Those of you interested in January 2009 enrollment should have your eye on the calendar.  Applications for future “Januarians” are due October 15.  The Admissions Committee works with a very tight time-frame for January applicants, so you need to be sure that all materials arrive by the deadline.  Admissions decisions will be made and mailed in November.

We’ve been using an on-line application for a bunch of years now.  In the early years, many applicants still used a paper application, but nearly no one does anymore.  (In fact, I don’t think I read any paper “apps” last year.  The experience tends to stick in our minds because it’s so uncommon.  Rarer still are hand-written application forms.  I can’t say I’m sorry to see them go!)

Sadly, that doesn’t mean we’ve gone paperless, and there’s still a steady flow of mail to the office and documents on the printer.  We’re trying, though, and even if we can’t rid our office of paper-based processes, we use far fewer mailings to reach out to our applicants than we did in the past.  Of course, until applicants actually apply, we need to count on them to provide an email address, but that’s no different than the need for a mailing address in the past.  (If you want to receive up-to-the-minute information on Fletcher and Admissions, make sure you have connected with us.)

Even much of our summer correspondence with incoming students was via email or the web site.  That marked a real change from past years, and I think our highly-mobile student body appreciated the flexibility that electronic transmission provides.

And where we might not succeed in ridding the office of paper, we’ve also become aware of the impact of Admissions travel on the environment.  If you go to our travel page, you’ll see our message that, “Carbon emissions from Admissions Office Admissions travel have been offset through Native Energy.” Carbon offsets may be an imperfect way to confront the impact that we all have on the environment, but it’s certainly one positive step that an office can take.

I had fun at the Idealist grad school fair in New York last Wednesday.  I talked myself hoarse, but the fast pace is energizing, as is meeting so many people committed to public service.  At any fair, regardless of the organizers, the questions we’re asked will span a broad spectrum, ranging from “What is Fletcher?” to “Exactly which courses are included in your International Environment and Resource Policy Field?”  Certain questions become the theme of the evening, and I’m going to pluck out two to answer here.  I’ve probably answered them before in the blog, but it never hurts to put the information up for a new year’s applicants.

The first:  How important are GRE/GMAT scores in Fletcher’s admissions process?  I try to be careful in answering this question.  I want applicants to know that Fletcher’s use of test scores may be different from that of other schools.  And, it’s both obvious and fair to say that higher scores are always better than lower scores.  But…Fletcher takes a broad look at each applicant’s credentials, with emphasis on academic potential, professional and international experience, and clarity of professional and academic goals.  The test scores are one component of the academic profile, along with results for undergraduate or post-graduate study and professors’ recommendations.  We use GRE/GMAT scores to help us interpret the other information, and there is no cut-off on any section.  I don’t recommend repeated re-testing.  Unless an applicant is sure that the first test results are not representative of his/her ability, re-testing will likely yield similar results.  Ask yourself what the basis is for thinking you’ll do better.  If, for example, you were sick on the day you took the exam, then go ahead and take it again.

The second question that defined the evening was:  What is the minimum amount of professional experience to make an applicant competitive in the admissions process?  Again, there’s no firm answer, and no absolute minimum.  But Fletcher students will tell you that their pre-Fletcher work experience has helped them to contribute to the community, both in and out of the classroom.  That said, a little experience accompanied by crystal-clear goals may be better than years of experience and a personal statement along the lines of “I’m not sure what I want to do, and I hope grad school will tell me.”  We will be looking to see that your goals are rooted in your experience, but successful applicants present so many different pre-Fletcher profiles that we can’t provide a prescription for admission.

So, what do these fuzzy answers tell you?  That Fletcher takes a holistic look at each applicant.  Incredibly strong credentials in one area can outweigh modest credentials in another. The bottom line is that every admitted applicant needs to be able to succeed academically.

It’s amazing how quickly it feels like summer never happened.  Fletcher is so busy!  My office shares a wall with the Hall of Flags, and I can hear students meeting, greeting, and shuffling up the stairs to ASEAN Auditorium all day.

Two of us will start the admissions travel season next week.  I’m generally the most office-rooted member of the staff, but I’ll be in NY for an Idealist Grad School Fair on Wednesday.  Peter’s heading much further afield — to South America for APSIA Fairs in Quito, Bogota, and Lima.  Everyone else will soon be packing up clothing and brochures and heading to destinations near and far.

And now is a good time for applicants to get their own process underway.  (Even those of you still undecided on whether to apply this year!)  Here are some things you can/should do:

*Connect with us so that we can send you brochures, updates on events near you, and dates to join us for on-line chat sessions.

*Come visit!  Attend an information session, sit in on a class, or participate in an evaluative interview.  Interviews are a really useful aspect of the admissions process, and I strongly encourage applicants to participate in one (though those who can’t make the trip are at no disadvantage).  A quick check of the interview schedule tells me that some days are already near-to-full, though generally there are appointments available on just about any day you might need one.

*Check our travel calendar and find out if we will be visiting you!

And keep these dates in mind:

*October 15:  Deadline for applications for January enrollment in the MALD program.

*November 15:  Early Notification deadline for MALD, MA, MIB, and LLM programs.

*January 1:  Application deadline for PhD program.

*January 15:  Regular Deadline for applications to MALD, MA, MIB, and LLM programs.

Now’s a good time to set a date for your standardized tests, and to line up your recommenders.

As always, contact us if you have questions!