Do you like to wait for stuff? Me either. You should see me when it takes Facebook longer than 1/10 of a nanosecond to load. Don't even get me started on traffic, lines at Disneyland, or the last 30 minutes of the workday.
That is the reason that we created our WIAD (Walk-In Application Day) events: Waiting sucks--especially when you're waiting on your admission decision.
The reason we named the event WIAD, however, remains a mystery (perhaps because "Why-Add" sounds cooler than "WIDD...").
You see, this is how the event works:
- You submit your application online, from home (or a library, internet cafe, via wireless stolen from your neighbors--basically anywhere that isn't on our campus), sometime before you "walk-in" to our office.
[See? The name is kind of a poor description of the day. But this is where the good stuff starts.]
- You RSVP for WIAD this Friday (or just "walk-in")
- When you arrive, you hand us your transcript(s) and anything you want us to consider when making an admission decision.
- You go on a student-led tour of our campus.
- You return, and help yourself to our tasty array of snacks.
- We call you into our office, and you'll meet with one of our Assistant Directors of Admission.
- They will tell you if you've been admitted.
[If you haven't, they'll give you tips about how to improve your chances and give you another shot at it.]
- They'll award you an academic scholarship (if you qualify).
- You'll walk out, happy that you know at least one college's decision.
Easy, peasy, right? Now, if only we could get the name right...
Anyway, if you don't like waiting for stuff, I invite you to attend this Friday, 11/30, from 9am-5pm. RSVP here.
Once upon a time, I went to college. In that age of yore, Facebook was still restricted to ".edu" email addresses, the iPad didn’t exist, and people actually drove to Blockbuster if they wanted to rent a movie. Still, even in that backward era of limited technology and entertainment options, there were one or two things I would rather be doing than dutifully studying for my final exams. In fact, I could probably list several hundred. But—as the bleary-eyed graduate students working as TAs in my classes kept reminding me—exams were important. Vital, even, if I intended to ever earn a diploma and a handshake from the President of the College (which my parents insisted would be vital to my job prospects. They were correct.)
That being said, I was a firm believer then—as I remain now—that during college you learn as much outside of the classroom as you do sitting in a lecture hall. In an effort to limit the time developing a peptic ulcer as I attempted to memorize the order of succession in the Ming dynasty (less vital to my job prospects), while maximizing my, ahem, “in-person social networking” (actually quite vital), I decided to devise a way to study smarter, so I could play “effectively maintain a balanced array of co-curricular experiences” longer.
So, harken and I shall bestow upon thee the Ten Commandments of Nailing Your Final Exams:
