Hopkins Insider

Decision Time Approaches

So it is Monday evening and I have just checked into my hotel in Portsmouth, N.H. after a very successful college fair. I've been on the road for the last few days and so far I have met some great prospective applicants for the Class of 2013. But before I can really switch me mental gears towards the classes of '13, '14, and beyond, I need to first close the door on the JHU Class of 2012.

As I sit waiting for a new episode of House to come on (about time!), I contemplate the long journey this admissions cycle has been, and how much is still left to do to close the book on the Class of 2012. (I know it has been a long journey because this is probably only the third time in the last month where I actually have had a considerable amount of time to just think, and by considerable amount of time I mean one free hour.) Based just on the number of emails in my in-box and the number of voicemails on my log ... the journey is clearly not yet complete. Mainly the questions that I need to focus on this week relate to three specific audiences:

• Admitted, yet not Decided
• The Wait Listed
• The Enrolled, and Over-Anxious

With May 1st (Decision Day) just a few days away, I will be addressing this group with this blog entry. Don't fret, I will have updates for the wait listed students soon and will also have one last farewell entry to the Class of 2012 later in May. So for those of you who have been admitted (congrats again) but have yet to make your college decision (choose Hopkins), read on ...

Just about a month ago my colleagues and I were finalizing the last group of admissions decisions. Now the tables have been turned and we in Admissions await the responses from the admitted. After a long (LONG) month of admitted students events, an abundance of communications with students, parents, and guidance counselors, and much discussion about why Hopkins is great ... WE WAIT!

Actually, our waiting game is an interesting one ... basically we stalk our mail services team twice a day during their deliveries and await to see how many candidate reply form envelopes have arrived and more importantly how many "Yes" responses have come in. This year has been more of a waiting game than before, as it appears more students are torn about their decisions and are waiting until the last possible days to decide. With those students still debating their choices, I though I would write this post providing as much advice as I can pass along.

In fact, I have actually written a number of times in the past about the approach one can take in making their final college choice. Two years ago I put pen to paper (actually fingers to keyboard) and came up with 4 key points of advice to help one decide what is the right college:

1. Self-analysis time: What is important to YOU?
2. PRO / CON Lists for each school can help
3. Do not focus on superficial statistics and rankings
4. Avoid hearsay, conjecture, myths, and rumors - the truth does not exist in them.

To read the full post, check it out here:
April 24, 2006 -- May 1st is Almost Here

Last year I actually got even more ambitious with my pseudo-advice column. I wrote one of the longest Hopkins Insider entries as I compared choosing the right college to my purchasing of a new HDTV. The theme of the past was the search for the right fit while weighing all factors and doing as much research as possible.

To read the full entry, check it our here:
April 23, 2007 -- The Big Decision (in HDTV)

This year I planned on writing a similar entry, this time relating the college decision process to my purchase of a new car in January, but then I realized I didn't have anything new to say. So instead, as you admitted yet undecided students struggle with this final choice, I refer you to my previous ramblings, but also encourage you to use the Hopkins Forums. There are actually a number of wonderful discussion threads that can help as you make this final decision. Here are the ones I suggest:

Why I Chose to Attend Hopkins?: Top 5 reasons I am at JHU
CLICK HERE

A Letter to Yourself: Before Coming to Hopkins, Looking Back, What Advice Would You Give Yourself?
CLICK HERE

What Do You Wish You Knew Before Coming to Hopkins: Unique Aspects of Hopkins
CLICK HERE

What Would You Change About Hopkins?
CLICK HERE

FACT OR FICTION: Academics Section
CLICK HERE

FACT OR FICTION: Student Life Section
CLICK HERE

It's Time to Make a Decision about College ... How Can a Parent Help?
CLICK HERE

So take a look at these forums, ask questions of the current students, and best of luck as you make this wonderful decision. And as I have said many times before, in the end just go with your gut and choose Hopkins -- you can't go wrong.

Here are some photos taken during the three Admitted Student Open Houses. Hope you enjoy them, and thanks to everyone who came up to the Ask-a-Student table during these events and thanked me and the Hopkins Interactive students.

The Return & Reflections on the Last Few Weeks

It has been a bit more than two weeks since the release of Regular Decision notifications and now that the dust has mostly settled, I have returned to blogging. Before I explain my absence and touch on a bunch of topics, I need to reflect back on March 28, 2008. What a day it was! 

I was going through all the pictures I took of the file room, stuffing of decision letters, and the mailing process and I came across this last one which is posted on the right. I didn't even take this picture. I believe Lauren snapped the shot, and Jessica was the one who chose the sign.

