Overheard in Committee: Early Decision Edition Part 2
We Admit It! Thanksgiving break was fantastic. What’s not to like? Family. Friends. Food. It’s one of the best holidays of the year, and those of us here in the admission office used the weekend to decompress and relax. Now back in Williamsburg, we have resumed our Early Decision Committee discussions, building the class of 2021 one student at a time.
Last week, our Overheard in Committee post focused on the importance of the college essay. Today’s post, brought to you by Senior Assistant Dean Whitney Pitschke, focuses on letters of recommendation.
We love Early Decision Committee! Since late August, all of the deans have been traveling all over the country (and for some of us, the world) to attend college fairs, visit high schools, and host receptions for prospective students. Now we are all reunited on campus to begin the process of selecting the first members of the class of 2021. It is truly one of the most wonderful times of the year! One of the most fun parts of the application review is getting to know you as an applicant and, as you have read on the blog before, our review process is completely holistic and we take all aspects of your application into consideration, including your personal qualities.
Overheard in Committee this week: “The high school really loves this student”.
How do we know that your high school really loves you? We know by the letters of recommendation that we receive from your teachers and your school counselors. In this student’s case, the high school counselor and a teacher wrote glowing letters of recommendation that showed their full support of the student as well as some fun anecdotes.
A letter of recommendation that is truly well done and helpful for us in the admissions committee elaborates on both your personal and academic qualities and tells us things about you that we wouldn’t otherwise be able to glean from your application. We can obviously see from your transcript whether or not you have challenged yourself and how well you are doing in your classes, but hearing from your teachers about the type of student you are in class is incredibly helpful. For example, if you have straight As in your classes, we can see that you are a strong, intelligent student and that you work very hard, but hearing from your teachers that you are a student who loves learning just for the sake of learning or that you are a student who makes very thoughtful contributions to class is information that is invaluable to us as we review your application.
We are trying to build a class of students who are passionate, excited to learn, and are going to bring their unique gifts to the William & Mary community so hearing from the people who work with you the closest is a great way to get a glimpse of the type of student you will be on our campus. For this reason, it is important to be strategic about who you ask to write you letters of recommendation. Since we try to use the letters of recommendation as a way to get to know you as an applicant better, it is a good idea to make sure that the person writing your letter of recommendation actually knows you well and can speak to your academic and personal qualities that will help enhance your application.
Recommendation letters are just one of the many ways that we get to know you in the application review process and we really love hearing about what the people who know you the best have to say about you!
We hope you’ve enjoyed this year’s version of Overheard in Early Decision Committee. We have very much enjoyed reading and discussing your impressive applications. Be on the lookout for a “Decisions, Decisions” blog post in the near future. As of today, we are planning to send decision emails out by this time next week.
Whitney Pitschke
Senior Assistant 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.
Thanks for the update! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving break!
@Patiently Anxious, you’re welcome! We hope that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving break, as well.
Thank you for these posts! I’m anxiously awaiting your email next week! Any set date for decisions yet?
@Alondra, we are not able to provide you with a set date for decisions, however we can assure you that you will be hearing from us soon. We appreciate your patience as we organize and finalize things on our end.
I really appreciate these updates, as I know we all do, especially as busy as you must be! A question – if you have time – will the emails have the decision in the subject line, as in past years, or is that just for regular decision? Thank you, I’m a nervous wreck!
@Claudia, you’ll be hearing from us soon – hang in there! As soon as decisions are launched, we will post a “Decisions, Decisions” blog that will include all pertinent information. To answer your question, though, the subject of the decision email a student receives will either be “Good Things” or “William & Mary Application.” The sender of these emails will be “College of William & Mary.”
Thank you so much for your response! I will obsessively watch for that blog and then fearfully check my email, lol! My dream is to study history, in particular colonial history, so I cannot imagine a better place in which to do so! Very nervous but excited, thank you!
So my daughters birthday is the 5th. Any chance she will hear on that day. It would be the best birthday ever!
@Sam, happy early birthday to your daughter! Yes, there is a chance that decisions will be launched on the 5th. We are working diligently and around the clock to release decisions as soon as we are able.
I may seem overly obsessed, but the middle of next week puts the release of decisions later than it has been in any of the recent years. Is there a reason the process is taking longer this year? Is there any chance that decisions could be released sooner than this time next week? The waiting is killing me!!
