Happy New Year, Happy New Decade, Happy RD Deadline

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A lot to celebrate on this 01/01/2010. First, Happy New Year to you all. I hope you all had a wonderful celebration ringing in the new year and I wish you all the best in 2010. Second, Happy New Decade. It is simply amazing to think how quickly the first decade of the new millennium flew by. I remember just ten years ago stepping out of my family’s bomb shelter relieved that the world did not end due to Y2K. (O.K. that is a bit of an exaggeration.) Though 2010 does not feel much different than 2009 yet, I am looking forward to the new year and new decade.

The new year has started for me in the same way the old year closed out — answering tons and tons of questions from applicants. For some of you today doesn’t signify a new beginning of a new month / year / decade, but rather the end of your applying to colleges. YES, TODAY IS ALSO APPLICATION DEADLINE DAY. Judging on the over 150 e-mails we received yesterday and 80 we have received so far this morning, there are many of you out there still finishing up your applications. For you, I refer you all to my blog post from earlier this week:

For Admissions_Daniel, today signifies my last relaxing day for the next five months. I’ll spend the day with my family, niece Lilly, nephew Cooper, and Soze down in Florida where I have been for the last two weeks. We will enjoy the day by playing board games, playing Wii games, watching the NHL Winter Classic, and then probably enjoy a movie to end a fun-filled first day of the year. But then it is back to Baltimore and back to work. Soze and I will journey along I-95 North over the weekend and after 16 hours of driving we will return to our snow-covered home. I am looking forward to returning to Baltimore and the office, but it will be very hard to say goodbye to the nice weather in Florida and being able to see my family every day. I think the worst part of it all is knowing that once I return to Baltimore the application reading marathon begins and my personal life ends. But today is not the day to dwell on the process ahead.

As I end this entry and get prepared for some fun and games, I thought I would share with you all the “We Thank You” video that the University produced and posted last week. Enjoy:

NACAC Conference Week: Quick Update

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So two days complete of NACAC Week and all is running smoothly so far … knock on wood repeatedly. On Monday we welcomed 12 counselors to campus and today we doubled that number to 24. Everybody seems to be enjoying their visits, loving Mason Hall, and leaving with a new-found appreciate of all that Hopkins has to offer.

These past two days have been easy compared to what is on the horizon for Wednesday. Rough estimate is that we welcome over 250 counselors to campus tomorrow, while also running a college fair in the evening for highly talented local area students. It is going to be a busy day and therefore I do need to get my beauty sleep. Oh wait, it is already 1:00 a.m. and I have still have a couple of emails to send. As I said in my last post, this is going to be the busiest week of my professional career so sleep is very far down the “To Do” lists (and yes there are multiple lists). Thankfully I have downloaded a ton of “Glee” soundtrack songs from iTunes … yes I am totally addicted and a complete GLEEK already.

As I sign off, I thought I would share a few of the random photos I took so far this week. Many more photos will be coming, especially once the conference begins on Thursday. Enjoy!

We’ve made the lobby of Mason Hall even more inviting than normal with some nice floral arrangements that incorporate our blue jay mascots.

To be gracious hosts, you must have a hospitality room.

And you must stock that hospitality room for beverages and treats.

Sneak preview … this afternoon was a test-run of the educational session I and a few of the Hopkins Interactive students are presenting at the Conference on Saturday. Further details to come in a new blog post later this week.

NACAC Conference Week Begins

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Here I sit in my office on an early Monday morning on the precipice of the busiest professional week of my life to date. I know many times on this blog it may seem like I am exaggerating when I talk about the hectic nature of my job, or being really busy, or lacking sleep because of work … and yes, probably in some cases I am using a bit of hyperbole. Not this time. The next seven days are absolutely going to be described by that collection of busy / hectic / overwhelming adjectives. Despite all that though, this is going to be one of the most engaging, educational, engrossing, and enjoyable weeks of my career.

Why you ask? Well, as the title of this entry states, NACAC Conference Week is here!!! And by here, I mean in BALTIMORE.

Before I continue, I think for the uninitiated it may be best to explain what NACAC is, what the NACAC Conference is, and why it being in Baltimore is a huge deal. NACAC stands for the National Association for College Admission Counseling. Founded in 1937, the organization today has a professional membership of over 11,000 from around the world. The membership includes professionals dedicated to assisting students in the transition from secondary to postsecondary education. That means NACAC members are admissions counselors, financial aid officers, guidance counselors, independent college counselors, members of the education media, higher education leaders, and more recently vendors that supply products to colleges or high school related to the college admissions process. One of the chief roles of NACAC is to maintain “high standards that foster ethical and social responsibility among those involved” in the college admissions process. Many of you may be familiar with NACAC in the National College Fairs that they hold throughout the country each year.

Every year in late September or early October the full membership of NACAC is invited to a National Conference. The conference is a chance for professionals from all sides of the college admissions process to come together to discuss the issues of the day and also share a variety of professional development opportunities. The national conference is made up of a series of educational sessions, a couple of guest speakers, a general member assembly, a counselors’ college fair, a unique vendor hall, and a series of social events. It is what one would expect of a conference on higher education issues, except for the fact that typically upwards of 4000 people attend. Take a look at all involved with the NACAC Conference 2009 here.

