from time - to -time. (I am as excited for this project as I was for Mason Hall, which says a lot.) More prominently though, the Krieger School has set up a site that will monitor the renovation as well as provide a full scope of Gilman Hall's past, present, and future. Check out the site:
Wow, two blog entries already in 2008 and it is just the 6th of January. This must be a sign that I am really keeping up with my 2008 resolutions. Like many, each year I set a number of resolutions at the start of the year and also like many I usually have forgotten about those resolutions by the end of the first week of January. Not this year ... so far.
Actually, the first few days of the new year have been good ones. I think the rest, relaxation, and time spent with the family for the final two weeks of 2007 helped get the new year off with a bang. One of my main resolutions was to write more, and so far so good. Two blog entries is one piece of evidence, but I also have begun journaling again each night and am even keeping a running list of all the things I like / enjoy / provide me with joy / etc. Maybe I'll share the list in the future, but right now it is for my eyes only.
I also resolved to read more and so far I have completed two books (James Patterson's Double Cross (I'm addicted to his books, don't judge me) & Flags of our Fathers (after seeing the film I really wanted to read the book). Plus, I am reading more newspaper and magazine articles (trying to get informed for Election 2008) and more columns hoping to become a better blogger (I strongly suggest Stephen King's writings for Entertainment Weekly and Bill Simmons of ESPN The Magazine.) Come to think of it, all this writing and reading may stem from the persistent Writer's Strike which has robbed me of my true love of Television, and also the dearth of strong films that opened during the holiday season. (I do still have to see Juno though.)
Truthfully, I don't expect it all to last because the number of application files to read is growing fast. But this year I am confident I can maintain resolutions despite the onslaught of file reading season. Fingers crossed.
One of the things I did accumulate over the last few weeks are a number of ideas for blog topics. I jotted them down on Post-It Notes like usually, but it turns out none are worthy of a whole entry. So I thought I would do one of my "bits and pieces" entries. Some pieces will be admissions-related and other bits will be just interesting things that have come my way recently. Let's get started...
REGULAR DECISION DEADLINES COMES AND GOES
Yes, January 1, 2008 came and went, and in its aftermath are bins and bins and bins and bins and bins and bins and bins of application materials. See these recent pictures of the third floor of Mason Hall:
You can see all the bins of mail that need to be opened, our trusted student workers going through all that mail, the bookshelves of materials that need to be entered into our database, and then the bins of those materials that need to be filed. And oh yeah, the boxes and boxes of score reports. A look of work to be done, but thankfully starting next week a cadre of students will return for Intersession and help with the sorting, alphabetizing, and filing. I even helped out last week ... I am a master alphabetizer!!!
COMMON QUESTIONS THIS TIME OF YEAR
With the application deadline past, there are some questions that we are frequently asked. I thought I would provide answers to those questions to help alleviate any confusion or just provide details about the process. (See one my recent posts for even more FAQs related to the application process.) Here goes:
Is my application complete? Can I check my status online? Do you have my stuff? Or any of the other ways to ask such questions.
With the volume of materials we need to process right now (see pictures above), we are just not able to confirm whether application files are complete or to identity which individual items have been received. It takes time so we ask patience of all of our applicants.
We do not have an online system for checking application status, nor do we confirm application materials through email. All applicants will be mailed an acknowledgment postcard (they are blue) after your application is received AND PROCESSED. This indicates your application file has been opened (not necessarily that it is complete). It can take up to 4-6 weeks for these postcards to be sent and received (more for international mailing addresses).
In late February, once we have processed all received application materials, we will contact students whose 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. Rest assured that application files are checked carefully for completeness.
Can I add items to my application even though the deadline has passed? Uh oh, I made a mistake in my application, how can I correct it?
Yes, we will still accept application updates and we do have a process for error corrections. It is simple. To provide an update or error correction, you must compose a cover letter and submit these materials by fax (410-516-6025) or mail to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Please note that we do request in the cover letter you include your full name, birth date, and school name (SS# is optional but can help), so that we can merge this new information with your application folder. Also note, that all updates should be sent in by February 1st. Finally, DO NOT SEND UPDATES VIA EMAIL, as we do not process application materials received through email.
When will decisions be released? How many applications have been received? How many will be admitted? What will the acceptance rate be?
- Last week in March. No date has been set yet. - Not sure yet, but it looks like a lot. - No clue. We have to review application first. - Also, no clue. We will rely on our mathematical formulas when the time comes.
These are all legitimate questions, but all too early to ask. Once we have updated information, it will be posted on the blog ... I promise.
So the coolest (pun intended) thing I have seen in this new year was televised on NBC on the afternoon of January 1st. It was the NHL's Winter Class game between the Buffalo Sabres and the Pittsburgh Penguins. What made it amazing is the game was played outdoors in a football stadium with 70,000 fans and a raging snowstorm. It was a spectacle and held my attention throughout unlike most sporting events these days.
Did any of you see this? If not, check out the clip below which does about an 11 minute re-cap of the game, which actually turned out to be quite thrilling too. I am a die-hard hockey fan (Go Islanders!!!) and I really hope that this game can get the sport back on the map and have more games televised weekly. I can't stand basketball, football is almost over, baseball is months away ... I need my HOCKEY!!! Support the NHL!!!
