It’s Almost Committee Time
Admit It! Admission committees are these mysterious entities. You’ve likely heard all sorts of urban admission myths about what goes on behind those closed doors. Some of the myths are likely funny, others might be frightening. Still others might seem simply absurd. The rumors and gossip surrounding admission committee meetings probably fall into each of the above categories and every one in between. Committee deliberations are not used by all admission offices and are not standardized by those who do. But we DO use the Committee process. What follows is the why and how.
We (and by we, we mean the greater W&M we, the royal we if you want to get punny) are in the very fortunate position of having more qualified students apply to W&M than we have space for in the incoming class. As a result, we utilize a very holistic and thorough two-reads-per-application review process. But there are plenty of instances wherein after those two reads, there is still no clear decision to be made. More voices at the table, alongside a greater perspective on the entire applicant pool can then prove very useful. So we have Committee deliberations.
During Early Decision we hold one Committee that includes all admission deans. The Committee lasts four to five days and we go through each remaining case, one by one, discuss the merits of each student and then render a decision. We realize that this is a very human process and that the decisions we make are neither right nor wrong; they are simply the best decisions we can arrive at given what we know about our applicant pool and what we know about W&M students.
Our ED Committee will begin late next week and our much beloved “Overheard in Committee” blogs will be forthcoming. We will watch the Class of 2019 grow day by day (and our waistlines as Committee requires copious amounts of junk food). Stay tuned as we do our best to let you peak behind the Committee curtain.
Wendy Livingston ’03, M.Ed. ‘09
Associate Dean of Admission
Comments are closed on posts older than one year, but we still want to hear from you. If you have a comment or question for us, please email admission@wm.edu.
This process is maddening and exciting at the same time. Every time I see William and Mary paraphernalia of any kind, my heart skips a beat. Early December is very much anticipated.
We love the inside scoop! Each blog gives us a better perspective on the brutal process this committee does for each ED applicant. Can’t wait til the next update!
Thank you so much for making these posts! I just recently received my report with my first-quarter grades, and I would like to send them in (as they show my upward trend in grades). Is it too late for me to send them to you? Please let me know!
@WMHopeful, yes you can send in your first quarter grades and we will add them to your file.
I’m looking forward to it! I have heard from my own college adviser that William and Mary does a great job of reading applications holistically despite the large numbers of applications you receive, and I know that I and all of the other applicants are so grateful for the time you put in for us. December can’t come soon enough!
@MB, we appreciate all the shout outs and good faith folks have in our process. We anxiously await December also.
I wished you would send coded messages to students who are accepted as it happens, rather than wait till Dec. Just like your regular decision postcards, but the electronic version for ED applicants. Please tell that to the committee to consider it! Also, thank you for fully evaluating each application^2, unlike some other school TJ is not pointing at.
@SS, unfortunately there simply isn’t time for that during Early Decision. The window for Early Decision to receive, process, complete and review applications plus launch decisions is so tight as it is. We know students and families are very anxious for a decision which is why we work as hard as we can through November and early December to quickly turn around that process. The wait is basically half over at this point! Early December will be here before we know it.
I just went in to see my counselor today to get my report card with my first nine week grades. In terms of mailing it in, what are the specifications? Does the envelope need to have an official stamp from the school on it like a transcript, or can I just put it in an envelope and mail it in this week?
@MPS, if you mail it now ir likely won’t arrive until next week which is very late in the process. We’d recommend faxing it if that’s possible.
Okay! Thank you very much!
This might just be me worrying too much, but for peace of mind: did the office receive reports from the October SAT in time for consideration?
@Nervous, but determined, we have received Oct. scores for many students and been able to review them as part of the ED process. You can always contact us to ensure we got your score specifically if you wish.
@Admit It! Thank you so much for the help! I’m greatful for this blog. Without it, the wait until early December would be almost unbearable.
Dear Admission Officers,
Thank you all for all your hard work in the process and being so transparent to us in these blogs. They really comforted me in the waiting process. Also, I have a small question to ask. Does the College mails a formal copy of our letter of acceptance(of course under the condition we are accepted)? Do we receive any other things?
@DeterminedED, yes, we do mail an official admission letter to those that are admitted both ED and Regular Decision. We also send an admit pack to all admitted students (both ED and Regular Decision) in the spring.
Thanks again! Really hope I can join Tribe and receive these!
I appreciate your posts, they make the waiting a little easier. Checking the Admit it! Blog every day occupies my mind as it contemplates the possibilities. I’ve never wanted to hear the word “yes” so much in my life. I look forward to hearing from you next month!
@Jack Tobin, we’re glad the blog helps. We look forward to completing the ED process. Best of luck to you.