November 10, 2009
Yesterday, twenty sharp, eager and energized admissions officers
were allowed to leap headfirst into our ED1 pool of applicants.
Prior to taking the plunge, the reading staff met for a final
four hour ‘reading meeting’ to discuss our approach to
evaluating applicants and the role we play in articulating the
strengths of a candidate and identifying their fit with Tufts.
Throughout the meeting the TAAP report surfaced as a key
component to understanding applicants and the contextual
backdrop to their successes.
Let me put it this way: the written application is effective in
delivering the ‘what’ of an applicant – ‘what’ classes they
take, ‘what’ they are involved in, ‘what’ their grades and
testing look like. This information is important, but admissions
decisions are made well beyond the ‘what’ – we are much more
interest in the ‘how’ and the ‘why’ behind the ‘what.’ If a
candidate has a love for physics, has a real ear for mixing
music as a DJ, and is now just discovering a talent for pole
vaulting – ‘how’ and ‘why’ has she explored her emerging self,
and how has that lead to her excitement for college and an
interest in your alma mater? This is what I mean by a contextual
backdrop, and this is what TAAP reports are so good at providing
for admissions readers and the admissions committee.
(Note: Sample TAAP reports and critiques of reports are
available as a PDF on the ‘Training’ page of the TAAP website:
http://taap.tufts.edu/alumni_training.htm)
With the power of a TAAP report in mind, let’s launch into this
TAAP interview year with real purpose and intent to meet, excite
and inspire as many applicants as possible. Thus far 49 ED1
applicants have had TAAP reports submitted, 396 ED1 applicants
have been assigned to interviewers and another 141 ED1
applicants are waiting to be assigned by a TAAP Chair. Please
take full advantage of the next couple of weeks to gain
sustainable momentum into this interviewing season.
Now that interviews are underway, just a few logistical
reminders about interviewing:
• Plan and schedule your interviews for a neutral location. Do
all that you can to *NOT* host interviews in your homes or
private offices. I know that it is a matter of convenience if an
applicant comes to you, but please respect each interviewee and
their comfort levels with a chosen interview location.
• Make your TAAP Chairperson aware if you have a son or daughter
who is currently a senior at a high school located within your
committee area. TAAP volunteers should not be assigned to
interview classmates of their children.
• While we do live in an age smart phones and wireless access,
please recognize that not all applicants’ pockets vibrate when
they get a new email. Give your interviewees significant lead
time if you have to change the date, time or location of your
interview. Do not make last minute changes and expect your
interviewee to know about them.
Finally, with nearly 3,500 alumni populating the ranks of TAAP,
I imagine that there are a number of applications from the
children of TAAP volunteers in this year’s applicant pool – we’d
like to know who they are. If you have a daughter or son who has
applied, or will be applying to Tufts this year, please e-mail
me (matthew.hyde@tufts.edu)
at your earliest convenience.
Thanks so much for your support of Tufts and TAAP!
Cheers,
Matthew Hyde
Associate Director
Undergraduate Admissions
October 23, 2009
I don’t need a calendar and clock staring me in the face telling
me that the deadline for our first round of Early Decision (ED1)
is looming. The apple cider in the dining halls and the fact
that dusk now settles on the Hill by the time Goddard Chapel’s
bells toll the 5 o’clock hour are more pleasant reminders that
fall is upon us. With our fall recruitment efforts in full
swing, the time has come to deploy the efforts of our TAAP
interviewers.
This year’s ED1 application deadline is November 2nd, and the
last possible submission date for TAAP interview reports is
November 30th. That gives us thirty-eight days from today to
engage and excite our ED1 applicants about Tufts, and to report
on your conversations with them. If you are a TAAP Chair, please
visit your TAAP Online page and begin making interview
assignments - making the ED1 applicants the priority. TAAP
members should anticipate assignments being made to them via
e-mail, but please also get into the habit of checking your TAAP
Online page regularly.
Once an applicant has landed on your interviewing docket it is
critical that he or she is contacted as soon as possible – it
can take time to iron out an appropriate meeting time and place,
so it is important to get that conversation started sooner
rather than later. While we might like to think that the teenage
brain is always sharp and immediately on-task, please give our
applicants ample time to respond to you to arrange for their
interview.
