Some application tips

November 2, 2009 – 4:24 pm

We’re in the process of shifting gears here. My colleagues and I are coming in off the road, settling back into the office, and preparing to move from focusing on recruitment (our task for the past few months) to focusing on selection (our task for the next few months).

In the spirit of application season, I wanted to share a video with you. We interviewed several of my colleagues a few months ago to discuss what exactly it is we’re doing in our admission process — and what we’re looking for in the applications you seniors are working on right now.

By Tom | Posted in **Tom's Posts**, Admission Tips, Application Process, Inside the Admissions Office | Leave a Comment

Want money? Start now.

October 12, 2009 – 7:16 pm

Application season is creeping up on us very quickly. Most of you seniors have probably already started your applications, and hopefully your essays are well on their way toward fully-crafted. Early deadlines will begin popping up in November, and December and January will round out the bulk of your application deadlines.

But in the midst of your final decision-making about where to apply, and your submitting of applications, you also need to be forward-thinking about the cost of college. Now is also the time to begin applying for scholarships. If you wait to research scholarship money until after you’re admitted — and I’ve encountered a few students every year who do — you’ll be way behind the ball, and you’ll have missed most colleges’ and other organizations’ deadlines.

I hope this is obvious to most of you, but I want to be clear in case you haven’t thought about it too much. The college process is not just a matter of applying, getting accepted, and then thinking about money; you need to think about money even as you’re deciding where to apply, investigating schools’ need- and merit-based aid programs well ahead of time.

Many colleges (Richmond is one of them) have separate deadlines for their scholarship programs, and many (Richmond is not one of these) require additional applications for these scholarships. At Richmond, all you need to do to apply for our Richmond Scholars Program is submit your application by December 15; nothing additional is required, unless you want to apply for the Artist or Science Scholar designation. Last year, we had an applicant pool of almost 8000; yet, of these, only about 5000 applied by December 15 (forcing me to muse on why anyone wouldn’t do so). And I spoke with students (and parents), when April rolled around, who were admitted but were wondering how to apply for scholarships. When told about the scholarship deadline they had not met, most asked whether they could be considered retroactively (truly impossible, since the consideration process is a months-long affair involving several rounds and faculty committees). Sorry, kids — you missed the boat.

Now is the time to check on colleges’ requirements for scholarship consideration, and it’s also the time to be checking out other scholarship sources as well. Many scholarships from outside sources and local organizations also require applications that are due throughout the fall, so be sure to keep these on your radar screen. FastWeb.com is the best resource I know among internet scholarship databases, and your high school guidance office can probably point you toward a variety of local scholarship sponsors.

The only area where you really can’t do much until after the new year is in the need-based aid category, where the FAFSA does not become available until January and most schools’ submission deadlines are in February. Just make sure your parents are organized and prepared to file their taxes as early as possible in the year, since tax returns are an important part of this process.

So start now. Start early. There’s a lot of money out there, and despite the rising costs of higher education, even a top-notch college education can still be very affordable if you’re willing to invest the time, effort, and thought into seeking out scholarships and aid sources.

By Tom | Posted in **Tom's Posts**, Admission Tips, Scholarships/Financial Aid | Leave a Comment

Considering Early Decision?

September 30, 2009 – 8:32 pm

For many students, the college search does not end with the discovery of one top-choice school (this was the case for me; see my post from last year on “the perfect college”). But for some the search does end this way. Some students visit a particular campus, meet a tour guide or current student, or sit in on a class, and things just click – and they know they’ve found their top-choice school.

If that describes your experience with Richmond, then our Early Decision application option is definitely something you want to consider.

Early Decision is a great way to streamline the application process if you know you’re willing to commit to attending Richmond. Here’s how it works:  You apply by November 15 (for fall early decision) and submit a contract saying that you will enroll at Richmond if accepted; we review your application; and you receive your decision on or around December 15. Not only is the turnaround time much faster, but you learn much earlier of your acceptance, and you know where you’ll be next fall – at your top-choice school – before the winter holidays.

