Overheard in Committee — The Throes of Laughter
We Admit It! Committee can wear on us. We’re human, and this is a very human process. Committee can make us tired, frazzled, bleary-eyed, and yes, even a little giggly. The giggles come from a combination of exhaustion, joy in our work, joy in each other’s company, and the sugar ingested from the now totally cleaned out bag of trail mix, the over 40 chocolate-covered granola bars eaten, the full box of Wheat Thins that bit the dust, the now opened pretzels filled with peanut butter (we’ll eat anything at his point) and the totally demolished bag of M&Ms.
Overheard in Committee today: obnoxiously loud laughter
Don’t worry. We weren’t laughing at any applicant; we were laughing at ourselves. Likely many of you have seen the previews for the new Tina Fey-Paul Rudd movie Admission. Well, this past summer at our annual staff retreat, we were each asked to submit the name of an actor or actress who we would have play ourselves in a movie. Assistant Dean Kevin Cutro picked Paul Rudd. Associate Dean Kim Van Deusen selected Tina Fey. Assistant Dean Justine Okerson had a great idea. It resulted in the photo below.
Life imitating art imitating life
She then took that photo around to our Committee meetings and we all burst out laughing. We laughed in part because the picture couldn’t be cuter. We laughed in part because when art imitates life it can be amusing. We laughed because we’ve spent the past month spending hours upon hours together, and we’re reminded that while this task is an incredibly serious one, we don’t take ourselves too seriously. We laughed because we are a personable, outgoing and at times goofy group who enjoys each other’s company. And we laughed because we admittedly are a little over tired.
This will be the last “Overheard in Committee” blog of the 2012-2013 freshman admission cycle. Now before everyone asks, no we don’t yet have a release date. Once our Committee deliberations wrap up later this week, we still have to double check all of our decisions, print and sign letters to those who will be admitted (yes Dean Broaddus signs each individual offer of admission), stuff those thick envelopes and queue up the emails. We truly will not know when we will email decisions until we’re ready to hit the proverbial send button. When that moment comes we will release our “Decisions, Decisions” blogs. Please be patient with us. It shouldn’t be too much longer.
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.
Glad to see that such a long and grueling process has some comedic relief! And I even got a laugh out of the picture; it IS cute! 😉
Thank you all for your efforts over the past few weeks and I am very excited to know that it shouldn’t be too much longer until decisions are released!
Fingers crossed and here’s hopin!
@Kaitlyn, we admit we likely couldn’t have such an extensive and in-depth committee process if we didn’t truly enjoy each other’s company and if we couldn’t make each other laugh. We so love what we do. And we are so honored to review all of our applications. But the long hours and the tough conversations become so much more doable when we have a few light-hearted moments.
Good luck to you!
Thank you for all of your updates though out the admissions process! I’m honestly sad that this is the last post! Hopefully the next time I read something from you guys, it’ll be an acceptance letter 🙂
@Waiting, here’s hoping right? And remember, it would be an email first.
The forum chatter says that UVA, VATech and JMU are all releasing their admission info this coming Friday at 5 PM. Any chance W&M can hit that too? Sure would be nice to know before all us FCPS kids leave for break.
@wanting to be a griffin, that’s unlikely. We’re still finishing up Committee and there are several steps to go through once those discussions conclude. If we do release next week, hopefully wherever you are you’ll be able to access email. Best of luck and enjoy your break.
Will the admissions decisions be noted in the e-mail?
@Ashley, yes. We don’t have any online system or anything where you can check it. So we send you your outcome in an email. If you’re admitted, you’ll also get something in the mail a few days later.
What actor would play Dean Broaddus?
@Frances, Dean Broaddus selected Mark Ruffalo…the actor who played the Hulk. No surprise there 🙂
Of course. Great choice!
How many first year applicants are there this year and how many are admitted?
@mikebj, we have just over 14,000 applicants this year and we will admit about 1/3 of them.
What is the out-of-state acceptance rate (based on prior years if need be)?
@Michael, it’s generally around 25-28% of those who apply
Thank you!
The wait is absolutely agonizing but it makes me appreciate the time and effort you put into reading and fairly judging every application. Thank you for that, and the entertaining blogs!
@Teresa, we hear you. We’re as anxious to get decisions out as you are to receive them. We’re working as fast as we can and hopefully everyone will hear soon.
Throws?? Really W&M ? I know you are rushed and tired but repeated grammar mistakes are making me cringe. Could the headline at least be fixed?
@Alum, we apologize and it has been updated. We are human and subject to errors here and there just like everyone else. Our posts are proofread and we’d wager error-free 95% of the time if not more. But if we offended or caused cringing we do sincerely apologize.