Well if you have yet to connect the dots, the big deal about the 2009 NACAC National Conference being in Baltimore is that means I don’t have to travel to attend. No seriously, it has everything to do with the fact that 4000+ professionals related to the world of college admissions and descending on the city where Johns Hopkins University is the preeminent institution of higher education. More than half of these visitors are guidance counselors (or independent counselors) who play a vital role in relaying information about a school back to the world of prospective college students. This is a once-in-a-generation chance for Hopkins to invite and host hundreds of counselors to the Homewood campus and help frame the way counselors will talk about Hopkins to future applicants. Many, if not most, of these visiting counselors have never stepped foot on the Homewood campus, and have never had a first-hand look at what makes Johns Hopkins University distinct. This is our chance to re-define how counselors across the nation and the world view Johns Hopkins University, and provide these counselors with accurate and anecdotal information to relay back to the high school students they work with. As I said, THIS IS A BIG DEAL.

Since March, a handful of my colleagues and I have been planning for this week. We have organized special campus visit events for these counselors, including a massive Insider’s Tour program for this Wednesday afternoon. We have also organized a very active presence of the entire Johns Hopkins Admissions staff at the actual conference which begins in full on Thursday at the Convention Center downtown. We have, I believe, dotted all the “i”s and crossed all the “t”s, but as I sit here this morning I am a bit concerned that we may have missed something. And to be honest, I will have that concern until late Saturday evening as the Conference ends with an enjoyable social at M&T Bank (Ravens) Stadium.

I think this will be my seventh National Conference and for obvious reasons this is the one I am most excited for. Since I entered the profession I have been attending the NACAC Conference as professional development. My first conference was when it came to Washington, D.C. in 1998 or 1999; it is so long ago I can’t remember. I was working at American University at the time, and I really didn’t understand how important the Conference was to someone in the college admissions profession. My opinion changed when the next year I attended the National Conference in Salt Lake City and had the time of my life. The educational sessions were enriching, the networking was tremendous, and the social events … well let’s just say SLC can be quite a fun city. Through the years I attended conferences in Long Beach, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, and just last year the amazing city of Seattle. I have had the chance to represent two schools at these conferences (AU and JHU), present a few times on topics I am familiar with (online chats and blogging), and all-in-all connect with the amazing professionals in my field. But none of these previous experiences have truly prepared me as to what is on the verge of commencing today.

As I told you at the start of this entry, this is going to be one crazzzzzzy week for me; I best sign-off and start my day. I do hope to return frequently to the blog over the week with tales and pictures of NACAC Conference Week 2009. Johns Hopkins and Baltimore are ready to host these college admission visitors, let’s just hope I am too.

Friday Favorites: Installing a New President

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For this second installment of my Friday Favorites, allow me to reflect back on the events of last weekend. I had the pleasure to participate in a number of programs related to the installment of Ronald J. Daniels as the 14th President in the 133 year history of Johns Hopkins University. To be honest, going into the weekend I wasn’t expecting too much of the installation events. But once the weekend was over it was easy for me to state that I had enjoyed one of the most memorable Johns Hopkins experiences in my six years with the University. And once again, Ronald Daniels had surpassed my expectations.

Before sharing my reflections on Installation Weekend, I want to flashback to March of this past year and the first official days of our new President’s tenure. This was the first time Ron Daniels shocked me. As Daniels began his service to Hopkins one of his first ideas was to have a series of lunches and dinners with various student groups and campus leaders. One of the first groups he invited to dinner at his new home, the Nichols House, was the members of the Student Admissions Advisory Board (the students behind Hopkins Interactive). So on his third day as President of Johns Hopkins University, Ron Daniels had dinner with 20 current Hopkins undergraduates and myself as well. The evening was lovely, and the most memorable part is how President Daniels was able to address the group as a whole and also connect with each student individually. He was a gracious host, an engaging conversationalist, and right away you could see he was going to be a compelling leader. The night was so memorable that the SAAB students and I still reminisce about the dinner and hope we all get invited back soon.

Read President Daniels first letter to the Hopkins community dated March 2, 2009.
Review an official biography of Ronald J. Daniels.
Reflect back on Daniels first day in this March 2nd Gazette article.

President Daniels did begin his tenure with Hopkins six months prior in March, but I think in many ways it was this September when he really started his presidency. He even remarked back in April at an Admitted Student Open House that he will always see himself linked to the enrolling Class of 2013. This really impressed me about Daniels, spending his first months on the job learning all he can about the operations of Johns Hopkins University, and hearing the opinions of ALL linked to this grand institution. All of this preparation, all of the conversations, and a myriad of good meals led up to the events of last weekend and all the pomp and circumstance that surrounded the installation of Ronald Daniels at the 14th President of Johns Hopkins University.

The calendar of events over Installation weekend were extensive … just see this complete list posted in the JHU Gazette. The weekend was a mix of mingling events with faculty, staff, and students, a 2.5K Fun Run, A President’s Day of Service, a neighborhood block party, and the official installment on Sunday afternoon. The following links provide full coverage of the entire weekend of events, and also the video is a great reflection:

Gazette article on the Installation of President Daniels.
2.5K Presidential Fun Run Photo Gallery.
Day of Service Photo Gallery.
Community Block Party Photo Gallery.
Baltimore Sun’s article of President Daniels’ installment.

For me the two big events over the weekend were the 2.5K Presidential Fun Run around the Homewood campus, and then the official installment and reception on Sunday. As I often do, I took my camera with me and snapped a ton of photos. Enjoy this slideshow of the events of the weekend from my point-of-view:

And to finish, I come back to what I said at the beginning … President Daniels continues to surpass my expectations. As I listened to his Inauguration Address I was quite inspired. Instead of me re-hashing the speech, here it is in its entirety for you to enjoy:

 Check out the special Inauguration Website for additional information.