There are a lot of common questions we get from students who are considering Early Decision. Here are some important facts that will hopefully help answer those questions:

Early Decision is a binding agreement. This means that you agree to enroll at Richmond if admitted, and to withdraw your applications from other colleges without being able to compare options. We do this in fairness to other applicants, both at Richmond and elsewhere; if you break your commitment at Richmond, you’ve basically denied three or four regular-decision applicants an opportunity to be admitted, and if you’re committed to Richmond but you’re admitted elsewhere because you’ve kept your applications in “just to see,” you’ve basically denied other applicants at those institutions the opportunity to be admitted.

Our Early Decision acceptance rate is higher than our regular decision acceptance rate. It can vary quite a bit from year to year, given changes in the size of the pool and what we’re looking for, but in recent history the early decision acceptance rate has been quite a bit higher than our regular rate of 32-38%. We love to see students who are so excited about Richmond that they’re willing to commit early, and this is the #1 way we take your interest into account in our process. We also don’t know what the context of our regular applicant pool will look like, so we are more inclined to lock in as many academically competitive students as possible while we have the chance.

Applying Early Decision will not negatively affect your financial aid package. This is something to be careful about with many colleges. There are schools that will give ED applicants a smaller aid package because they already have the students “locked in.” At Richmond, our need-blind admission policy and commitment to meet 100% of demonstrated need extend to Early Decision applicants. So you are guaranteed the exact same need-based aid package you would receive if you applied Regular Decision. No strings attached.

Early Decision applicants can submit an estimated financial aid form with their application. Upon notification of acceptance, you’ll also receive an estimated financial aid package. Final numbers are, of course, dependent upon submission of the FAFSA and tax returns in February, but our financial aid office can usually predict fairly accurately what things will look like based on estimated figures. (“What about before I apply?” you ask. Remember, we guarantee to meet whatever your demonstrated need is after your Expected Family Contribution. There are some good EFC calculators out there – see our financial aid site for links – and if you get a good sense of what your EFC looks like, you’ll have a good idea of what we would offer to make up the rest. If you have particular or situation-specific questions, contact our finanical aid office.)

Early Decision applicants are eligible for all merit scholarships. While we do not offer merit scholarships specifically for ED students, all students who apply early are given full consideration for both the Richmond Scholars program (where the faculty committees don’t really know whether a student is already committed or not) and for the Presidential Scholars program. As with need-based aid, it won’t count negatively against you that you’re already committed to enroll. However, merit scholarships are not awarded until March or early April, so if your enrollment is dependent upon comparing merit offers from different universities, Early Decision may not be the best choice.

If you decide later in the process that you want to commit Early Decision, you have a second chance. Our winter Early Decision option means that you can still apply early on January 15. We’ll consider the winter ED pool in light of the fall ED pool, before we look at the regular decision pool, so you get the same benefits listed above – and you receive your decision on or around February 15.

Everything you need to know about applying Early Decision can be found on our Admission Timeline. Click the fall or winter box for a list of deadlines and requirements. The only additional application pieces we require of early decision applicants are the Early Decision Contract – signed by you, your parents, and your school counselor/official – as well as First Quarter/Trimester grades for fall ED applicants (we will be looking at your senior year progress!)

If you have any questions, please be in touch with our office or post your questions here on the blog. We’re happy to help counsel students and families that are considering Early Decision – we know it’s a commitment, and we want to help you make sure it’s the right decision and help you through the process.

We look forward to seeing your applications!

By Tom | Posted in **Tom's Posts**, Admission Tips, Application Process, Scholarships/Financial Aid | Comments (2)

Out of the silence…

September 23, 2009 – 4:04 pm

Well hello there, content-starved readers of Richmond’s admission blog! (Note that I’m assuming you’ve missed me.)

I didn’t exactly intend to take such a long hiatus from blogging, but you know how it goes… one thing leads to another…

It has been a crazy couple of months that have kept me from the world of blogging – crazy in a good way, of course. To fill you in on a couple of the highlights (and the things that have been keeping me busy):

1.    We have a new Dean of Admission and Director of Admission here at Richmond! Gil Villanueva, our new dean, and Michael Kabbaz, our new director, both started on July 15, and we’re thrilled to have them. Both are hitting the road this fall, so some of you may have the opportunity to meet them soon.