You guys are the best! I love reading this blog! I’m so excited to hear back about decisions. I will be nervously checking my email through April 1st.
@Anna, so glad you enjoy the blog. And we’ll be sure to let you know when to check your email. Just keep an eye on the blog.
Thank you for being human, William & Mary! Of the many colleges I’ve been in communication with over the past year, you excel (far and away) in treating those of us who monitor and post to your blogs and social media sites as human and not as just another applicant, parent or critic. Perhaps accepting yourselves as human allows you to accept us as human too…as imperfect as we are! Good luck getting through the next few days! The end is near…or will it be the beginning? ;o)
@Future Alum, it’s truly our pleasure but thank you for the very kind and thoughtful post.
Maybe I’ll end up knowing where I’m going to college on my birthday next week! Thank you for all the time and hard work you put into the application process!
@Ryan, best of luck to you and have a wonderful birthday!
Does the admission committe work on the weekend or should I take a break checking the blog for the weekend.
@Nervous Wreck, this time of year we work round the clock so that we can complete our process but we do not anticipate releasing decisions this weekend.
Can decisions be appealed?
I really should stop checking these blogs; it is becoming a slight problem. I think I enjoy them a little too much. But I am appreciative for the chance to stay in touch with the admissions process.
I know you have additional steps to take after you finish committee before decisions are released, but could you please comment on here letting us know when the committee process has finished?
Thanks! 🙂
@pb&j, decisions cannot be appealed. Every application is read at least twice and goes through the same process, a fair and thorough process. Reviewing even one decision in a holistic process would require us to review them all.
@The Girl Who is Waiting, we were going to try and come up with some bad pun about blog addicts anonymous and how that’s similar to BA (bachelor of arts) but will refrain because we fear we’re the only ones who would find it humorous but we appreciate the kudos.
@curious, we concluded our committee discussions yesterday for the most part. We always have to reconvene from time to time for late completes and such but committee is for the most part, a wrap.
Since you are done with committee- do you know yet when decisions will be reached? I am having to borrow a computer and wireless connection to check. REALLY hoping to get a yes, but also don’t want to make myself a pest to our neighbors who are loaning me their connections while we are camping.
I can fully understand your guys hard work and just want to show you our best wishes. But hum… do you remember how many international students you have admitted this year cause I know this year’s competition is so serious?
@wanting to be a griffin, we really cannot predict that. Each little remaining step has to be in place before we can release and any little step can derail a predicted timeline.
@Yiran Hu, generally, we admit the same percentages of our pool from one year to the next. So we admit the same percentage of out-of-state and in-state students every year for example. But we don’t count a specific number from any one cohort.
Oh wow, I didn’t even notice the “throws” error! Haha, I assumed there was no difference. And I consider myself an English major. Glad to hear deliberations are mostly complete and hoping it shouldn’t be too much later!
And now I’ve made an error with my last comment. I meant to say longer instead of “later.” See? We’re all human W&M! Thank you for being such an amazing school!
@Kaitlyn, we understand. Some times your typing fingers move more quickly than your brian. That’s what happened to us. Thanks for “being human.” This is definitely a very human process. Best of luck to you.
Thank you for the continued well wishes! It keeps me hopeful!
Hi W&M!
When I toured, I absolutely loved the school! It was my first time to Virginia, so I applied before touring and the tour just confirmed my love for the school! I am very anxious waiting for the decisions to come out! These blogs are incredible though so thank you! I was wondering, how much do letters of recommendation help, the ones from people who are not teachers? Thanks so much!! I hope the wait is almost over!!!
Hi W&M! I’ve been keeping up with your blogs for quite some time now, and I appreciate being able to keep up with you all throughout the entire admissions process! I am both a nervous wreck and extremely relieved that this process is almost over and done with. But, being able to keep up with these blogs made it all much easier, and I just wanted to thank you all for going out of your way to write them and making William and Mary a one of a kind school!
@anxious, any letter that provides substantive additional information about you can be helpful. That being said, we do have to limit you to sending only 3 total letters of recommendation (including the one from your guidance counselor) so that we can get through every application and get you a decision. If you choose to send optional letters of recommendation beyond that coming from your counselor, you should limit yourself to two and one should be from a teacher of an academic subject. If you do send letters from coaches, employers, teachers who teach band/chorus/debate/etc., they can certainly be helpful.
@Chris, we appreciate the kudos and kind words, especially this time of year.
Is there any hope of us finding out today?