What’s up in Mason Hall (Winter 2009 edition)

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February has been an extremely busy month in Mason Hall, the home of the Undergraduate Admissions Office on the Johns Hopkins University Homewood Campus. It is pretty obvious to any one who understands college admissions why all the mayhem … APPLICATIONS, APPLICATIONS , and even more APPLICATIONS. The entire Admissions staff has been working overtime to process, sort, evaluate, and decision all the received Regular Decision applications. As promised earlier this week, I thought I would provide you all with update on what is going on throughout Mason Hall during these penguin days of winter. (We have the dog days of summer, why can’t we have the penguin days of winter… if you start using the phrase it could catch on … just remember Admissions_Daniel already has it trade-marked.)

Let’s start with some rapid fire updates, and then I will take you through a tour of what’s up on the three different floors of the building, and finish with a fun little slide show. Bullet-point list time:

• We finally have an application total for the 2008-09 application cycle … and it is a record number once again.***16,119 applications*** … up 107 from last year’s high. Just one word to sum that up … WOW!
• No we have not yet decided on a decision release date, so please don’t ask.
• The Mason Hall Building Manager Paul Jacobus, of Paul’s rookie blog fame, won our Oscar Office pool in a very close race. I came in third because the Academy didn’t like the Dark Knight (long story). On to March Madness …
• It is cold! Very, very cold! The darn groundhog saw his shadow dooming us to more winter weather. Though the snow has pretty much stayed away, the wind chill has been brutal on most days. And the worst part … just two weeks ago the temperature hit 70 degrees. (Al Gore why haven’t you fixed global warming yet — didn’t you invent the Internet in a fortnight?)

Mason Hall is a three-story building. The first story is the lobby and acts as the Welcome Center to the Homewood Campus. The second floor is where the Admissions Counselors offices are, as well as offices for our IT and Marketing teams. And the third floor is where all the application processing and applicant communication takes place as it is home to our Operations and PR teams. So with that brief tour, let’s get on with the floor-by-floor updates:

FIRST FLOOR – WELCOME CENTER
About two weeks ago the lobby “traffic” began to pick-up as high schools had winter / President’s Day breaks. Tours have been larger, information sessions had to be moved to the Shriver Hall Auditorium, and our “black welcome bags” have been moving quickly. So while most of the work being done in Mason Hall relates to creating the JHU Class of 2013, we have already begun the process of working with the Classes of 2014, 2015, and beyond.

One cool thing for our visitors recently is that they have the chance to pick-up the newest edition of the JHU Gazette and reading a great article on our Guest Blog — Blogging a Big Hit for Admissions. (I am always one for promotion of all things Hopkins Interactive.)

SECOND FLOOR – COUNSELING STAFF OFFICES
As the tours depart downstairs, the Counseling Team (read our profiles) is overwhelmingly busy focused on our computer monitors evaluating application after application after application. Each of us is attempting to read 40 files a day. Some close their doors and read in the office, others stay at home some days to get the reading done. We all have our routines, our favorite iTunes play-lists, our favorites beverages – we need these comforts to survive. Committee work will begin in earnest in a couple of weeks and then the buzz on the second floor will pick-up as the crucial discussions and shaping of the class begins.

Despite the stresses of application reading, we do know how to keep the mood comfortable. Jameel and I often have crazy conversations through instant messaging, by 4:30pm yelling across offices is commonplace, and procrastinating by chatting with the student admissions volunteers is always fun. Earlier this week a lot of humor stemmed from both a nice little leak in the ceiling of my office and also the welcoming of a Snuggie to the office. (See the slide show below.)

THIRD FLOOR – OPERATIONS CENTRAL
By far the busiest part of the building continues to be the third floor where all the application processing takes place. The mail continues to come in, the fax machine is pretty much working non-stop, sorting by our amazing student workers continues, and the scanning and indexing of application forms is on-going. Earlier last week our missing items emails were sent out and that not only increases the volume of document processing but also the volume of phone calls increase. Without the Operations and PR staffs there is no chance the Admissions Counselors could ever read all the files in the short window of time we have.

WHAT’S COMING UP
Since my focus the next three weeks needs to be on application reading and committee work, I won’t have time to update the blog. That doesn’t mean no new content though. I have asked my colleagues to help me out.

Each of the counselors has come up with a Top Ten List on a different topic we all believe you all will find interesting. So stay tuned … and enjoy.

What’s New Vol. 3: Homewood Updates

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So I thought I would complete my “What’s New” series with a top 10 list. Throughout the Fall semester, there have been so many newsworthy stories that I wanted to mention in the Hopkins Insider blog. But due to how busy my schedule has been and other important blog content that I thought was more of a priority, I really haven’t had a chance to share “what’s new” at Johns Hopkins and the Homewood campus. So enjoy my selection of the top “what’s new” items of the last few months.

If you enjoy these stories, then you should really bookmark our Blue Jay Buffet blog and specifically the monthly “This Month at Hopkins” entries. We just posted the December at Hopkins entry.

(1) NEW PRESIDENT – RONALD J. DANIELS ELECTED

In November, Ronald J. Daniels was elected as the 14th president of Johns Hopkins University.  Daniels has done fantastic work at several universities and, since 2005, has been the provost of a very well-known university in Philadelphia, PA — I forgot the name againthough, ooops (I forget a lot of names).  He will begin his service to Hopkins in March.  To learn more about him, visit the official New President’s website.

