Tuition Runs Out...

Mallory Wood, Assistant Director of Marketing at Saint Michael's College (and also my roommate...holler) put together this hilarious video for Tuition Runs Out Day...watch it to learn more, and get a few laughs!

What am I even looking for?

I thought today would be a good day to shed a little light on what I do as I review an application for admission to Saint Michael's College - I remember feeling like it was a mystery as a senior in high school, so I thought I'd share some insight here...

First, when a complete file comes across my desk it will usually include the following things: Common App and SMC Supplement, Official Transcript, SAT/ACT scores (if you have chosen to have us consider those), Secondary School Report, Letters of Recommendation (from Guidance Counselor and at least one teacher), School Profile and (depending on the time of year) any senior grades that might be available (if you apply Early Action I there will most likely not be any senior grades included, Early Action II might include 1st Quarter grades and Regular Action might include Semester grades - it all depends on the timing at your school). Other items may be included, but these are the required pieces.

The first thing I do when I open an application file is go straight to the transcript. I check out the passing grade at your school and then calculate you letter grades (some schools put letter grades on their transcripts, others put numbers. Getting them all into one format is important for when I review your grades). After getting your transcript all cleaned up, I highlight any AP courses you have taken in pink and any Honors courses in yellow. I also put a red box around any D's or F's that are on the transcript as well as any C's that appear in 11th or 12th grades. Then I take overall stock of the transcript - are the grades consistent? Is there an academic area that has been especially challenging? Is the general trend for grades up or down?

Tips for succeeding on your transcript here at Saint Michael's:

1) Take challenging courses (AP/Honors) as appropriate

2) Earn A's & B's

3) Explain anything out of the ordinary! I would much rather read a quick explanation of why your Chemistry class was a challenge for you and you earned a C- instead of just having you pretend it didn't happen - I'm looking for reasons to accept you, not deny you.

I then take a look at your SAT/ACT scores if you have chosen to submit them. If they fall within our range (550 on all three sections for a total of 1650) I make a mental note, but not much more. If they fall well below our range, I'll also make a note, and I take notice if they are significantly higher or lower than what you grades might suggest - perhaps suggesting that you are challenged by standardized testing or that your academic grades don't speak to your true potential.

I then take a look at your application and supplement. I peruse each page to see if anything jumps out, mostly things that might explain a dip in grades (like an illness or parents divorce). I read every essay and evaluate it on the basic stuff (like grammar, punctuation, proofreading etc...I don't go over it with a fine tooth comb but as an English major I can't help but notice some mistakes) and then also on how interesting it is, how much of a story it tells, how your overall writing skills are. I also look closely at the "Why SMC" question and see how much you know about St. Mike's and what you level of interest is.

Tips to succeed on the Admission Application

1) Proofread, proofread proofread! Preventable mistakes can be frustrating for your reader...

2) Answer the "Why SMC" question - I see so many applicants who leave that question blank - and to me, it's one of the most important and most interesting ones!

3) Have someone else look at your essay and give you honest feedback - you want to know if they're bored, confused, excited or anything else so that you can improve it to give off the vibe that you're hoping for.

I then take a look at your Guidance Counselor and teacher recommendations. I like seeing Guidance Counselors delve into who you are a student and a person, as it adds a narrative touch to your transcript that I can't get from your grades alone. Be sure to sit down with your Guidance Counselor and have conversations with them about what you hope their letter will address - maybe they reinforce what you told me about your Chemistry class, or they go into more depth about your learning difference, or your family, or you passions. I love to read Guidance Counselor letters that tell me things I wouldn't have necessarily known about an applicant from their transcript.

After I review all of this I make my comments and suggestions on whether I think you are a good SMC match or not. I take into account what extracurricular activities are important to you, whether you're interested in playing a sport, essentially if you are a good SMC fit.

So there you have it - a look into the mind of an Admission Counselor! What kind of questions do you have for me? Leave a comment!!

"Life without music would be a mistake" - Nietzsche

I love music. Like I absolutely LOVE music. I listen to it all day at work as I read applications, answer e-mails and book travel visits. I listen to it in the car. I listen to it at home while cooking, knitting or reading. I watch TV shows that include music (hello GLEE!) and would go to every Broadway musical ever made if I could. But I'm not a musician - until now.

When our office's web support specialist sent out an e-mail trying to recruit members for the Winooski Community Chorus that she directs I laughed a little - I've never been a singer, but man, I can sure belt out the tunes in the car. However, once I got to thinking about it a little more, I decided that I wanted to try joining the chorus - I mean, what did I have to lose? Maria said that it was very low key, and that they were going to be singing Broadway songs. Two things I love more than anything - things that are relaxed and Broadway. I was in.

Independently of this, my roommate and fellow SMC staff member Mallory also decided to join the chorus. Perfect. What better way to have fun then belting out show tunes with one of my best friends? Mal still has to sing my notes for me and tell me to stop singing when it's not our turn, but I think I doing fine, especially now that I know what notes to look at on the sheet.

SMC has taught me to go for what I want - if I want to sing in a chorus, I should just commit to it and try my hardest - and maybe I'll find a new hobby that I could have for the rest of my life!

