Read shovel read shovel

Yesterday was my first full reading day of this admissions season.  I’ve read a good number of files already, but always in small groups of five or ten.  On a reading day, I usually figure on reviewing 40 or so.  I average about five an hour, though there are productive hours and, well, not so productive hours.  As for yesterday, I managed to read a lot, but the day was arranged differently.

My usual plan is to start reading early and keep motoring through.  Yesterday, I started early, but took an 8:00 break for snow shoveling, the East Coast having been hit by an impressive late-night storm.  Then I read for two hours, before my second shoveling “break,” this time accompanied by my daughter, Kayla, for whom school was canceled.  More reading and a lunch break, and then my third and final round of shoveling.

All the fresh air seemed to keep me alert, and I was surprised by how much I was accomplishing.  On the other hand, moving the snow was tiring and my handwriting was worse each time I sat back down to read.  Illegible scrawl notwithstanding, I returned a healthy pile of applications today — all ready for the next stage of their admissions journey.