(2) NEW IMPROVEMENT TO OLD BUILDING – GILMAN RENOVATION

Gilman Hall is undergoing some major renovations that commenced earlier this year … $73 million’s worth, actually.  The plans include a new 3-story, glass-topped central atrium, a new second floor courtyard to connect the Hutzler Reading Room and Memorial Hall, a new home to the archaeological collection on the first floor, a new 140-person film screening room, and more.  The 92-year-old building will be the first completely green building on campus and is expected to re-open in the late summer of 2010.  Read more about the plans and progress at the renovation’s website.

(3) NEW ATHLETIC SUCCESS – BEST FALL SPORTS SEASON EVER

Hopkins sports teams won big this fall!  Men’s soccer advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 for their 7th time and women’s soccer reached the NCAA Round 3 tournament for their 1st time.  Women’s cross country participated in the NCAA championship.  Football finished second in the Centennial Conference and hosted the ECAC Southwest Bowl at home.  To catch up on all sports news and for updates on winter sports, check out Hopkins’ Athletics site.

(4) NEW VOICES ON CAMPUS – AMAZING SPEAKERS

The Milton S. Eisenhower Symposium 2008brought Tucker Carlson, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Valerie Plame Wilson, David Alan Grier, and President Brody to the stage at Shriver Hall.  But Will Ferrell, another guest to the Symposium this year, made the biggest commotion by far.  Tickets were free and limited only to the Hopkins community … and sold out in a matter of hours.  Students started to line up hours in advance to get the best seats to hear him discuss the new presidency, his work, and to answer audience questions.

(5) NEW STUDIES – ARCHAEOLOGY MAJOR COMING

This year is the first when an Archaeology major will be offered at Hopkins.  According to the department, “Archaeology studies human societies through examination of their material culture, considering such issues as human subsistence, interaction with climate and physical environment, patterns of settlement, political and economic organization, and religious activity and thought.”  It will be an interdepartmental program that will provide research opportunities to its majors through the Johns Hopkins Archaeological Collection and the Walters Art Museum. Check out this site for further details.

(6) NEW STUDIES CONTINUED – THREE MINORS ADDED

In addition to the Archeology major, there are new minors being introduced too.  The Financial Economics minor “is founded on the principle that knowledge of neither finance nor economics by itself is sufficient to understand financial markets and to operate within them.”  The Museums and Society minor “examines traditional museums as well as exploring the roles of historic sites and monuments … through lectures by Hopkins faculty and local museum professionals, field trips, and hands-on museum opportunities.”  Finally, the Theatre Arts and Studies minor(not really “new” … one of our more recent additions, though) “offers a comprehensive approach to the arts of acting, directing and playwriting along with the fundamentals of technical direction, play production, play analysis, theatre management and theatre history.”

(7) NEW COMMITMENT – GOING GREEN

The Johns Hopkins Sustainability Initiative is working in full-force this year. The wide range of projects they are working on include everything from building only green buildings on campus to serving organic coffee in the cafes around campus. The Initiative even held a utility contest to see which dorm could cut its usage the most. The project “grew out of the concept that being smart and innovative are the strongest tools for overcoming difficult environmental challenges.” Hopkins is not just going green, we already are! (Even the Admissions Office joined in … read this previous blog for details.)

(8) NEW EXPANSION – LIBRARY PLANS ANNOUNCED

A new library expansion was announced for the Homewood campus. This six story “learning commons” will bring more study space to campus. Its design will be tradition but also incorporate  futuristic elements designed to enhance learning. Though the building won’t open until 2012 student are already excited about the prospect of a new study space. The building is to be named after retiring President Brody and his wife Wendy.

(9) NEW RECOGNITIONS – MARSHALLS AND GENIUSES

This fall has brought Hopkins students and professors recognition and awards for their academic efforts. Two students, Kurt Herzer and Rishi Mediratta, won the prestigious Marshall scholarship. The scholarship, funded by the British government, will allow both students to pursue their respective interests in public health.

We’ve also got some geniuses at Hopkins. Professors Peter Provonost and Adam Riess were recently named winners of MacArthur Fellowship for 2008. This fellowship is also known as a genius grant. Read the Baltimore Sun article here.

(10) NEW STUDENTS - CLASS OF 2013 IS COMING

I thought I would end with actually something that is not yet new, but will be in just a couple of days. On Monday, December 15 the Admissions Office will release our Early Decision notifications and welcome the first members of the Johns Hopkins Class of 2013. Check back on Monday for a daily report on the release of ED notifications.

What’s New Vol. 1: Going Green

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In my last entry I mentioned that all my new entries over the next couple of weeks will revolve around one theme … new stuff. So much has been going on at Johns Hopkins throughout the fall semester that I thought a series of “What’s New” entries will be informative, enjoyable, and fun for me to write (it will be a good break from Early Decision committees). Also in the last entry I teased the topic of this first “What’s New” post would be something that is “changing in a huge way the review process for Early Decision.” That one line led to a lot of speculation and some impatience, so with out further adieu I reveal what’s new with ED …

The Johns Hopkins Admissions Process Has Gone Green!!!

For those of you hoping for some radical change in the ED process, this is probably a bit of an anti-climatic reveal, but for myself and my colleagues this is a HUGE CHANGE. The criteria we use for evaluation has not changed … the committee discussions have not changed … what we are looking for has not changed … but it still all feels very different this year.