READ THIS: AN INTERESTING COLUMN WRITTEN BY A HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR
I was scanning a collection of Admissions-related articles from the past month and came up with one I really wanted to share with you all.
I read this column twice and I applaud Kate for writing it and The Philadelphia Inquirer for publishing it. Typically, the media published columns related to the field of Admissions from the wrong sources in my opinion. Many are written by media professionals who have never worked in the field, long-standing admissions professionals who are often so far removed from what it is like being a high school student applying for college, and/or independent college professionals who have their own agenda when writing. I want to hear more from the students like Kate.
As far as the content of her column, I do sympathize with her. Not over her not being admitted to the school of her choice, but with her claim that admissions information is "murky at best" and sometimes non-existent. I agree with her that more information is better and will be helpful (though I don't like her choice of the phrase "rules of the game.") Though I do not agree with everything Ms. Holby writes, I do agree with the central premise that there needs to be more transparency in college admissions, especially from the highly selective schools.
I hope that those applying to Hopkins feel like there is useful information out there. This blog is one of those tools and I also feel the student blogs and Hopkins Forums are other ways we make the process of applying and being accepted to Hopkins as transparent and lucid as possible. The process is not an easy one to explain, but I do believe more conversation needs to take place between Admissions professionals and their applicants. Admissions blogs are one of these many tools, and hopefully in the future more and more colleges will adopt this technique and the ideology that goes along with it.
UPDATES ON SOZE AND LILLY:
It wouldn't be a hodgepodge Hopkins Insider blog with some pictures of the mascots: Soze my dog and Lilly my niece. So here are four pics for you all to enjoy. The two of Soze are him doing what he does best ... sleeping. The pillow was his Christmas gift, and clearly he loves it. I also sharing a picture of Admissions Daniel's family Christmas tree, and Lilly's joy when she saw all the presents ... most of which were for her. Enjoy...
...and keep up with your New Year's resolutions. (Hopefully one of those resolutions will be to read the Hopkins Insider more, tell more people about this amazing blog, and to actually even post a comment. -- I love to pander.) CHEERS!
So 2008 is about 42 hours old and so far so good. Actually, I really have no basis to say that, as 2008 seems eerily similar to 2007. It won't really be 2008 for me until I write an actual date (when I pay my rent after blogging), or I challenge one of my resolutions (I have made a number of them this year), or the variety of television specials reminiscing about the past year are done (damn you writer's strike). No matter, I accept that we are now in an even year and I must say I am looking forward to it.
Why? Well, here are just a few things that make me excited for 2008.
1.18.08 - CLOVERFIELD!!! My anticipation is boiling over. J.J. Abrams is a genius to me and I can't wait.
1.31.08 - LOST returns. See what I just said about J.J. Abrams above.
2.3.08 - Super Bowl XLII. The Patriots finish the season 18-1 as Favre wins his second ring. (That would be poetic.)
2.23.08 - Lacrosse season begins and JHU avenges our lost to Albany to start last season (fingers crossed).
2.24.08 - Oscar night ... well hopefully unless the writers and actors and everyone else are still bickering. My favorite right now, Juno, but I still have a number of films to see.
2.29.08 - Leap Day ... Woo hoo and extra day of reading applications.
3.22.08 - Britney, Paris, Lindsay, and the rest of the annoying faux celebrities are all locked up in a Big Brother Celebrity Reality House and forgotten about. The cameras are never turned on and these people disappear. (One can dream!!!)
3.??.07 - The release of Regular Decision notifications, and the chance to sleep again ... well for a few days at least.
3.31.08 - NY Mets open the 2008 campaign ... and wipe away any memories of the 2007 collapse. Go David Wright!!!
4.30.08 - GTA4 is released. Boys will be boys.
5.22.08 - The New Indian Jones film ... Lucas, Spielberg, Ford can't go wrong, can they? This is also the day of JHU's Commencement when Michelle, Phil, and the rest of the Class of 2007 will be heading out into the real world.
8.8.08 - The Summer Olympics. I love the Olympics, and since Michael Phelps is a Baltimorean, I am really looking forward to the games in China.
8.29.08 - Time to welcome the Class of 2012 to campus.
11.4.08 - Election Day.
11.5.08 - Hopefully we will have a winner from the election and Florida learned how to count votes.
11.21.08 - The next Harry Potter film based on The Half-Blooded Prince, which was my favorite of all the books.
12.25.08 - Yeah, I had such a good 2007 Christmas that I want the 2008 one to come quickly.
So those are just some of the things I am looking forward to in '08.
How about you all? Use the comments section below to share what you are excited about in this new year.
What I am looking forward to now though is application reading.
This "trans-formative renewal" of Gilman Hall will be documented in a number of places over the next two plus years. Obviously, you can turn to the Hopkins Insider blog for my perspective on the renovations from time - to -time. (I am as excited for this project as I was for Mason Hall, which says a lot.) More prominently though, the Krieger School has set up a site that will monitor the renovation as well as provide a full scope of Gilman Hall's past, present, and future. Check out the site:
Recent Comments