@In A Pickle, we understand that the waiting process is never easy. We appreciate your ongoing patience. Our process is coming along great – all of us here in the Admission Office are working hard to release decisions in a timely manner. It is very likely that decisions will be released sooner than this time next week. Hang in there. You’ll be hearing from us soon.
I was hoping that decisions would be released this Friday, but unfortunately it looks like we will have to wait another week. Nevertheless, thank you for the updates on here/Twitter, they are a true stress reliever!
@Anxiously Awaiting, it’s our pleasure to provide you with updates whenever we can. We promise that you will be hearing from us soon!
These blogs are super insightful, thank you! While reading these and some of the admission tweets, I find myself wishing I had included an additional reccomendation and/or an art portfolio. If I were to be deferred to Regular Decision, would I be allowed to submit any extra application components?
@Kaley, absolutely. Deferred applicants are welcome to submit additional application materials (awards, honors, letters of recommendation, test scores, statement of continued interest, etc.) to our general Admission Office email account (admission@wm.edu). Whenever we receive such materials, we make sure that they are filed appropriately with the student’s application. For specific questions about submitting an art portfolio (should you be deferred), we would encourage you to email Dean Kate Perry (kate@wm.edu) directly.
Thanks so much!
Thanks for the updates. This blog has helped me understand what the admissions staff goes through every year. Keep those updates coming!
@Martha H., we’re glad to hear that you’ve found these posts helpful! Our next blog post will be titled “Decisions, Decisions,” and will be posted as soon as Early Decisions are released. We’ll then continue to post updates throughout the remainder of the admission cycle.
Thank you so much for the updates! I can’t wait to hear a response from Admissions. I hope to hear good news soon!!!!! #Excitedandnervous
I am part of the TRIBE Family!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you so much for admitting me!!!! I can’t wait to come to W&M!
Thank you!!!!
@Robyn, CONGRATULATIONS! We’re thrilled to have you as one of the newest members of our Tribe family. Take some time to celebrate with family and friends this weekend. You’ve earned this. Go Tribe!
Thanks for the update! I’ve been checking my email all day long. Very nervous and excited to hear from Admission.
Just curious, is the admissions team still going through applicants at this point, or have our fates been decided already?
@Tribefam, as of today Early Decision committee has ended. We are now in the process of organizing, finalizing, and quadruple-checking all admission decisions. This process takes time, simply because we want to be as careful and as thorough as possible. We are still on schedule to release decisions in the near future. Hang in there!
It’s great to hear you are done with committee; I’m holding my breath over here! Is there any chance that we will find out tomorrow?
I’m praying they come out today as well. I’m so anxious to hear back from the Tribe Lands 😛
@Hopeful Tribe & @Ryan, all we can tell you is that we are still on schedule to release decisions in early December, and that you will be hearing from us soon. We know how anxious the waiting process can be. Thank you both for your patience.
I have never been more ready to hear back from you guys! I just have a question regarding finalizing decisions. How long does it take for you to double, triple, and quadruple check everything? I’m hoping for a sooner answer rather than a later answer. Hope all is well on your side of the spectrum because I am terrified on this end!
@Alondra, this process takes a bit of time, but we assure you that will be hearing from us in the near future. Happy Friday!
These updates are very helpful for the student and families… thank you very much,
Thank you to one of the most thoughtful admissions committees there is! As I anxiously await my decision, I can’t help but think about how helpful everyone at W&M has been throughout the entire application process. Thanks again for all that you do, and have a great weekend! 🙂
OH MY GOSH, I got in!!! Thank you so much for admitting me, and I can’t wait to come to W&M next year!!!!
@Kayleigh, WOOHOO! Welcome to the Tribe! We’re sending you a big high five through the computer screen. Can’t wait to officially welcome you to campus in August!
I checked this Blog numerous time in the past weeks and months, as my son had applied to the school, and wanted to thank you all very sincerely for maintaining such a valuable source of information for us who value even just a little glimpse into the sometimes black hole that can be college admissions. We appreciate the extra time spent to blog about the process and inform us on timelines/dates/etc… Well done.
Proud to say that my son was accepted and is part of the 2021 class – today is a great and memorable day for him and for all of us 🙂
@Franck L., it’s our absolute pleasure to assist our prospective students and their families throughout the college search process. We’re happy to hear that you found these updates informative and helpful. Congratulations to your son on this terrific accomplishment! We’re thrilled to have him as a member of the Class of 2021, and look forward to welcoming your family to Williamsburg in August. Until then, best wishes for a very happy holiday season, and Go Tribe.