Last year it was decided that the Admissions Office would invest in a paperless document management and imaging system that would benefit the processing of the over 16,000 undergraduate applications we receive each year. Many of our peer institutions also have been investing in similar paperless evaluation systems, but for us it was a simple decision based on both necessity and evolution. Over the summer we tested and examined a number of services and ultimately chose a system called OnBase. The end of the summer and early fall we focused on implementing this new system and in November everything went live. The Early Decision process has been the Admissions Office’s first experience with this paperless review process and though there is clearly a steep learning curve, things are progressing along the way we anticipated.

I would be remiss if I didn’t elaborate on another reason for our decision to implement this paperless document system – the going green effect. Over the last year Johns Hopkins University, and specifically the Homewood campus, has show a commitment to implementing sustainable, green practices. There have been numerous signs of this commitment including:

• recently announced plans to build a cogeneration plant at Homewood to reduce the campus’ carbon footprint
• the renovation of Gilman Hall will lead to the Homewood campus’ first green building – LEED-certified as promoting a whole-building approach to sustainability
• the President’s Office last spring announced that they were discontinuing bottled drinking water, eliminating plastic cups, and whenever possible utilizing reusable supplies
• many more examples can be found at the new Johns Hopkins Sustainability Initiative Web site: http://www.sustainability.jhu.edu/

This change to a paperless Admissions system also stemmed from an obvious conclusion … the world of Admissions has gone online. Just look at these numbers:

2004:11,102 total undergraduate applications-5,043 submitted online (46%)
2005:11,278 total undergraduate applications-7,234 submitted online (64%)
2006:13,876 total undergraduate applications-10,862 submitted online (78%)
2007:14,848 total undergraduate applications-13,095 submitted online (88%)
2008:16,013 total undergraduate applications-15,523 submitted online (97%)

Besides the clear increase in the number of applications over the last five years, the number applying online has surpassed the critical mass. For all these reasons, the Admissions Office for the first time ever did not print paper applications – the trees are happy about that. Instead we provide applicants three ways to apply online (the JHU Online Application, the online Common Application, and the online Universal Application) and also a downloadable PDF of our paper application for the less than 5% of applicants who just have to apply online. In the end it is a whole new application world, one that saves on paper, electricity, gas, and processing time.

Just think about this one change … last year 15,523 applications were submitted online and on average an online application (with supplement) would be 10 pages. 15,523 x 10 = 155,230 application pages. Since we did not have our paperless system last year, each one of those pages had to be printed out, entered into our database, sorted, alphabetized, and filed correctly. As well, applicant folders needed to be created for each applicant. A lot of “man hours” right. Well, this year ALL OF THIS PROCESS is done through automatic imports — no more printing out applications, no more physical applicant folders, no more sorting and alphabetizing, no more filing. No more back-log!!!

What better way to display this change in process then to compare pictures from last year and today … check out the differences:

Last year … tons of everything. Printing paper was an endless task. The mail bins piled up. Filing cabinets where each application part needed to be sorted, alphabetized, and filed correctly. And the stacks of files overtook my working space.

This year … one scanning machine … automatic imports and applicant batching. Minimal paper to be sorted and filed. A clean desk to read — just two computer screens, my watermelon, and a notepad if necessary.

With anything new there are always the initial negatives. As I mentioned above, the learning curve of the new system is steep. The process does seem a bit more impersonal now that we aren’t holding the applications in our hands. Reading an individual application takes longer. You have to remember to SAVE your work. You are relying on a stable internet connection and connection speeds to get your job done. And I guarantee that soon my perfect 20/20 vision will cease and I will be getting glasses.

But even though there are these initial concerns, the positives of this new system are grand:

• obvious savings to processing time and the environment
• less paper cuts, and oh those nasty folder cuts
• less heavy lifting of application files
• data-tracking is tremendous
• the ability of multiple counselors to be reviewing the same file
• having application files at the tip of my fingers (an example – got a call from a counselor yesterday about a specific file … in the past I would have had to take a message, gone upstairs, located the file, and called the counselor back — now I just punch in some info and in less than 15 seconds I have the full file in front of me)
• if I spill my drink it doesn’t ruin the application
• jotting down comments on a file is much easier … I can be very wordy in my application summations, and since I type much faster than I print, now I can get all of my thoughts down and not get hand cramps
• immediate review of where the applicant pool stands — in the past we needed to wait and wait and wait for our decision sheets to be entered … now it is automatic
• many, many more positives to come as we climb the learning curve

Well, I need to log back in to OnBase and continue reading files. First reads need to be completed by the end of the day tomorrow, and I have a number of applications still to evaluate. I am looking forward to seeing how the new system will work with our Committee reviews which will be the focus of the next week and a half. And yes, notifications will still be released on the 15th.

I hope you enjoyed this first “What’s New” blog. I’ll be back later this week with details about some cool new Hopkins Interactive projects … tweet, tweet, Now!

Here We Go Again!

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Today (September 4, 2008) was the first day of the fall 2008 semester. The Class of 2012 arrived, settled in, and then joined the Classes of ’09, ’10, and ’11 to begin shopping around for their classes. After the torrential rains of move-in weekend (see pictures at the end of this post), and then the beautiful 80 degree weather for orientation events, the campus community didn’t really mind the 90 degree humid weather today (summer’s last stand in Baltimore). In my humble opinion, it is amazing to see the campus alive with students once again.

