Essay Writing by the NYT

Erin wrote a wonderful post about the Admissions Maze program that we hosted last weekend (last weekend already! how time flies...) for children and grandchildren of alumni. I talked to a lot of people that weekend. And I was interested to hear from the students what they'd learned from their weekend in Lexington. The #1 topic of discussion was the essay writing workshop. So today I was perusing The Choice, the New York Times' college admissions blog, when I happened upon this "tip sheet" on essay writing.

I never believed my parents when they gave me advice. But if that advice were coming from the NYT you'd better believe I'd take notice! So even though we've talked a lot about essay writing on this blog, I think this article is well worth a read...

Vacation! and touring campuses

In a matter of minutes, I'll be leaving for a week of much needed vacation. It is difficult when you complete your education to realize that summer no longer means three months of vacation, or at least 3 months of doing new things with different people, be it work, travel, camp or service. The transition to the year-long workingman (or woman, as the case may be) mindset has been a choppy one for me. Sixteen years after my own graduation, the advent of summer still makes me yearn for new experiences.

You would think, after this intro, that I would spend my week of vacation as far from a college campus as possible, but no. I'm heading up to visit my twin sister in Western Massachusetts where she lives within walking distance of two colleges. In addition, I'll be visiting at least one other college during my trip. I can't help it - I love college campuses! I love comparing the architecture, envisioning myself studying on the lawns, checking out the dining options, strolling through the fitness centers to see their facilities and who uses them. But most of all, I like to walk around getting a feel for the people on campus. Do the people I pass greet me with a nod or a smile? Are people walking together in small clusters, or is everyone bustling along in solitude? Are people just going from point A to point B, or are they enjoying the journey?

One of my favorite things about W & L is the warm, friendly, unhurried atmosphere. Strolling along the colonnade, I feel part of a timeless community, rather than someone who is constantly racing time. I know the names that go with the faces that I see, and the smiles and greetings warm my heart and make me feel at home. You get the sense that everyone here wants to be here.

I encourage you to come spend time on our campus, and tell us what you think. I'm willing to wager that you've not spent time on a prettier or friendlier campus. And while academic offerings and internship opportunities and institutional reputation are all important, going to college in a comfortable, welcoming and supportive environment can be the difference between just getting a degree, and getting a degree plus some of the best times of your life.

Erin Hutchinson
Senior Associate Director of Admissions

Dubyuhnell Dictionary

University Registrar (n): 1.) The people/person/office responsible for the academic well-being of a campus. They track credits, maintain the university's course catalog, calculate campus statistics and run the calendar. 2.) The registrar combs incoming students' transcripts for AP, IB and college credits. 3.) W&L's registrar, Mr. Dittman, is an avid reader of this blog!

The University Registrar is a great person to know. Not only does he decide who gets a diploma on graduation day but he's also in charge of course offerings, transcripts and holidays (with the president's approval, of course!). And at W&L we're lucky that Mr. Dittman gets to know the majority of students, even before he rolls that diploma up and puts it in the president's hand.

Dubyuhnell Dictionary

Annual Fund (n) : 1.) An alumni gift fund run by the Development Office that pays for the yearly operations of W&L's campus. Bills that come to your home regularly (like heating, electricity, maintenance) are all paid for by the annual fund. It also pays for library collections, and our science and computer labs. 2.) The money donated also pays for tuition. Every year each student receives about $2,500 from the Annual Fund. See also "the living endowment"

At this time of year I feel like we're all getting hit up for money. So I thought it was interesting to find out what the Annual Fund actually is... And regardless of where you go to school, the Annual Fund and endowment are important pieces of a campus' economic stability!

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Like Erin mentioned in her post, MAZE was this past weekend for our alums and their children. My favorite session was actually about financial aid where John DeCourcy and Spike Gummere talked about the nuances of the current financial aid process. I just want to post a couple of my personal thoughts from this talk:

1. Fill out the FAFSA and the CSS Profile. You can't win a hand unless you put your chips on the table. With the volatile economy we are currently in nearly everyone should be applying for need-based aid.
2. The Chronicle just released an article about how the government is making the FAFSA much more user-friendly. Check it out: http://chronicle.com/temp/email2.php?id=PfhnHwvkmqzMzhrYdjpbm86cvHzkhpqn
3. ASK QUESTIONS. If you have questions about financial aid feel free to contact our aid office. Last year, I had plenty of people saying I didn't know I missed this form or I thought I didn't qualify for this-Just call our aid office and they will be happy to answer your questions.

Obviously, dealing with financial aid can be difficult, but often time people make it more difficult than it has to be. Make life easy and ask questions.