Happy 2009 from Payson Hall!

Students are still on break (classes resume January 19th), so things have been fairly quiet on campus. I took a few snapshots of the view from my office window today...it is a beautiful North Country winter day!
                                
 
However, I can assure you that our office has been far from quiet while students have been away.  We are, as you can imagine, in the thick of processing and reading applications.  This time of year happens to be my favorite, because I love reading about the fantastic students I met visiting high schools and at college fairs in the Fall.  I am always amazed at how much work goes into the entire process:  from opening and sorting the buckets of mail every day, to the filing and entering of information, to the actual reading, and everything in between. 

Do you ever wonder what actually happens to your application once you hit the "SEND" button or put it in the mailbox? 

Well, this picture below is what your completed application will end up looking like:

I think the above picture also sums up how we are keeping ourselves busy, and why we actually refer to reading applications as its own "season!"

In the first picture, you can see one of our student workers, Alan Martino '11, ready to sort through today's mail.  Once the many pieces of the application have been put together and processed, they can be reviewed by counselors.  In the middle picture, counselor Tim Akers poses as he pulls files off the shelf to read, which you can see him doing at his desk.

Here are some last minute reminders if you're applying to St. Lawrence:

• If you haven't interviewed, and are able to make it to campus by Saturday the 31st of January, it's a good idea to set up an appointment.  You can do so by calling our office at 800-285-1856.  (Check out this link for more information about visiting campus).  If you cannot make it to campus for an interview, admissions staff will be conducting off-campus interviews in certain cities between the 17th and 19th of January.  You can also contact our office to schedule an off-campus alumni interview.  As you can see, there are several options available!
• I get several questions about our SAT/ACT policy.  We are a test optional school.  You are not required to submit standardized test scores in order to be considered for admission.  Read more about it here  if you're not sure what to do, or talk to your guidance counselor and/or contact your admissions counselor.
• Our office will notify you once your application becomes complete.  Feel free to contact your admissions counselor or call our office at 800-285-1856 if you want to double-check to make sure we have everything.  

In my opinion, the waiting game is the most difficult part of the process.  Rest assured that each and every application is given full consideration and read very thoroughly.  In fact, we review each application three times:  every application is read twice from two different counselors and read a third time by either our Dean or Director.

Good luck and stay tuned for more updates from Payson Hall!
- John