Bob's Rapid Fire Director of Admissions John Hanson

Author: Bob Wainwright

Bob: I know the admissions office doesn't accept bribes, but I never did ask if you enjoyed that turkey and pumpkin pie I sent you back in the fall of '98.
Hanson: That was you? We all got pretty sick. I guess it's just as well we couldn't find the name and return address.
Bob: Let us in on a little admissions terminology. What exactly does one do with a "pool" of applicants? Wade through it?
Hanson: We just dive right in-- try to separate the swimmers from the sinkers.
Bob: How deep was this year's early decision pool? Did the controversy over Ivy League schools moving away from early decision affect Middlebury's pool at all?
Hanson: You're wondering about a ripple effect, right? That's pretty good. Actually, we had a wonderful pool, and have a terrific nucleus for the Class of '07 already afloat.
Bob: I think our readers are going to be drowning in laughter. Tell me, when it comes down to the wire on whether a student's making the cut or not, what's your favorite way to solve such a dilemma?
Hanson: We used to flip coins, but they kept coming up heads and we always exceeded our enrollment targets. So, now we let the tour guides decide.
Bob: I have my own admission to make. Contrary to my Middlebury essay, I never actually nursed 23 refugee children back to health while fighting off wild bears in the woods of eastern Hashagistan. In fact, I don't think the place even exists. But I'm curious, what is the most absurd statement you have ever read in an admissions essay? Hanson: There are many, but the one that comes to mind right now is the one in which the applicant claimed he'd wanted to attend Middlebury since 1922. I have no idea where that came from.
Bob: It seems like every year Middlebury ushers in its best class ever. But aren't you ever tempted to turn around and say, "Actually, I liked such and such a class a heck of a lot more."
Hanson: Not really. There are wonderful aspects to every class, of course, but my favorite always seems to be the next one.