The Voice of Mister Ed

Graduating early and update from the office

2008-10-16T01:15:18Z

Thanks for stopping by my blog and helping me get rid of the dust due to inactivity. There's not a ton of interesting stuff that happens in a college admissions office in the summer, so thank you to the 3 of you who anxiously waited updates to The Voice of Mister Ed.

There are a few things that have come up in the past few weeks that are worth discussing. Two students have called this week and asked our opinion on whether or not they should graduate early and take college courses at a local community college or university. While this is an admirable goal for any student (it helps stimulate the mind in more ways than that 2 period early dismissal option), it's important to mention that graduating early can affect financial aid. If a current high school student is admitted into USC for the 2009 summer or fall semesters, then a December 2008 graduation date followed by matriculation into another college for the spring 2009 semester will result in the student being reclassified as a transfer student. Why is this a big deal? The Office of Undergraduate Admissions awards scholarships to first-time, first-year freshmen, so be sure to your graduation date is May or June if you decide to take college courses next spring. You don't want to remove yourself from scholarship consideration.

Also, a few students I saw at Open House thought our admissions process only cared about test scores. This is simply not true. While we do use the SAT and/or ACT scores as one of our admissions factors, we also place large emphasis on grades and the rigor of your course selection. We want to see that you've challenged yourself. Furthermore, our application review process has become much more holistic due to the increasing strength of our applicant pool. If you're an Eagle Scout, put it on your application! If you're president of the drama or beta club, please tell us. We want to know these things.

Lieber Update - we're busy reviewing all of our Early Answer applications right now, so please be patient as we give all of our applications the attention they deserve. We're committed to mailing letters in mid-December to all applicants who submitted their application and necessary credentials by October 1. We've already seen plenty of outstanding applications, and we're excited to see such high interest in Carolina.

We need some good fortune this weekend against LSU. Don't forget to check out the game on ESPN this Saturday night at 8 PM. You'll also be able to see some of Columbia when Todd Blackledge does his "Todd's Taste of the Town" segment. Where's he going to go? Groucho's? Mr. Friendly's? We'll find out.

Go Gamecocks!
Ed

Attention Transfers

2008-05-16T18:11:49Z

Thinking about transferring to Carolina? Good. There are a few things to think about when filling out the transfer application:

What should my major be? That's your call, but we have plenty of information about all of our majors on our admissions site, www.sc.edu/admissions. The most important thing to think about here is picking the major you want at graduation. It's never a good idea to pick one major with the idea of transferring into another major after a couple of strong semesters at Carolina. Take a look at the requirements for each major on our website.

When should I apply? Now. Yesterday. Last week. Tomorrow. Our deadline for Fall 2008 is June 1.

How quickly will I hear? That all depends upon how quickly you submit your credentials. Generally, it takes the office around 4 weeks to process and finalize a decision on an applicant who has submitted all of their necessary credentials. Necessary credentials include the application fee, all collegiate transcripts, SAT/ACT scores (if under 30 hours), and high school transcript (if under 30 hours). Some applicants take a few weeks to process, and some take longer.

How will I find out my decision? We'll be in touch and let you know via mail. Please try not to call us and ask for an admission status on the phone. We only notify students of their admission status through mail, and it truthfully slows down our process with continuous phone calls. We know it's hard to be patient, but please hang in there.

I'm admitted. What's my next step? If you're admitted, go ahead and sign up for Orientation. More information about Orientation is available at http://orientation.sc.edu/.

Thanks for thinking about Carolina!

More acceptances and Capstone update

2008-03-01T20:03:01Z

The admissions office had a busy week this week. A bunch of high school students around the nation will soon be receiving their acceptance letters into Carolina for next fall. Congratulations to all of our newly accepted students and we look forward to having you on campus next year!

We're going to be mailing Capstone offers later this month. Best of luck to you.

Go Gamecocks!

Capstone Scholars

2008-02-08T14:12:06Z

In just a few weeks, the admissions office will begin finalizing our decisions for who receives invitations into the Capstone Scholars Program. Here are some answers to common questions we receive about the program:

What exactly is the Capstone Scholars Program?
The Capstone Scholars Program was created a few years ago to help the University attract more high achieving students. Students invited into the program are offered suite-style housing, more personal attention, and special sections of University 101 and English 101. In addition, the Program gives the students more of a smaller college feel within the University. One of the points I always made on the road when recruiting was "you can't make a small school feel big. However, you can make a big school feel small." Capstone does this.