The TAAP interview prompts introduced last year proved to be an
excellent means of drawing out information that was very helpful
to the admissions committees, accordingly the prompts have not
changed:
• What prompted the applicant to apply to Tufts? How thoughtful
were they in sharing their interest(s) in the University?
• How would you characterize the applicant’s presence and
engagement during your time together?
• What thoughts, strengths, experiences, and/or skills did the
applicant share that suggests that they are prepared for a Tufts
experience?
• Does the applicant offer meaningful reflection on challenges,
leadership roles or other significant experiences in their life?
• What gets the applicant out of bed in the morning? Were
interests and passions openly shared? How well were they
articulated?
• What struck you the most about the applicant?
• What question would the applicant have asked themselves in an
interview? How would they have answered it?
The above prompts are not a slate of questions to be asked and
answered during an interview; rather they are guide posts to
shape your interview report. The face-to-face opportunity that
you enjoy with our applicants should feel more like a
conversation. Share yourself and your Tufts experience openly
while also inviting your interviewee to reflect on who they are,
what they are all about, and how Tufts fits into their vision
for college and life beyond it.
Finally, do not forget to have fun with these interviewing
moments. You are providing Tufts with a wonderful service, but
also you are connecting more deeply with your community and the
young people who share it with you. Celebrate your excitement
for Tufts and allow it to bleed into how you engage our
applicants – they are psyched about your alma mater and are
eager to connect with you and to share themselves. There is a
lot of good energy that surround TAAP interviews – have fun with
them.
So, away we go! The TAAP interviewing season is officially open.
As always, thank you for your volunteerism and for your
wonderful support of Tufts and TAAP.
Cheers,
Matthew Hyde
Associate Director
Undergraduate Admissions
September 11, 2009
New website launched!
Feedback welcomed.
September 2nd 2009 was a gorgeous
day at Tufts. And I love that the 1,313 new Jumbos and their
families would attest to how electric and exciting their move-in
and matriculation day proved to be. Put yourself in their shoes
and reach back for the memories of when you first sunk your
roots into The Hill – I hope it was as awesome for you as it was
for Tufts ’13. To give you a quick glimpse into the day, and a
much deeper one into our newest class, please take the time to
read Dean Coffin’s introduction of the class. Also, I encourage
you to read President Bacow’s Matriculation Address, and to take
a peek at a few of our new matriculants in an audio slide show
from September 2nd (see below web links).
If you have taken the time to explore any
of the above web links (and I hope that you have!), your web
browser is open – so why not click one last link to our newly
designed TAAP website –
http://taap.tufts.edu. In addition to its new look, please
note that your portal to TAAP Online is now front and
center. Take a few moments to explore the site and to login to
TAAP Online to make sure that your contact information is
up-to-date. Another new feature available on the site is
‘College Fairs’ – a clearinghouse listing of all college fairs
that Tufts plans to attend. Many TAAP members graciously
volunteer a lot of their time to represent Tufts at college
fairs. This new portion of the website allows TAAP committees
and their Chairs to see what fairs will be staffed by Tufts
representatives (admissions officers and/or TAAP members). As a
whole, the TAAP website is the primary interface for the
communication of all things TAAP, so please check-in with the
site throughout the year.
With a new website under our belt, it has
been deemed a good time to put forth a worldwide TAAP
recruitment effort. This morning over 12,000 recent Tufts
graduates were e-mailed a slideshow created to encourage TAAP
involvement. To view the slide show visit:
http://www.tufts.edu/alumni/flash/taap.html.
On behalf of the admissions staff I want to
share with you our continued appreciation for your volunteerism,
as well as our eagerness to work with you as we launch into a
new recruitment year.
Cheers,
Matthew Hyde
Associate Director
Undergraduate Admissions
P.S. Please keep your eyes out for the annual TAAP mailing
slated to be sent later this month -- it will include updated
viewbooks as well as your TAAP Online username and
password.
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