Overheard in Transfer Committee — It’s Not All About Academics

We Admit It!  The transfer process has been moving forward with each passing day.  Yesterday, a small cohort of transfer applicants received good news in their in-boxes.  Much like we send a likely postcard to a small cohort of freshmen applicants who move through the review process early and whose applications distinguish themselves, we send out admission decisions to a small cohort of our admitted transfer applicants a bit early on in the process.  Those who did not receive an email need not worry.  We still have numerous applicants under review in transfer committee, and most transfer applicants have yet to hear from us.  We still have more admit offers to make as well as waitlist and deny decisions to release.

Okay, now with that out of the way, let’s move on to this edition of “Overheard in Transfer Committee.”  Today’s blog gets to the non-academic side of our review process.  There are so many great backgrounds and perspectives that transfer students bring to our campus.  You bring experiences that oftentimes our freshmen cannot.  Those backgrounds, perspectives and life experiences help round out your application.  Much like with our freshman process, it’s not just about numbers.  And that leads to this edition of Overheard in Transfer Committee.

Overheard in Transfer Committee today: Are they really doing nothing outside of class?

There’s a reason the Transfer Common Application asks about extracurricular activities and work experience.  It’s because we’re admitting an entire person; not just who you are in the classroom.  Whether you’re a typical college freshman getting involved in anything from Greek life to service to debate or whether you’re a non-traditional student who’s working, who’s in the military or who has full-time family responsibilities, we want to know how you’re spending your time outside of class.  Not only does that provide us with a fuller picture of what you might be able to contribute to campus, but it also helps us put into context your educational history such as gaps in enrollment, grade trends, course loads, etc.  For example, if you’re a varsity athlete at a Division I school, we know that you have a lot to balance and that helps us to put your courses and grades in context.  If you’re a spouse and parent who’s working, going to class at night and taking care of a family, that helps us not only see what kind of unique perspective you can bring to W&M, but also helps us understand why maybe you took several years off from school.

The student whose application we were reviewing earlier today was a college sophomore who listed no college activities or employment.  They listed a few activities from high school and that was it.  So while as a student they were certainly competent, we wondered what else they could bring to the table if admitted.  From the information they provided, it appeared to be very little.  So we implore you, don’t slough that part of the application off.  Let us know what you’ve been up to.  Provide the fullest picture of yourself possible.

As of today, we hope to conclude our committee deliberations in the next few days.  After that we need to finish any last-minute completed applications, enter all decisions into our system, double and triple check them, and prepare all of the decision emails to be released.  We cannot, with any certainty, say how long this will take.  Each step depends on finishing the previous one.  Just know that we are working hard to bring this process to a close and will do so by the May 1 release date we’ve always advertised, if not before that.  Keep an eye out for our “Decisions, Decisions – Transfer Edition” blog.  That’s how you’ll know that all decisions have been released.

Wendy Livingston ’03, M.Ed. ‘09
Associate Dean of Admission