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