With the start of fall, even here in San Diego there are signs that things are changing. Of course, here it isn't so much the weather that gives us notice that summer is over (it's 80 degrees today!), but there are other ways to notice that change is in the air.
One way is to see all the new students on campus, still finding their way around and settling into the pace of college life. Our Torero football team (5-1 to start the year) taking on the Pioneer League is another sure sign that fall is here, as is the pending "midnight madness" that kicks off the men and women's basketball seasons. For those of us in the admissions and enrollment profession, the surest sign of fall is the start of the college recruitment season and that means lots of travel, campus visitors, and applications!
A lot has happened here at USD since we closed out the last admissions cycle on May 1 (or thereabouts). We enrolled the most academically talented group of new freshman in our history, raising the profile of the entering student's GPA and test scores considerably. The University has once again been recognized as one of the top 100 national universities in the country, and as one of the most beautiful campuses. Just recently, we were honored by being invited to the Ashoka Changemaker Campus Consortium, a select group of nine institutions from around the world. These campuses, through a combination of education, research and service opportunities, have established themselves as hubs of social innovation. I'll be writing more about what this means for our students - current and prospective - but it is a very special recognition for our campus.
This summer, there were some administrative changes that took place. After twelve years as Director of Admissions, I was humbled with the responsibility of being the Assistant Vice President for Enrollment, taking on a broader set of responsibilities. In addition, Minh Ha Hoang has been named the Director of Admissions, having served as the Associate Director for many years, a counselor before that, and as an undergraduate and graduate student before that. New staff, new responsibilities, new organizations - what does all that mean for prospective students and parents? Well, it means an even stronger commitment on our part to help families find the right fit and make the application and financial aid process as smooth as possible. It means that USD is coordinating its services and processes better with the intention of making this important transition to college easier. And it means that as you engage in this very stressful and very complicated process, there are people and offices that will offer assistance, guide you along the way, and attempt to make your experience with us the beginning of a long and special relationship.
Over the next few weeks and months, through this blog, Minh Ha, the admissions staff, and I will help explain how we can help, offering tips and advice on the process, explaining the issues of financial aid, early action, wait lists, and testing, as well as keeping you informed of important dates and deadlines. Along the way, we will also help convey what USD can offer you, ultimately helping you decide if this is the right place for you or not. After all, that is the ultimate bottom line for us and it should be for you, too.
While intended for parents, we hope students, counselors, and others will take advantage of what they find here. Please give us your ideas and feedback, and we welcome your comments. It's a new year, and we can't wait to see what changes it brings.
Steve
p.s. - look for our staff as they travel around the country. Check out this link to see where they are:
http://www.sandiego.edu/admissions/undergraduate/visit/usd_on_the_road.php
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 comments:
Post a Comment