I feel very redundant saying this, but thank you so much for these blogs. Regardless of the outcome of my application, these blogs have made the whole college process much easier. Also, I know that there is not set date yet, but will admissions decisions be released at 5pm Eastern time, or just whenever? Thanks in advance!
Hello. Does the Mid-term Report for transfers have to be sent by fax? The majority of my classes are online or taught from another campus, so it is difficult to meet my professors in person to get them to fill out the form. I was told over the phone that it is okay to just have the professors send an email stating what would be on the form. I want to double check if this is alright. Thank you!
@Chris, we do not yet know when we will release. Williamsburg actually got several inches of snow last night and this morning so that’s put a bit of a crimp in our ability to work round the clock.
@Gwenyclip, we’re so glad you like the blog. And when we do release it’s after 5:00pm EST. There’s not a set time but it’s always after 5:00pm so it doesn’t disrupt the school day.
@Lauren, that’s totally fine. Whatever works best for you and your profressors.
Is there a cut off time when you stop working and will not post descisions in the evening? I’m obsessed with check the blog.
@Nervous Wreck, not in theory but even we need to sleep (you wouldn’t want a weary admission officer doing something as important as sending decision emails right?). We do know that we will not be releasing decisions tonight.
Thanks, now we can all get a goods nights rest.
@Nervous Wreck and other readers, we promise we will release decisions just as soon as we can. It’s just a process that cannot be rushed. We know students are anxious but since we promise by April 1, at worst it’s only a few more days.
I just want to ask that will the decision of the Joint Program be released at the same time of the regular decisions?
@Yiran, that’s a bit of a complicated answer that will be addressed in the Decisions, Decisions blog (posted when decisions are released). So stay tuned.
Any chance of decisions today, or definitely not?
@Mollie, we promise as soon as we know you’ll know. We just avoid speculating because we don’t want to fail to deliver on any kind of promise or expectation.
Please!!!! Just a simple “yes” or “no.” We are DYING here.
I have been kicked out of two classes this week for continually checking my phone. I can see it now…I will be accepted and then W&M will rescind after I fail AP Chem for having missed too many classes!
@George, there is no simple answer. If there was, we would give it to you. Please don’t die on us. We have always set the expectation that it will be by April 1 and we stand by that. If we can release earlier we will but no one wants decisions released before they are ready. That’s when mistakes happen and no one wants that. Also, we already noted that we don’t release decisions during the school day so there’s no need to check your phone while in class. And out of curiosity, did other schools give you a heads up about a release date or did they just get released?
The Ivies told us that the decision would be available at 5:00 PM this Thursday. Several others also announced the time and date. To your point, my girlfriend applied to Fordham and was told the decisions would be available at 9:00 AM yesterday, but they were delayed until the afternoon.
@Admit It!, some have given heads up, such as Brown University (email saying 3/28, 6:30pm). Most however, do not.
@George and @Sam, thanks for the feedback. We figured some give a heads up and others don’t. Again, we don’t not to be cruel or to keep anyone in the dark, we just don’t want to set a release date and then be ready to release early and surprise everyone and we don’t want to set one and not meet it. So we simply wait ’til we hit the button and then let people know. We feel this is the most fair way to do it and we appreciate everyone’s patience.
I got deferred from early decision and I have been waiting since November for this decision!!! I am so anxious about this whole process! Can’t wait to hear back from you guys.
@admit it, I prefer yellow roses ;-}
Thank you for talking with us, As far as I know, W&M is the only school that blogs with applicants.
@Zoe, we know the wait feels eternal. We are doing our best to complete our process with all due haste.
@George, yellow roses? Are we too brain fried to get your joke? (That’s entirely possible). We’re glad the blog is helpful. We really appreciate all the great back and forth it provides.
Sorry for being too obtuse. I wrote that we were dying, hence the yellow roses quip.
Last post….asked to leave Calc…I need a stealth communicator.
@George, haha. Got it now. And yes, put your phone away. We promise you won’t miss anything during the school day.
poor george…im glad i’ve been on spring break last week and this week or my head would have exploded (and my phone permanently confiscated)
@Mollie, haha. We do ask everyone, please don’t sacrifice your grades or personal record for a decision email. How does that old slogan go, “Be cool, stay in school” — or something like that!
Princeton is releasing on March 28th after 5pm
I think a lot of the frustration is coming from the fact that everyone believes every other VA school has released the info. I don’t know this is fact, but it is perception. I do know JMU, UVA and VaTech have all released their decisions.
Where exactlly will you post a date/time that you will notify us by? Should I check the blog religiously or will it appear on a website? I know when I was deferred before there wasn’t really a heads up it was just on the Friday before the deadline. Thank you!
