Anything Admission at Connecticut College

Hello, I’m Dan Pearson, an Assistant Director of Admission here at the College. I met quite a few of you during my travels around the country earlier this year. My office faces out on a Macedonian Pine and has a Bruce Lee calendar stuck on the February page. This winter and spring have been hectic, as I’ve been reviewing applications nonstop since January, but I did find time to perfect a recipe for braised short ribs and to go back and reread quite a few of the early John Updike short stories (always amazing to think about how much writers like Updike or Fitzgerald were able to accomplish in their twenties.) I’m in my first year in the Admission Office, but I grew up nearby in Mystic, so stay tuned in the coming days, as I’ll be offering a local’s inside view on a few attractions you should not miss out on while at Connecticut College.

The beauty of campus life is the sense of eternal return. This week, seniors found themselves on campus as students for the final time, looking forward to their lives after college and their new careers or studies in China, Brazil, and other places across the globe. Yet yesterday, the Admission Office also mailed out acceptance letters to the newest members of the community, the Class of 2012. These letters are going out to a diverse and dynamic group that we believe have the passion and commitment to make significant impact here on campus and beyond. We know it has been a long wait for you, so we hope you take a moment to savor it, to thank your families, coaches, and teachers, and, most importantly, to congratulate yourself on all the hard work that led to this moment.
Here in the Admission Office, we too are striking a celebratory note as we look forward to welcoming you on campus. There is music throughout the office these days. Upstairs, Mitch is listening to alt-country, while Krystal, our Associate Director of Admission and Coordinator of Multicultural Admission (who has a melodious voice of her own), is singing along to gospel and R&B. Dean Merrill has been listening to indie music while signing letters. Downstairs, Shalini, Assistant Director of Admission, is going through an eighties revival, while still indulging her guilty pleasure for candy pop. Next door to Shalini, I’m trying to drown out the candy pop by delving deep into my iTunes for indie rock and vintage reggae. Of course, there is a soundtrack for every occasion, mood, and season. Hopefully, you had something cued up in anticipation of this day, something to mark out this special moment to give it extra dimension. As we inaugurate this blog for students admitted to the Class of 2012, we’d be interested to hear what you have been listening to. We’re always looking for recommendations.
In the meantime, listen to recordings of some of Connecticut College’s own performers.

Williams Street Mix – co-ed a cappella
Co Co Beaux – all male a cappella
The Schwiffs – all female a cappella

Posted by Julia Gordon at 08:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Today was a big day in the Admission office. After months of hard work, thousands of fluorescent yellow folders and a couple of Lasik surgeries to repair our vision after reading 15,021 teacher recommendations (you may think we’re kidding, but we counted), we’ve reached the end of our deliberations. While this was a hectic time for us, we realize it was an even more stressful time for the applicants. As admission officers, we applaud your patience as you’ve waited for those large official-looking notification envelopes.

But, we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves – we haven’t even formally introduced ourselves to you! We’re Mitch Herz and Julia Gordon, two Assistant Directors of Admission here at Connecticut College and your hosts on this blog. Throughout the month of April and perhaps beyond, we will share part of what goes on in our office with you, and also introduce you to some of our colleagues. They’ll share a little about themselves as they blog, but for now here’s a little about us.

In the meantime, if you would like to see which counselor manages your area, click here

Hi, my name is Mitch, and this is my second year serving as part of the admission staff at Connecticut College. My reading and travel territories include Upstate New York, northern sections of New Jersey, Vermont, and New Hampshire, as well as vast portions of the central part of the country (Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee). Needless to say, I log many miles visiting high schools and college fairs in the fall, but since I’m from the Midwest originally, I definitely look forward to the trips. When back on campus, I love attending Camel sporting events, especially since I work with athletic recruits during the application process. I’m pretty easy to spot around campus – I’m usually either running (one of my favorite pastimes) or bopping around in my bright yellow Mazda (see photo). Congrats to all of the new admits, and feel free to stop and chat with me if you have the opportunity to visit campus this month!

Hi, I’m Julia. I just wrapped up my first reading cycle at Connecticut College after starting as an Assistant Director in July, 2007. In the office, I help recruit students from Worcester, Wellesley, Lowell and Concord, MA; Southern NJ; Oregon, Washington, Montana and Alaska. While I’m not traveling, I also help update the Admission Website, and plan the College’s Open House events. You’ll be hearing more about our Spring Open House in upcoming blog entries.
After nearly a year here, I can honestly say that I love it! I’ll blog more about my favorite things to do in Connecticut during upcoming posts. In the meantime, I’d like to extend my congratulations to all of you!

As we alluded to earlier, today was a big day for us – and you – as we sent thousands of decision letters across the nation and the world. The president of the college, Lee Higdon, joined Martha Merrill '84, Dean of Admission and Financial Aid, to bless the letters as they left the building, and the counseling staff celebrated the closing of this phase of the admission process.

After months of difficult decisions on our end, now the decision is in your hands.
But don’t worry, we’re here to help you. Keep your eyes on the Connecticut College admitted student web page (admitted.conncoll.edu), as well as this blog in the upcoming weeks and we’ll keep you updated with happenings from around our office and throughout campus. It should be an exciting month!
For now, though, take a deep breath and relax. You’ve made it!

Posted by Julia Gordon at 05:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)