Who gets invited?
Students who have a minimum SAT score of 1250 (math and critical reading sections only) and/or ACT composite score of 28 with very high grades are considered for Capstone invitations.

How much scholarship money is available to Capstone Scholars?
Capstone Scholars are usually competitive for one of the general University scholarships. Keep in mind that there is no specific "Capstone Scholars Scholarship." Rather, all Capstone Scholars normally receive a general University scholarship. Be sure to take a look at the departmental scholarship listing on the financial aid website at www.sc.edu/financialaid to see if you may qualify for any departmental scholarships.

Gamecock update - In case you missed it, our men's basketball team picked up a huge road win last weekend. The Gamecocks got their first ever win in Oxford, Mississippi and knocked off the ranked Ole Miss Rebels. We have a home game tomorrow night against Vandy (who is also ranked), so it should be a great crowd at the Colonial Center. Devan Downey, our lightning-quick point guard, continues to lead the SEC in scoring and the nation in steals. He is having one of the best seasons for any USC point guard in our history. We're going to make some noise during the final stretch of the season.

Also, our new baseball stadium is under construction. You can see construction photos at gamecocksonline.com.

Warm Weather Break

2008-01-07T22:45:12Z

Did you know that the high temperature in beautiful Columbia, South Carolina was 70 degrees today? Yes, it's January, and yes the natives brought out the flip-flops today.

If you're tired of the cold weather and you're really thinking about coming to Carolina, be sure to come for a campus visit this spring. The spring is the best time to visit our campus because you'll see students out on the Horseshoe all day, hear an information session from one of our talented admissions officers, and perhaps take in a baseball game in the last season at the Sarge (home to our 2nd ranked baseball team). If you're already accepted, then the Visitor Center can set you up to meet with the academic department that houses your major.

We're hard at work looking through all of our applications for next fall, and we definitely appreciate your patience. Our applicant pool continues to grow in quality and quantity, so we're excited about brigning in the next class of Gamecocks. If you still haven't heard a decision from our office, keep checking the online status to find out which materials we've received.

Spring 2008 update - If you're admitted for the spring, please be sure to sign up for Orientation on VIP. Orientation is Thursday and Friday of this week, so please call the Office of Orientation and Testing at 803-777-2780 if you have any questions.

Updates from Lieber

2007-12-05T02:35:58Z

I've been getting some e-mails from many loyal readers (translation=my wife and friends) of The Voice of Mister Ed asking where I've been over the past month, so here's the new entry after much demand....

Early Answer Update - The months of November and December are a busy time in the admissions office. We're slowly making it through the piles of transcripts, applications, test scores, personal statements, and everything else that students send us to help with our admissions decisions. There is no doubt that the U.S. Postal Service will continue to be in operation this year - we're keeping them in business.

Please keep checking the online status check because this is the best way for you to find out where your application stands in our admissions cycle. If you met the Early Answer deadline, then we've made a commitment to you that you will have a letter postmarked by December 20 from our office.

What About Transfers? We haven't forgotten about all of our transfer applicants for the spring semester. We're spending hours each day working through all of our transfer applications and updating their online status check data. We won't be able to make an admissions decision on many of our spring transfer applicants until we receive their final transcript from the fall semester. Keep in mind that our office is closed for roughly ten days for the holidays, so many transfer applicants will find out their admissions decisions in early January.

Honors College? Admissions decisions for the South Carolina Honors College have not been made. Stay tuned!

Football (you knew it had to be mentioned) - Nobody expected our football team to finish 6-6 after such a great start to the season. However, objective fans have to recognize all of the bad breaks we had this year. I'm optimistic that a Gamecock team that returns a bunch of starters and has a favorable home schedule might suprise some teams next year. Take a look at the BCS this year and you'll quickly realize that there are some surprises. You have to think we're going to get there soon. We did beat one of those teams in the BCS, also...

Basketball is just now starting up, so be sure to check out the women's and/or men's basketball teams at the Colonial Center. Both teams should have good seasons.

That's all for now. Go Gamecocks!