@Alum, we are aware that many other VA public schools have released decisions. However, their processes are very different from ours especially in terms of the length of their Committee processes. No one process is better than any other it’s just ours tends to take a bit longer. If memory serves, they also released a few days before us last year.
@Deferred, we don’t post a time/date, we simply update the blog, social media, website, etc. when we hit the proverbial send button. However, there’s no need to check all the time. Checking once a night will likely do the trick.
Since you asked, Duke also gave a release date (tomorrow) and time, but I agree with you that it is better to allow yourself the option of releasing early if you are able. After all, we all want to know as soon as humanly possible! We did really appreciate it yesterday, however, when you let everyone know that you had reached the point in the evening when you knew you wouldn’t release. Please do that again, if you are able. Of course, ideally that will not be necessary again! 🙂
When decisions do finally come out will the people who have recieved scholarships be notified at the same time?
@Wondering, we agree. Better to give yourself the flexibility to release when ready than to set a hard and fast date/time. We will do our best to keep people posted as we know what’s what.
@Cam, those who have received scholarships, for the most part, already know that. There will be a few additional awarded. Those are not in the emails, just in the mailed letter. Those who are admitted will receive financial aid information (if that’s what you’re asking about) will be emailed to admitted students 7-10 days after decisions are released.
When does everyone (as in the people working in admissions dept.) know when decisions are ready to come out? Is there a to do list and then everyone realizes everything is done?
Thank you sooo much! This blog is so helpful because I had been searching and searching for answers to questions and couldn’t find any anywhere! Last question: will people who are admitted receive their letters before the others?
@Curious, there are a lot of parts working simultaneously so that’s hard to say. But basically, we all check in periodically to see if we’re progressing and where exactly we are in the process. Even once we decide we’re done, it still takes a few hours to load the emails and then a few more hours to launch them all.
We’ve all reverted back to the days of “are we there yet.”! Hopefully, we’re not distracting the driver!
@Cam, everyone receives a decision email on the same night. Only those who are admitted will receive an actual follow-up letter. The Decisions, Decisions Blog will explain this in detail.
@Future Alum, good point! And at least now they do come in email instead of the uncertainty of waiting for the mail.
Do you think you can rule out tonight for releasd yet, or are you not sure yet, this early in the evening?
@Worried, to be consistent we’ll try to give updates during the early evening each day instead of throughout the day if that’s cool.
Is it early evening yet? Is it, huh, is it, is it, huh
???
Sorry. I was away at my happy place when I posted the last message, but I’m back now.
Hello, I am admitted student, and I was wondering, if we were not chosen for any of the merit scholarships based on grades, are there any scholarships available once enrolled, based on that GPA, #fearsofcollegedebt
They’re releasing now…
How do you know they are releasing?
I got a decision in my email, and it wasn’t good. 🙁
So sorry to hear that.
Just heard..not good news. Have a very upset daughter.
Same here, we have a very disappointed son,
I didn’t get in either. I wanted to go here more than anything but unfortunately I wasn’t competitive enough. It was expected but still disappointing. Trying to stay positive and will definitely try to transfer later! 🙂
You all beat us to the punch. The Decisions, Decisions blog will be up momentarily. We always like to make sure the server is working and in fact sending emails before we launch the blog.
@Curious, Mom, Disappointed in NY and Kaitlyn, we are so sorry the news isn’t better. Please know that you all are amazing students and individuals and we’re sorry the competitive nature of our pool doesn’t allow us to make more offers of admission. We wish you all the best with the conclusion of your college search process.
@Aminatta, we’re assuming you were admitted ED and then did not end up as a Monroe, 1693 or W&M Scholar. Assuming that’s the case, then there are small scholarships here and there offered by individual departments and such for students but there are no large awards for enrolled students. Did you apply for financial aid?
Do you know how many deferred applicants were accepted? I tried so hard to increase my chances by raising my SAT scores by 70 points and unfortunately it wasn’t enough. I would love to know this information.
Thanks
I still haven’t received an email. Should I wait a little longer or do I need to call the school?
I haven’t gotten an email yet!!! I’m sooo nervous!! I love the school
@Mwilliams, it’s a very small handful of deferred students who are admitted. Unfortunately the competition only gets more intense as thousands of additional applicants enter the pool. We know how much ED students wanted to attend W&M and we’re sorry that the outcome cannot be more positive.
@Sarah and @anxious, it will take several hours for all emails to launch so please be patient. The Decisions, Decisions blog will be posted shortly and will explain more. Our phones are off so we can concentrate on this effort so we won’t be available by phone until tomorrow.
IN!!!!!!!!
Congrats George!