Readiness and Capable

In my role as the Director of a PhD program, one of my responsibilities is to over see the student admission process. In general, the admission process follows the standard formula.  Students submit an online application which includes transcripts, standardized scores, letters of reference, and a personal statement.

The entire packet is reviewed by a committee of faculty. We consider past performance, career goals, and the fit of applicant's research interests with the existing expertise of faculty. We do our best to be fair, meaning equitable and balanced. Assessing the capabilities of potential students to complete the program tends to be somewhat straightforward using the quantitative information in the packet. What tends to be more difficult to assess is the psychological and financial readiness of a potential student. We don't ask for financial information in the application packet, nor do we do conduct psychological readiness tests. We have to rely on the personal statement and what the potential student reveals about the desire to be in a doctoral program and what has lead to his or her decision to apply.

I wish I could say that Admissions Committees always make perfect decisions. But, nothing in life is perfect. We do tend to be pretty good at making the accept/deny admission decisions. We want our students to succeed by graduating and we would not intentionally accept an applicant who is not likely to finish.

We can make a decision error based on misjudging the applicant's capability to do the work; such students tend not to finish either at the Exam or the dissertation stages. We also can make an error based on misjudging the applicant's readiness for the 4-7 year intellectual and financial commitment of being a doctoral student. These students can drop out or merely fade away at any point in the program.

Ultimately, the Admissions Committee strives for decisions that become win-win's for the student and for the faculty how have foster the student through the program.

Change and Differences

People have been asking, "so, how was your first year?"  I reply, "I'm glad my first year is over." Then I explain that although I think I did okay, I'm glad to be past finding a new doctor, new dentist, new hairdresser, new dry cleaner, new nearby gas station, and a new route to the airport. These are the little realities that come along with having moved across country for a new faculty position.

How was my first year in my new faculty role? That's really what others want to know. When pressed on the issue, I usually talk about the differences I noticed between institutions. Change always seems to highlight differences ~

Travel arrangements and reimbursements: do it yourself online versus having a secretary do it all a month in advance and on paper.

Budgeting: carry-over funds across fiscal years versus zero out accounts two months before the end of the fiscal year.

Student advising: ad hoc process of notifying students of availability versus putting advising hours in the online advising schedule.

Parking: one hanging tag with annual new little dates and a swipe card versus a radio frequency hanging tag that is replaced each year.

Student textbooks: university owned and run bookstore versus Barnes and Noble as the bookstore.

Graduate School: no coordination across program directors versus quarterly meetings of all graduate program directors from across campus.

Clearly, one side or other is not better, just different. But, it's coming to accept the differences, embracing the accompanying learning curve, and getting fluent in the new jargon that makes it no longer the first year.

As campus fills with the new students, new faculty, new enthusiasm, new anticipations, and new hopes, I feel ready to step from being the new faculty to being the old faculty.