Geez, this Honors App is Really Long

2007-11-05T22:33:29Z

It's another Monday in the admissions office, so there are two things I do immediately when I get in the office:

1. Break down the USC football game with other admissions folks
2. Check the admissions "cube" to see how many people applied over the weekend

After we discussed the Arkansas game and had a quick prayer asking for the two fabulous Arkansas runningbacks to turn pro after this year, my time spent on the cube made me realize just how popular Carolina has become. We've had thousands of applicants already apply, and we're expecting thousands more to submit applications this month. Please be sure to submit your application for admission by December 1.

We've received plenty of Honors College/Top Scholarship applications this year. Will yours be one of them? Please be sure to submit your application for admission to USC and the Honors College by November 15.

I've spoken with many prospective students who are intimidated by the length of the SCHC application. There's no doubt it's long, but there are tons of benefits if you're admitted into the Honors College and possibly awarded one of Carolina's top scholarships. Every college will brag that their honors program is one of the best. Every university will claim that their honors program will offer small classes. At Carolina, we mean it. It will be hard to find an honors program or college that has as many course offerings as we do, especially when you consider that we only have about 1,200 students in the Honors College. I know that the application takes a long time, and you're wondering if we ever actually read your five most significant books. We do.

We Know It's Hard to Be Patient

2007-10-17T01:53:10Z

Over the past few years, we've received hundreds of requests for the admissions office to start notifying applicants of their admission status online. If you apply online, you should be receiving an e-mail directing you to our new online status check. So far, more than a thousand applicants have taken advantage of this service, and we expect that it will help all of us in a big way over the next few months. If you call the admissions office, we're always happy to update you on your status. However, please keep in mind that it takes us a little while to sort through all of the applications, transcripts, and test scores that arrive in our office. During periods of high mail volume (especially after the October 1 and December 1 deadlines), we're not able to update the online status for every student every day. Thanks for your patience through this process. We're excited that you've applied to Carolina, and be sure to keep checking your status online.

I've received many calls from students and guidance counselors who are worried that applying after the Early Answer Deadline (October 1) puts a student at a disadvantage in the application process. The Early Answer Deadline means that a student will hear from the admissions office in mid-late December, but students who apply after October 1 are not subject to different admissions standards. The most important thing to remember throughout this process is to submit your application by December 1 (November 15 if you're applying to the Honors College).

Go Gamecocks!

Why Columbia?

2007-10-12T01:39:34Z

“Why would people from Columbia consider going to Carolina?” I remember talking with some of my friends after government class my senior year in high school, and this question made me stop and think. Why should I go to college just ten minutes away? Is it worth it? Do you really get the true college experience if you choose to stay in the capital city?

It took probably one week on campus as a surprisingly nervous freshman to answer my friend’s question. Sure, I was from Columbia, but I realized I only knew where our athletic facilities are. I had been to plenty of Carolina games, experienced the excitement and frustration of pulling for USC, but never really knew what it felt like to be a true Gamecock. Of course, every college offers unique opportunities and has its share of proud alumni, but one of USC’s best assets is the city that I considered “boring” in high school.

Carolina has this unique way of making Columbia change. I used to think that all Columbia had to offer young people was a bunch of movie theaters and good sandwiches at Groucho’s. While the STP Dipper at Groucho’s still ranks as my sandwich of choice, there are so many more options in the city. Jim Gaffigan (If you haven’t seen his Hot Pockets commentary, you need to) was here a few weeks ago. Stephon Marbury, Renaldo Balkman, and the rest of the New York Knicks came to town a few nights ago to take on the 76ers in a preseason matchup. Every night, there’s something going on. During my time as an admissions counselor and devoted Gamecock fan, I’ve traveled to many of the nation’s most “famous” college towns. Columbia stacks up pretty well.

It is certainly understandable if you want to try out another city or town for college. It’s important to pick the right college for you, and just remember that it’s your decision. However, I guarantee that Columbia will seem like the perfect college city after you become a Gamecock.

Gamecock of the Week:

Eric Norwood – In case you missed it, Eric had two touchdowns last week in our big win against Kentucky. There are plenty of players who score two touchdowns in a game, but not many who play defensive end. Be sure to check out the Battle of the Carolinas on Saturday at 3:30.