It is Tuesday, January 17th. Our Regular Action application deadline was on Sunday. Did you make it? Were you up late that night putting finishing touches on your essay? The essay you have known about since September, but just needed some inspiration before you could finish (or even start) - inspiration that only seems to come in the form of the clock ticking down the days, hours - wait - now only minutes, before the deadline (I ask in that knowing voice of someone that is all too familiar with writing to the deadline).
If you had already submitted all your materials, and this past Sunday was just, well, another Sunday, I salute you! As a member of the Enrollment Services team, we are in charge of processing all the application materials. We download all the electronic mail, scan all the paper mail, and make sure everything is matched to the correct application so our admission counselors can read the files and prepare for debate. Our job is so much easier when everything is submitted well before the deadline as there is more time to make sure everything is attached to your file, and more time to let you know if something is missing. Perhaps you have even received our complete email, letting you know that all your required documents are in, and you can just sit back and relax (if that is possible) while you wait for the decision letters to arrive (which for DU Regular Action applicants is mid-March). However, if my opening question just described your application process, not only do I understand, we can commiserate.
Much like you, I knew back in September I was going to have to write this blog entry. I was given the deadline, and free reign as to the topic, just like our essay. Of course, I had fleeting thoughts of being so on top of things that it would be done with plenty of time to spare, but I wasn't fooling anyone. September quickly turned into January (freakishly fast if you ask me), and I knew I would be relying on last-minute adrenaline to complete this blog entry; and yep, here I am, 11:39 pm, Sunday night, madly typing up something for tomorrow's deadline. I don't know about you, but for me, open topic looks like a blessing at first glance, but quickly turns into a curse as time ticks by. So many options, so much I could express, but so unsure of what direction to go. It shouldn't be this hard, right? An essay - a blog - it is just a snapshot of who we are, a description of a moment in time, a story we could be telling our friends at lunch. I know who I am, yet to put it to paper - or in this case - the screen, seems so much more difficult.... but here goes... a snapshot of me right now.
Well, in all honesty, I don't look my best. If it was a real snapshot, I would demand that it be deleted in favor of something much more flattering. Between games of Bejeweled (well, I can't type till I set the high score now, can I?) I am here in my bathrobe, listening to the King's Speech soundtrack (for the second time tonight), wishing I had written this yesterday. Instead of writing, it seemed much more pressing to watch the shows on my DVR (it was approaching 80% full), editing the music on my iPhone (which was almost completely full) and of course, playing games and checking Facebook. I even resorted to cleaning the kitchen. I mean, who knows where inspiration will come from, right? Sound familiar? But despite this moment being less than my best, I share it, because it is real. And I feel that being real is so much more flattering than the alternative.
So here I am, also sharing the fact that, while it has been nearly two decades since I wrote my own admission essay, I feel no different now than I did then - stressed, tired, unsure of my direction, frustrated with my inability to start/finish writing at a normal hour, yet happy with where it took me. Some things never change, I guess. Despite the stress and frustration, it is important to share a bit of who we are, to remind us that the admission process is just made up of people. Applicants with more than grades, but stories, hopes, fears, and dreams and experiences to share, reviewed by admissions staff, with hopes, fears, dreams, and experiences to share. We are all in this process together, comrades in arms against the demanding and insistent admission deadlines. And this year, more than any other year (and I have been here for quite a few), I empathize with you, the last-minute writer of essays, for I feel your pain, and your relief!
Jennifer Lipke, Sr. Enrollment Specialist
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