It is actually the perfect picture to summarize my emotions the evening of March 28. We were done, we made it, and in retrospect it is amazing to think how we got there. It truly was a mix of ... Blood (from paper and folder cuts), Sweat (from the weird heating system in Mason Hall), and Tears (from lack of sleep and the difficult decisions we had to make). With the strength of this year's applicant pool, it was a bit miraculous that the whole Admissions team was able to work together and get the decisions out even a couple of days earlier than April 1st. I think it was the exhaustion of the past few weeks that led me to collapse that Friday evening and go in a sort of hibernation over that first weekend.

So what has Admissions Daniel been doing since the release of decisions?
After my weekend of hibernation and lots of sleep, it was time to get back to work and prepare for the mayhem that is April. No rest for the weary. There were Open Houses to prepare for, Engineering tours to arrange, the Westgate Scholarship program to organize, Spring Travel plans to be made, CRIBS videos to post, Parent, Faculty, and Alumni blogs to upload, etc. etc. etc. But in addition to all that there were the many phone calls to receive, the voicemail messages to respond to, and the emails to answer. The weeks after the release of decisions is the busiest time of year when it comes to fielding phone calls and emails.

And these calls and emails are not the easiest to handle. In a year as competitive as this year has been across the entire college admissions landscape, there is a lot of confusion, frustration, anger, and emotion. By far this is the hardest part of my job ... handling the aftermath of decisions. So many questions of why, can you reconsider, did you make the right decision ... and unfortunately a lot of anger. Despite being quite difficult, I think I do handle these conversations well and try as best as I can be to be understanding and respectful. Unfortunately, sometimes nothing will help.

There is a whole other part to this process and that is the response that takes place in online forums. Whether it be the forums that Hopkins Interactive presents (our blogs, message boards, Facebook) or whether it be other popular college-oriented discussion board (read: College Confidential), there is a lot of debate, discussion, and argument that takes place online. I do read everything, but this year I made a very important decision -- I took two weeks off. I followed the discussions, but I did not contribute. I also chose to not blog during this time to allow all the initial reactions to occur.

Some may disagree with my decision, but as I return to the online discussion community now, I feel I made the best choice. Though I personally disagree with a lot of discussions that occur on sites like College Confidential, I do understand the popularity of such forums. First, they are pretty much anonymous and allow anyone to say anything. Second, they allow people to vent without consequence or concrete arguments. Third, they allow the uninformed to appear knowledgeable and they allow the "loudest" person to dominate. Fourth, ... well I can go on with a ton more reasons but I will refrain and maybe hold all those thoughts for a time when I am running low on blog topics.

That is not the case right now. I have a lot to say and I lot to write. Unfortunately, it is closing in on midnight and I have to be on-campus quite early tomorrow for our second Admitted Student Open House. So I will be signing off, but encouraging you to all check back at the end of the week and frequently over the next few weeks ... because Admissions_Daniel is back, the Hopkins Insider Blog is back, and there is a lot to be discussed. Thanks for your patience and thanks for sticking with me.

Before I sign off though, I do have two final things that must be said:

To Those of You Who Have Taken the Time Over the Last Few Weeks to Speak Favorably of the Hopkins Insider Blog and My Work (Whether In Person or Through Correspondence):
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! Your comments and positive feedback are truly appreciated by me. Though there is absolutely no need for you all to thank me, I must be honest and say it feels good to hear such positive reinforcement. I have had a lot of people share with me their enjoyment of the blog and Hopkins Interactive, and that they find me to be very accessible. That is what I am working towards, and it is such an affirmation that the long hours and work is reaching an ever-growing audience. Often the only feedback one gets is the angry, negative comments -- and oh boy I have gotten a few of them -- but the last few weeks the positive response has been overwhelming and it really means a lot. Thanks again!!!

To Those of You Visiting Campus and Who See Me Around, Come Up and Say Hello:
I'm not kidding. I really enjoy meeting the people who read this blog. I always joke that no one reads my ramblings. So if you see me at an Open House or during your visit to campus, come up and say hi and let me know you read the blog. I will almost always make a joke about how Admissions_Daniel is my evil alter ego, but I will also probably be able to answer any of your questions and just make you feel welcome on the Homewood campus. Also, I am typically around some of the amazing current Hopkins students, and they are wonderful to engage with. So I hope to see some of you at the Open Houses or around campus.

OK, I am off to bed. Check back soon, as I promise ... I have a lot to say and I think you will enjoy. Cheers!