August, 2010
Meet Chris Ream
Aug. 13, 2010—Austin, Texas is my hometown. I am the admissions counselor responsible for the areas of Houston and Austin, and East Asia (except China).
Three things I learned in Europe…
Aug. 13, 2010—1. I learned that we should “work to live” instead of “live to work.” This is something that the Europeans understood well. Instead of centering this lives on work, they focused on completing the day’s tasks and spending time on other activities such as raising their kids, catching up with friends, going to see a...
Study Abroad at LSE!
Aug. 13, 2010—Ever since the beginning of my sophomore year, I’ve wanted to attend the London School of Economics. I’m very happy and blessed that I was able to take the course Public Finance course this past July. Structure We had 12 lectures (10am-1pm almost everyday) by Professor Jonathan Leape, who was incredibly articulate, humble, and an...
Vanderbilt Merit Awards
Aug. 11, 2010—In the past year I stumbled across a news story which reported that many American high school students expected scholarships to cover part or most of their college costs. As a counselor, I find this mentality alarming! While some students will receive smaller denomination scholarships from individual institutions and/or community organizations, only a fraction of...
2010 Waitlist Closed
Aug. 9, 2010—Emails have now gone out to all students who remained on our waitlist notifying them that our class is now full. This is a exciting for the University, as it means that we are one step closer to welcoming our next incoming class. However, we know that it also can be disappointing for some of you that were holding out hope of being admitted to Vanderbilt.
Need-Based Financial Aid at Vanderbilt
Aug. 9, 2010—Talking about need-based financial aid is one of my least favorite tasks as an admissions counselor. My students and their families hear the sticker price and absorb little of the discussion that follows. But stay with me through this conversation. Those who tune me out are often those who would benefit the most from Vanderbilt’s...
Meet Mary Beth Hettinger
Aug. 6, 2010—This year we’ll be profiling each of our admissions counselors here in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Through these profiles you’ll see that we’re from all over the world, we specialize in different tasks, and we really love the city of Nashville! This week I’d like to introduce you to Mary Beth Hettinger… My hometown...
Connecting with Your VU Admissions Counselor
Aug. 4, 2010—I just finished a book titled “Don’t Stalk the Admissions Officer” where the advice was average at best, but the humor was timely. Many of my students want me to have a face to put with their name, but in the quest to become real to me, a few students exhibit unreal behavior. Examples include...
What College Admissions Officers REALLY Want You to Know
Aug. 2, 2010—Standing in the reference aisle of Border’s yesterday I found myself both overwhelmed and amused with the plethora of admissions advice displayed on the shelves. One book, in particular, jumped out at me, the subtitle was “What College Admissions Officers Don’t Want You to Know”. As I flipped through the chapters I found absolutely nothing...
A New Hobby
Aug. 1, 2010—Being at Vanderbilt has influenced me in a way that I would not have been anywhere else. Being in Music City gives me such a vibe of motivation, like I can do anything. I mean, every day we are literally in the vicinity of most of the corporate offices and recording studios of major record...