Since my last post, times have been quite busy. I’ve been planning my fall travel, working on a number of projects related to my role as liaison to the Whiting School of Engineering, and also organizing tons of updates to Hopkins Interactive. Just wait … we have such cool things in store for the site this year: http://apply.jhu.edu/hi/.

This week has been a really busy one as myself and a number of the returning Hopkins Interactive students have been reviewing applications and conducting interviews for the Student Admissions Advisory Board (the student group that operates Hopkins Interactive). I must say that this decision making about which students to add to the Board and the H.I. Web site has been more nerve-racking and stressful than reviewing admissions applications. I decided to take a break from finalizing those tough decisions to watch the New York Giants win the NFL season opener and update the blog.

I actually had not planned to update the blog until I was ready to roll out the new design and new features that I mentioned in August, but I actually came across two items earlier this week that I had to share.

First, take a look at the picture to the left. Yes, that is my copy of the U.S. News and World Report’s Annual Best Colleges Exclusive Rankings magazine. I have no desire to once again comment about the contents of this magazine. (If you are curious about my opinions then I suggest you read this blog entry from two years ago – September 8, 2006 – Sweet Sixteen???) Actually, I tend to avoid the magazine each year,  but on Monday I was at Rite Aid purchasing some toiletries when I saw it and I was compelled to buy it. I hate giving my hard earn money to U.S. News but I was so appalled but what I had seen I had to share it with others. So what had led to my disgust you wonder? Well, now take a look at the blown-up picture on the right.

Do you see it?
Take a close look?
See it yet?
JOHN HOPKINS UNIVERSITY!!!

How in the world can a supposedly credible news magazine not get the spelling right of a world-renowned institution? If they can’t spell the name correctly of their 15th ranked national university on their cover, then how credible is the information inside. Unbelievable!!!

It did remind me though that I need to complete one of my new year’s resolutions in the next few months — the one where I legally change my name to John Hopkins. If Chad Johnson can become Chad Ocho Cinco, then it can’t be that hard for me to go from Admissions_Daniel to John Hopkins. Then I will open a bank account with the name John Hopkins and start cashing all those checks we receive that drop the “S.” Just kidding!

I could go on and on about this, but I prefer to move on to item number two and something more positive.

Second: While at that Rite Aid I did pick-up something that was on my shopping list – a copy of the Kaplan / Newsweek “How to Get Into College” annual guide. No ridiculous rankings in here, just some really helpful information for prospective college students. The reason I picked this edition up is that back in July myself and a few of the current H.I. students were interviewed about the use of blogs, Facebook, and other Web 2.0 technologies in the Admissions recruitment process. Though I was not quoted, JHU_Jessica and JHU_Esther were. Enjoy the article, I know I did:

A Web 2.0 Revolution on Campus
From application through graduation, the ease of online communications has altered the way students meet, party, study and explore the world beyond.  But students need to beware of the hidden digital dangers.

It took New Jersey native Jessica Kraus 28 college visits, from the East Coast to California, to find a school she liked.  But it wasn’t until she started perusing Johns Hopkins University’s Web site that she really got hooked.  The lure was a blog by an undergraduate majoring in public health, which she wanted to study.  The blogger wrote about classes and student life, answered reader questions, posted pictures of his dorm room and vented about not understanding his homework.  His honesty appealed to Kraus.  “I could tell how much time he put into it,” she says, “and I got a real sense of his personality.”

Kraus applied Early Decision and found out via e-mail she was accepted, then immediately opened a Facebook account to connect with fellow students.  Late, when she got her roommate assignment, her mom e-mailed her in China, where she was traveling for the summer.  Kraus logged on to the closest computer and sent her new roommate a message.  Within hours, the two were “friends” on Facebook, the popular social networking site.  “You can really get a sense of someone before you even get to campus,” says Kraus, 19.  “Just being able to comment on her page made it that much less awkward.”

Johns Hopkins is just one of many campuses transformed by Web 2.0 technology, which enables schools to attract prospective students with the click of a mouse.  A recent survey of 2,000 four-year colleges by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth found that 61 percent of admissions offices are using some form of social media, and nearly a third have student blogs.  Although college officials monitor the blogs, applicants still can get a good idea about campus issues.  Hopkins blogger Esther Bell, a senior studying international relations, writes about procrastination, summer internships and the struggle of deciding what to do after college.  She has been blogging for more than two years at Hopkins, even writing from her semester abroad in Switzerland.

And the tech revolution doesn’t end with acceptance.  In mid-2008, Stanford launched both iTunes and YouTube channels that allow students to access faculty lectures, on-campus musical performances, student radio broadcasts, sports clips – even Oprah’s 2008 commencement speech.  In class, the university has offered coursework on how to write software for Facebook applications. Despite all those innovations, nothing comes close to the impact of Facebook.  Students can post class schedules or subscribe to friends’ “news feeds” to get up-to-the-minute information about their relationship status or weekend plans; some link those updates to their cell phones.  Know of a party tonight?  Send out a Facebook invite.  Hear of a dynamic speaker coming to campus?  Post a bulletin to everyone majoring in poli sci.  Sports teams, like the wrestlers at Cornell, have used Facebook to get fans to their matches, while budding filmmakers at schools like the University of Southern California post clips from their shoots.  Some schools even send out official announcements over the site, and faculty have jumped on, too, setting up groups to announce internships and awards.

