Time to call in the Committee

We don’t usually have the luxury of counting on student readers when we review applications for January enrollment, and the Admissions Committee meets only in small groups throughout the fall.  It isn’t until we start the Early Notification process that we bring in our full forces — this year including the Admissions staff, three professors, and eight students — and we’re just about to have our inaugural meeting.

I look forward to the first meeting every year.  It’s my chance to see how everyone gets along, who is going to be forthcoming with comments and who is going to hold back a bit.  It’s also a golden opportunity for the students to figure out if they’re picking up on the right points and to make mental notes to adjust their criteria for the future.  (Fortunately, having multiple layers of student, staff, and faculty review, particularly on these first applications, we can be sure that no applicants suffer for having their materials reviewed by a newbie.)

So now I’m ready with all the essential equipment for a four-hour meeting — my cup of tea, my water bottle, my blue and red pens, and the papers I need to distribute.  I’m off to Committee!