Today, I’d like to take you INSIDE the admission office at
Millsaps College.
You and your student have done your part – dutifully
completed your application, spell-checked their essay, diligently followed up
to ensure that ACT or SAT scores have been sent from the testing agency, and
asked the high school counselor to send us a transcript – so then what happens?
Ten years ago, you would have seen a photo of endless
shelves of manila folders, sorted and stacked alphabetically, containing all
the pieces of paper pertaining to a given applicant. These days, colleges receive most application
materials electronically, and we use database management software to collate, organize,
and review those materials. Think of it
– if each applicant sent only ten pages of documents, that’s nearly 30,000
pieces of paper for one year’s worth of applications to Millsaps. With electronic records, we’re saving a LOT
of trees!
Besides the application forms your student filled out
online, and the scores sent from ACT or SAT, we also ask high school guidance
counselors to submit their documents electronically. Services like SendEDU provide fast, free and
secure upload of school transcripts directly into our database, dramatically
shortening processing time, and reducing errors and misplaced information.
A dedicated team of professional staff members – Peggy,
Christian, Abbey, and Tammy – sort and catalogue your materials, scan any documents
received on paper, and work to ensure that all your stuff is matched with your
correct files. We also use the software
to allow you to check your status and review which materials we received. We also send regular reminders to applicants
who’ve started but not yet finished their application process.
Once the operations team has catalogued all your documents
and your application file is complete, our counseling team can view the
complete records in a virtual file bin, ready for their review. Our counselors work with students from
specific geographic territories so they can get to know the high schools, their
grading scales, and their staff and students. (Click HERE to see which counselor covers your area) The counselors review the transcripts with a fine-toothed comb, plus all
the materials provided in an applicant file, to look holistically at an applicant’s
likelihood to succeed academically and contribute positively to our community.
Just as there are no bad colleges, there are no bad
applicants, just better fits between students and institutions. The application and admission process is
about assessing the match for a particular student at a particular school. When the counselor makes his or her
recommendation, some students are admitted and others reviewed by the full
admission committee, or deferred until additional information is received. Sometimes, waiting until a student can submit
senior year fall term grades can be very helpful in tipping the scales in their
favor.
Remember, we’re the office of admission, NOT the office of
rejection, so we’re trying to give you every possible consideration to offer
you a place at Millsaps College.
