It’s that time of year again! All of the admission counselors have returned after traversing the globe in search of the next generation of Pitzer students. The suitcases have been put away and we can finally settle back into our daily routines. Here at Pitzer, we are huddled over our computer screens feverously reading Early Decision files. It’s a very quick turnaround and we are certainly feeling the pressure! Students applied on November 15th and we have about a month to read the files, talk about applicants in committee, make final decisions, print and sign letters (yes we still send snail mail), and get decisions out the door before the holidays.
In between all of this, we are guiding campus visitors through tours and information sessions, getting financial aid awards ready for early decision candidates, conducting interviews for regular decision applicants, and soon hosting 50 high school counselors from around the globe interested in learning more about Pitzer. Most important of all, the staff is busy planning a thank you holiday dinner in honor of all the Pitzer students who selflessly give of their time by working in our office. It’s a busy time of year indeed!
It’s also an incredibly rewarding time of year. We finally begin to engage in the exciting work of creating a freshman class. We now spend our days reading about the hopes and dreams of young people. Our counseling team gets to sit in a room a few days at a time presenting the accomplishments and desires of some of the world’s most talented students. There isn’t one day that passes when I don’t go home inspired. In fact, sometimes I get so emotional, I tweet things like “I’m so inspired by Pitzer kids! If they are going to be in charge of the world in the future, we are ALL going to be ok!” By the way, if you’d like to follow me on twitter, I promise to keep you up to date on what’s happening here at Pitzer, with a few rants about higher education in between: @Angelbperez
Now, for those of you that worry about exhausted admission counselors reading your applications and making decisions, have no fear. There is plenty of coffee and snacks in our kitchen keeping us fueled! Some of us even wake up at the crack of dawn each day to get a solid workout in (I need the endorphins to make the best admission decisions I can)! That reminds me, it’s time to stop writing and get back to reading those ED files! Thanks for checking out my blog. I’ll try to write as frequently as my schedule allows and promise to keep you posted on how we are surviving college application reading season!
