Spring 2011 AIA Newsletter
Spring 2011
AIA News
The Bates Alumni in Admissions Newsletter
…as I strolled around the campus on a cold, windy March afternoon, I could tell Bates was where I wanted to be. Even though the temperature was cool, I felt a warmth emanating from the people at Bates. Entering the Alumni Gymnasium, eating lunch in the New Commons, picturing myself among the students going to class: I felt at home.
-Benjamin Pardee, Houston, TX, Bates Class of 2015
Responding to the Bates supplemental essay questions,
“How did you discover Bates? Why do you wish to attend Bates?”
A fresh voice writing about an old theme. I thought you would enjoy hearing from one of our newest Batesies, why he will be attending in the fall. Though you may be many miles (and years!) away, some things about the College never change.
AIA This Year
The Alumni in Admission program continues to grow, and folks are noticing. May 13, 2011, Dawna and I presented a report on AIA to the Board of Trustees Admission and Financial Aid Committee. Anecdotally, the Board was very happy with the result, and excited to see great potential for growth. Please know that your collective efforts are recognized and appreciated by the College.
Currently, we have 1281 volunteers helping us achieve a record year in Admission – more on application numbers later. As for AIA, we handled a record number of alumni interview requests this year. 617 individual AIA volunteers completed a record 1038 interviews – nearly 30% of all Bates Admission Interviews. We were also able to staff 62 fairs with Bates Alumni, which was about 50% of all college fairs attended by Bates.
All in all, it was a great year in AIA and we thank you. For those of you who did not have a chance to volunteer this year, we hope to be able to put you to work during the next cycle. Thank you for your patience! We do want to pause and acknowledge a few volunteers who were especially active during this recruitment cycle. Thank you for going above and beyond!
AIA volunteers who conducted more than four interviews:
Dileep Agrawal ’96 6
Grant Bialek ’95 5
Nathan Eichelberger ’07 5
Alexandra Jorge ’09 5
Deborah Ahle ’80 4
Trina Fennel ’77 4
AIA volunteers who conducted interviews and at least two fairs:
Alyssa Asack ’04 2 fairs 3 interviews
Christopher Burns ’83 2 fairs 3 interviews
Carol “Jill” Jillson ’68 2 fairs 2 interviews
Rebecca Hunsicker ’94 2 fairs 1 interview
Christopher Keller ’90 2 fairs 1 interview
Bates Admission Statistics 2011
We had a banner year in Lindholm House! Our record-setting application year – what my colleagues are calling a “triple crown”- underscores Bates’ strength as one of the best liberal arts schools in the world. So, what is the “triple crown” in college admission?
- 1- A record number of first-year applications: 5196 – 15% more than last year
- 2- One of the most selective acceptance rates in Bates history: 26.9%
- 3- 37.5% of admitted first-year students deposited – the best “yield” in recent years
The last time Bates had such a successful year was 2000. To this, Dean Wylie Mitchell remarked, “Achieving similar gains now, in time of continued uncertainty, tells many people that Bates is continuing its long tradition of excellence and remains an institution that inspires trust and hope.” For more on the year in Admission, see: http://home.bates.edu/views/2011/05/10/admission-gains-triple-crown/
Note: all statistics taken from May 10, 2011 Admission Report on Incoming Class Data
New This Coming Year
Recently, Dawna coordinated a major mailing referencing the new Garnet Gateway Interview Report. This report will replace the current online interview report, and will allow you to see the final admission decision and deposit status of the students you interview!
If you have not received this letter in your mailbox yet, you will when you receive an interview assignment this fall/winter. We are also in the process of updating our online training material to reflect the new system. In the meantime, if you can’t wait to see it, here are a few instructions to get you started. Please note that you must have your Garnet Gateway username and password to access the system. If you need a username and password, or are having problems accessing the site, please contact Bates College Help Desk at 207-786-8222.
In a browser – the system works best in Firefox – open www.bates.edu
In the upper-right hand corner, click on The Quad: Gateways and Resources
Click on the Garnet Gateway at the bottom of the Gateways column (you may wish to ‘bookmark’ this web page)
Log in using your username and password
If you are having trouble with logging into the Garnet Gateway or if you no longer know your password, please call the Bates College Help Desk at 207-786-8222
Once in Garnet Gateway, scroll to the bottom of the “Personal Information Menu” and click on “Admission Interviews”
If you completed an interview this year, you will be able to conduct an open search and see those students listed. Click on a name, and you will be able to see final admission decision and if the student is enrolling at Bates. This information will be available through the month of June. Please take some time to explore the form, and think about how you will use it to report your interviews in the coming year. If you have any questions/concerns, please let us know.
Thank you for your continued service to Bates through the Alumni in Admission Program!
Have a wonderful summer and don’t forget to let us know when you will be in town.
We would love to see you on campus!
aia@bates.edu
207-786-6006