Unfortunately, though, many students have learned the hard way that what you reveal online can come back to haunt you – whether it’s beery Flickr photos from the post-prom bash, or foul language on a Facebook page.  A good rule is to consider that whatever you post is public information, in may cases forever available to future employers, grad-school deans and event parents, who could stumble across your posts when they’re online themselves.

At Hopkins, Kraus now spends much of her time online, and has even become a bit of a celebrity.  The Facebook group she started – Johns Hopkins 2011 – has more than 1,000 members, virtually her entire class.  She has been recognized around campus by her name (as the creator of the group) and her face (from her profile picture).  She hasn’t had any serious travails, and once was even asked for her autograph.  When she’s not blogging about her life, she’s checking her Facebook page to see what her friends are up to.  “Sure, you can get the same information by e-mail or phone,” she says, “but technology just makes it so much easier.”  And apparently more fun.

As I sign off for tonight, I thought I would share some of my pictures from a rainy move-in day. Enjoy, and to read more about the Class of 2012 check out these articles from this week’s JHU Gazette:

• A New Year Begins
• Notable Facts About the Class of 2012

Second Place Ain’t That Bad

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Spring officially came to an end this past weekend and though I am happy to see the arrival of the summer and hopefully a less hectic work schedule, I am somewhat sad to see the spring go. My melancholy is not linked in any way to my occupation nor the weather, but has everything to do with my passion for SPORTS. Well, actually let me re-phrase that … my passion for WATCHING sports.

This past spring has been one of (if not the most) exhilarating runs of noteworthy sporting events. For a glutton like myself, I have devoured as much sports-watching as I can these past few weeks. Every night SportsCenter has been “must-see-TV” and every morning my radio is tuned to “Mike and Mike in the Morning.” What has added to the thrills is that for the past few weekends my schedule has been quite clear and I have been able to enjoy a number of glorious sports-watching weekends. You know the type … where there is a series of meaningful national (or international) sporting events on the television and you have no weekend obligations or “to do” projects. And with the sweltering heat one weekend and torrential rain another weekend, all the stars were aligning for the perfect sports fan month, meaning there was absolutely no reason to leave the couch.

Let’s just look back at some of the thrills:

• Tiger Woods victory on the 91st hole of the U.S. Open in San Diego at Torrey Pines. Not only did he accomplish the feat by sinking clutch putts on the 72nd and 90th holes, but we now found out he pretty much competed on one leg. This will be one of the most memorable sporting events of my life.
• EURO 2008. I am typically only a soccer fan during the World Cup, and I tend to prefer Women’s soccer over Men’s Soccer. But I must say that I have been drawn in by the UEFA Euro cup games. I am not really rooting for a specific team, but I have enjoyed the Spain and Turkey games most.
• NHL Stanley Cup Finals. Two great historical teams in Detroit and Pittsburgh. Youth versus experience. Thrilling games, including the 3 OT Game Five Penguins victory. I was rooting for Sydney Crosby and the Pens, but was happy for Detroit as they are deserving champions in a city that still appreciates hockey.
• Ken Griffey hitting 600 home runs. In my mind there are only four legitimate members of the 600+ home run club now — Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, and now Ken Griffey, Jr. For me Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa cheated to get there and don’t deserve the recognition.
• Dale Earnhardt, Jr. wins again on the NASCAR circuit and I was actually watching — well most of it. Watching left turns for three hours can get a bit boring.
• Fresno State’s run in the College World Series. My fingers are crossed that the truest of Cinderella teams can complete one of the biggest upsets in all of college sports history.

Unfortunately, I can’t claim this spring as perfect since a number of the big sporting events ended in great disappointment. Let’s take another look back:

• The death of Jim McKay. There is very little to say except that the sporting world loss a true gentleman and the greatest story teller of all-time.
• Big Brown’s failure to deliver (sorry had to do the requisite UPS joke). I am not usually a fan of horse racing, but I got drawn into the Triple Crown hype mainly because Big Brown is a beautiful horse that appeared to have an amazing personality. Unfortunately, his trainer turned out to be a bit too arrogant.
• The Boston Celtics won the NBA Championship. Though I am happy for Kevin Garnett, I am a bit sick of Boston championships. Thankfully though I can always flashback to February and just think of 18-1. THANK YOU N.Y. GIANTS.
• Roger Federer was another who failed to show up during the French Open against Rafael Nadal. That was one embarrassing loss. Hopefully he’ll be a bit more competitive at Wimbledon.

And in a class all to itself is my miserable N.Y. Mets. Words don’t even begin to describe the the misery of being a Mets fan this year. The collapse of last season was a bitter pill to swallow, but then we signed Santana and got Church and Schneider from Washington and things were looking up. But unfortunately my team has decided to re-define the word INCONSISTENT. There have been some “ups” but so many “downs” culminating in the horrible way the team performed in firing Willie Randolph. It is not Willie’s fault that his team could not be consistent, does not have a true leader, and that upper management had it in for him. A few years ago I gave up my fan-hood of the Miami Dolphins for the embarrassing way the team performed and ran itself (can you say Ricky Williams). I pray the Mets can get out of this funk or else I may be putting my Mets fan-hood up for sale on eBay.

OK, before I go way off track and have to re-name the Hopkins Insider Blog to some catchy sports blog title (too late???), let me get to the ultimate point of this entry. See last night after watching the thrilling golf I was flipping through the channels and found a sports movie. Lo and behold, it was also a classic … Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. Classic might be stretching it as this film is no Miracle, or Field of Dreams, or Hoosiers, or Bull Durham, or … well you get the point. Surprisingly, the humor of Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly’s “shake and bake” tandem of NASCAR legends Ricky Bobby and Carl Naughton Jr. was exactly what I was looking for to wrap-up another day of great sports.

