303: Part 2: Behind the Scenes of an Admission Office w/ Tom Campbell

The College Essay Guy Podcast: A Practical Guide to College Admissions

Tom Campbell is back for another episode in our series that goes behind the scenes of an admissions office to let you know what happens when you click submit on your application—where does it go? Who reads it? What are they thinking? How do they make decisions?

At the time of this recording, Tom Campbell was Assistant Dean Of Admissions at Pomona College. Tom was formerly the Assistant Director Of Admissions at College of the Holy Cross, his alma mater, and also serves as a Group Leader, Essay Specialist and Faculty Member at the very awesome College Horizons.

In part 2, we cover a ton of listener questions that we didn’t get to during the first episode (and some questions folks didn’t ask) and dig deeper on all things admissions at Pomona.

We covered:

• What is demonstrated interest?
• Does Pomona track demonstrated interest?
• Why is it important for colleges to know how likely a student is to enroll (aka college yield)?
• Do’s and don’ts for students at a college fair
• What can folks learn about Pomona based on their supplemental essay prompts? How does Pomona decide which prompts to use?
• Does it matter which Common App personal statement prompt you choose?
• Should students stick closely to the prompt for the supplemental essays?
• Does it matter which major a student chooses when applying?
• What are some “red flags” Tom remembers that got students immediately rejected?

Resources:

• Crash Course on Writing Pomona’s Supplemental Essays
• What is Demonstrated Interest? A Practical How-To Guide
• How to Create a Great College List
• How to Write the “Why this College” Essay

Play-by-play:

• [4:20] What is demonstrated interest?
• [6:30] Does Pomona track demonstrated interest?
• [9:20] Why is it important for colleges to know how likely a student is to enroll (aka college yield)?
• [11:10] What is “yield”?
• [13:50] What student data does Pomona track compared to other highly selective schools?
• [15:37] How much do interviews matter at Pomona?
• [20:46] Why it’s important to ask questions to admissions officers directly
• [22:20] Do’s and don’ts for students at a college fair
• [27:10] What can folks learn about Pomona based on their supplemental essay prompts? How does Pomona decide which prompts to use?
• [39:00] In Tom’s opinion, what makes a memorable personal statement?
• [44:00] Does it matter which Common App personal statement prompt you choose?
• [45:45] Do students have a better or worse chance of getting in if they choose the “topic of your choice?” prompt?
• [46:40] Should students stick closely to the prompt for the supplemental essays?
• [50:20] Does it matter which major a student chooses when applying?
• [53:55] Tom reacts to a sample email from a student asking about major choice
• [60:45] What are some “red flags” Tom remembers that got students immediately rejected?
• [1:03:50] Are there ever situations where a student had amazing grades/test scores/essays, and yet they were rejected?
• [1:07:20] Ultimately, how much can students and families control in the admissions process?