So if you're applying to SMC, just think about me jamming out in my cubicle to the wide variety of music that I listen to as I read your application - today is was a mix of Girl Talk, Carolina Liar and my grooveshark.com playlist of all of the chorus' songs for our concert...so when I've got my headphones in, watch out, I'm a happy girl!

Boston!

One of the things I love about living in Burlington is how close it is to a variety of major cities - you can easily get to Montreal, Boston and NYC in just a matter of hours. This weekend I made a trip down to Boston with Thomas to visit and friend, go to a 3-D IMAX show at the Aquarium and see a Celtics game!

We saw the "Under the Sea" IMAX show, and then followed it up with a walk around the aquarium - it was really cool to see several of the really interesting creatures that we had seen in the IMAX next door at the aquarium, like the wicked cool leafy sea dragon.

After the aquarium we walked through Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market and then caught the T to the Museum of Fine Arts where our friend is a chef (they have a delicious restaurant inside of the museum). Jared took care of us to the utmost degree and had us try a bunch of the different dishes that he makes - it was delicious! After the feast we went back to Jared's house and he cooked for us again - chicken tacos this time!

On Sunday we saw the Celtics vs. Magic game which was a lot of fun. I was rocking my new Shaq t-shirt, but he's injured and wasn't even there which was too bad. We had a great time watching all of the action and seeing some great basketball. We drove home after the game and got back just in time to catch the last few minutes of the Superbowl.

What a great weekend in such a vibrant and fun city - I hope to make more trips in the future!

"we're all together" Baltimore 2011

I just returned from my Extended Service Trip to Baltimore, MD yesterday - what a great experience! If you've followed my blog for a while, you know about my experiences in David. KY and the Dominican Republic on SMC service trips, but this one was completely different - I was totally in charge as the group's staff leader (my student leader had to change his plans last minute and couldn't come with us...). Everything went off without a hitch and we had an incredible group and incredible service sites in inner city Baltimore.

We went to various service sites, but I think that everyone would agree that our favorite site was Our Daily Bread (aka ODB) where we served lunch 3 times. ODB serves lunch everyday of the week, 365 days of the year to anyone who needs a hot meal - they see up to 800 people during their 2 hour serving! We had different tasks ranging from bread girl (my specialty) to table cleaner to tea person and we all had meaningful experience serving those who need it most. We didn't take any pictures out of respect to the guests, but we had a really great experience!

We were also able to visit Washington DC on the Sunday before our week of service which was fun - I had never been! We visited all of the monuments and the Holocaust museum which was great. Here is our group in front of Vermont at the WWII monument on the National Mall.

Front Row (l-r): me, Alex, Jenna, Abbey, Second Row: Melissa, Caitlin, Liv, Kate and Brian

We had a great experience doing volunteer work in an area of the country which is so different from our corner of the world, and I am happy to say that the both the students and I learned a great deal and had lots and lots of laughs! Our trip motto was "We're all together" because of the various mishaps (7 hour delay in Philly? It's OK because we're all together) we had during the course of the week and because of how well we all got along. I foresee many reunions in the future!

The group in front of the Washington Monument, which we went up to the top of!

Early Action I...

decision letters have gone out! Here's hoping that you got good news from us in the awesome purple envelope, but if not, please don't be discouraged...

If you've been deferred from Saint Michael's College, please know that you have absolutely not received a denial letter - just as your letter says, "our hope is to encourage you to do your very best academic work in your high school classes at this time. You should know that last year we admitted a large percentage of students who were deferred during our early action review." It's so important to understand how much everyone here is pulling for you - as long as you really step up your game in the next few months and send us all of the results. Another piece of advice - keep in touch with us! It really demonstrates your interest when we see how much admission to Saint Michael's means to you.

If you've received a denial letter, please know that the door is not completely closed. As the letter says, our decision is final for the Fall of 2011 and we cannot reconsider you during our Regular Action deadline, however we very much hope that you will continue your education at another institution and will consider applying to Saint Michael's as a transfer student in the future if your interest persists (after you have completed at least two full-time semesters).

And of course, a huge congratulations goes out to everyone who was accepted into the Saint Michael's College Class of 2015! We had a record breaking number of applications for our Early Action I deadline and anticipate this this trend will continue - so congratulations on a job well done!

More Extended Service!

**If you're participating in the Holiday Video Contest, please comment on the post right below this!**

I've known about this for a while, but am just getting around to tell you lovely blog readers now - I was chosen to lead one of MOVE's (Mobilization of Volunteer Efforts) Extended Service Trips this winter! Myself and my fearless student leader Evan and I will be taking our group to Baltimore, MD to work with a variety of organizations through Catholic Charities of Baltimore. 

I am so excited for this opportunity - my two service trips (one to David, KY and the other to the Dominican Republic) were absolutely crucial to my experience at Saint Michael's and I am very much looking forward to facilitating that experience for a group of current students. We'll be heading out on January 8th and have a full day free where we are planning to go to Washington DC and then will do a full week of service.

I'll keep you updated!

Mike the Angel loves service!