2.    The University jumped up to #30 among national liberal arts colleges in the U.S. News & World Report rankings.  As I always say, any ranking is in large part what you make of it – and how closely you look at its methodology. One thing I love about Richmond is that our administration cares far more about a host of other things (the student experience, academic quality, access and affordability) than it does the rankings, yet Richmond continues to rise, up from #42 when we moved to the national liberal arts category four years ago.

3.    On August 19, we welcomed a hugely enthusiastic first-year class to campus. This class broke a number of records; it is the largest class in the university’s history (but not so large that we can’t handle it!), made up of students from 40 states and 27 countries. About 7% of the class is composed of international students; 23% are American students from underrepresented ethnic populations; and 21% are members of the first generation of their family to go to college. You can find out more on our student profile, which will be updated and expanded in just a few weeks (so check back).

4.    The Spider football season is off to a great start, with three successive wins over Duke, Delaware, and most recently Hofstra – extending our record winning streak to twelve games. (In the FCS, the only time you get to extend a winning streak over multiple seasons is – you got it – if and only if you take the national championship. Which, if you’re not aware, we did last year.) The school took seven busloads of students down to the opener at Duke (not including those who drove themselves)… Spider spirit has never been stronger or louder!

So that’s the news from the past few months. I’m already into my first week of travel season – in Pittsburgh at the moment, off to Arizona at the end of the week – so I’ll keep you posted. The Richmond Admission Blog is back in business!

By Tom | Posted in **Tom's Posts**, Around Campus, Inside the Admissions Office, Miscellaneous, University News | Leave a Comment

Another reason I love the city of Richmond

July 2, 2009 – 11:33 am

By Tom

Summertime is a great time in the River City. I already wrote a post about the many festivals that go on throughout the Richmond region; today I want to say a bit about the thing that gives the River City its nickname: the James River.

The James flows right through the heart of Richmond, and the city was built around the river, which remains its core to this day. There aren’t any other cities in the United States that have Class IV rapids running through downtown – but Richmond does! The river provides an awesome outdoors scene right here in the in the city itself. Whether it’s kayaking, canoeing, rafting, tubing, hiking, biking, or fishing, you can find it all within city limits.

The James River Park System comprises about 14 miles of trails on both banks of the river. Hiking along these trails takes you completely out of urban space, even though you’re surrounded by it. I love hiking along the James, because you feel like you’re in the wilderness, and then you round a bend and there’s the downtown skyline right in front of you. The juxtaposition of urban and wilderness is really impressive.

The JRPS also includes Belle Isle, a favorite destination for Richmonders. The island is crisscrossed with trails and is a popular spot for walking and jogging, as well as sunbathing on the rocks and swimming during the warmer months. It can get super-crowded during the summer, though, and I personally prefer hiking the trails to a quieter location for swimming.

Downtown Richmond intersects with the James at Brown’s Island, which connects to both the Canal Walk through the city and the Belle Isle trails. Brown’s Island is a park and the site of many riverside festivals (including RiverRock, which I mentioned in my last post, Friday Cheers during May and June, and the Richmond Folk Festival). It’s also right next door to the historic Tredegar Ironworks, home to The American Civil War Center, a phenomenal museum.

Closer to campus, Pony Pasture lies just across the river from UR, and is a popular spot for Richmond students to hike, jog, and hang out by the river. I spent many a Saturday afternoon during college over at Pony Pasture.

Richmond exists solely because of the James and its rapids – the city was founded in 1737 at the fall line of the James, or the highest point that oceangoing ships could sail – and in fact its name is derived in part from the river, since the view of the James from Libby Hill reminded the earliest settlers of the view of the Thames from Richmond, England. And the river remains an active and central part of life in Richmond to this day. I’ve really fallen in love with the river, first as a student and now as a resident of the city of Richmond.

And on a completely different note, I want to give a farewell shoutout on the blog to retiring Dean of Admission Pam Spence, as well as Mary Ann Bagby, Dia Lisner, and Sabena Moretz. Your contributions to the University are greater than you know, and you will be missed.

By Tom | Posted in **Tom's Posts**, Miscellaneous | Leave a Comment