While watching the film for what might have been my 30th time, I brainstormed this new blog entry. [[[Bet you didn't see that coming. You are probably what I am talking about now ... well stay tuned ... there is a point.]]]

Throughout the movie, Ricky Bobby is famously quoted in the movie as having the trademarked slogan:

If you ain’t first, you’re last.

Though a great line from a great comedy, it made me think that actually second place sometimes ain’t that bad. And recent Johns Hopkins athletics history has shown that you can celebrate 2nd place finishes. [[[I told you this would come full circle and relate to Hopkins in some fashion. Pretty clever, huh?]]]

This past spring was one of the most successful in Hopkins athletic history, and topped off an amazing academic year for the Blue Jays. No, we were not able to raise the NCAA Championship plaque like we have done in the past (2005 and 2007 NCAA Lacrosse Championships ring a bell?), but we did finish as runners-up three times in the last few months. So unlike what Ricky Bobby says, we weren’t first but we can still celebrate.

Let’s re-cap:

MEN’S LACROSSE TEAM REACHES NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME FOR FOURTH TIME IN SIX YEARS (and beats Duke again!!!)click here

During its 125-anniversary season, the Men’s Lacrosse team had an up and down regular season but finished ranked fourth in the nation. They earned a #5 seed in the NCAA tournament and rode an 8-game winning streak to the national championship game, finishing overall with an 11-6 record. The Blue Jays fell 13-10 in the title game to Syracuse, but there was not a huge level disappointment after the stunning upset of universal favorite Duke in the semi-finals. For a full re-cap of the historical Blue Jay Lacrosse season, .

BASEBALL TEAM FINISH AS NATIONAL RUNNERS-UP AS SEASON COMES DOWN TO FINAL AT-BAT

The greatest season in Blue Jay baseball history came to a disappointing end with a national runner-up finish at the NCAA Division III College World Series. Led by a strong offense and stellar pitching staff, the team fought off elimination in the NCAA tournament on six separate occasions. The Blue Jay’s magical run in the tournament did end with a loss to Trinity during the final game of the World Series, but the day before the Blue Jays did defeat Trinity for that team’s only loss of the entire season. Read a thorough re-cap of the entire Baseball team’s season by clicking here.

MEN’S SWIMMING FINISHES SECOND AT NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS WHILE SOPHOMORE JOHN THOMAS WINS NCAA TITLE IN 200 BACK

On the final day of the 2008 NCAA Division III Men’s Swimming  Championship, sophomore John Thomas won the NCAA title in the 200 meter backstroke and propelled the Blue Jays to a second place finish, the best finish since the team finished second in 2003. This was the team’s ninth straight top-10 finish and in all, Hopkins broke nine school records during the three-day tournament. This second place finish is all the more impressive when one factors in that the first place team, Kenyon College, has won the NCAA Division III Swimming title for now 29 straight years. To read all about the Blue Jays successful year in the pool, click here.

These three second place finishes ended one of the best years in Hopkins sports history. Evidence:

1 – Individual National Champion
3 – NCAA Runners-up (Teams)
5 – ESPN The Magazine Academic All-Americans
5 – Centennial Conference Champions
11 – Teams in the NCAAs
16 – FINAL DIRECTORS’ CUP RANKING

Got to love sports!

Commencement 2008 – A Photo Montage

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A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of volunteering at the Johns Hopkins University 2008 Commencement ceremonies. This was actually my first time attending a Graduation ceremony, since I graduated college back in 1997. Even though I witnessed very little of the ceremony (I’ll explain why in a second), I am so glad that I was able to be on the Homewood campus on May 22, 2008 to share in the pomp and circumstance.

The most significant part of the day for me was that the JHU Class of 2008 is the first I was involved with when I arrived at Hopkins 4+ years ago. I’ve known graduating seniors over the past few years, but this was the first year that I knew a lot of seniors, had worked with many of them, and admitted a percentage of them back in 2003. It was nice to see everything come full circle for students like Jillian, Stephanie, Amanda, Candido, Michelle, Dan, Zach, Brandon, Phil, etc. etc. etc. … I could go on and on.

My only regret is that I was not able to witness much of the day. I was not able to see these favorite students of mine actually walk across the stage and get their diplomas, nor was able to applaud with their family and friends, nor did I hear Bill Nye speak, nor did I experience President Brody’s final graduation ceremony. I am happy I volunteered and will continue to volunteer in the future, but I need to choose a better job next time. See I volunteered for what seemed to be the coolest job available – Golf Cart Driver. And though it was pretty awesome driving a 6-seat golf cart all across the Homewood campus, it took away from everything else. Basically, my day started at 7am and ended around 4:30pm, and I’ll got out of the cart 3 or 4 times total to stretch my legs. The rest of time was spent shuttling friends, family, graduates, grandparents, kids, and even one Dean across the campus and to the various parking lots. Though tons of fun, next year I am going to volunteer for a role that puts me near the stage for the ceremonies.

I had a great plan to take a ton of pictures but that backfired. Instead a share a mix of official photos and photos borrowed from some of the graduating seniors. Enjoy!!!

And if you want even more Commencement information, hop on over to the Video Blog for a wrap-up video of the ceremonies, or review the May at Hopkins entry of the Blue Jay Buffet blog that has Commencement as the featured story of the month.