New applicant pool looks promising!

We just had a wonderful thing happen in our office. A tour group returned and one father pulled someone aside to tell us a quick story and to ask for our help in resolving it.

Two hours north of Charlottesville, the man's family stopped at a gas station where his wife found a purse in the rest room. There was a cell phone in the purse and they used it to call a few numbers, but didn't get in touch with anyone. The gas station attendant was just going to hold the purse in a lost and found, but the family determined that the purse belonged to a member of the UVa community and decided to bring it down to Charlottesville in an attempt to get it back to the rightful owner more quickly.

The purse is now on Grounds and calls have been made to make sure the owner comes to get it. It's so nice to see people who aren't even part of our community (yet?) making an effort to help a Wahoo.

Heads up for incoming students

I posted this elsewhere, but figured I'd repeat it here. This is not meant to be a commercial, but since so many of you will visit the Bed, Bath, & Beyond near Grounds during move in, I thought I'd let you know that that store will accept expired coupons. If you live near a store, you probably get blue, 20% off cards almost weekly. If you are so inclined, you could save them up and use them here regardless of hold old they are.

I guess I should also warn you that all of the big stores that sell dorm supplies will be a bit chaotic at times during the move-in.

Some of our current students also offered some move-in day advice here. Here are a few gems from current student, DB123, who used to post comments on this blog as an applicant:

When thinking about the things you need for your room consult your parents! Mine were invaluable on move in day.

Why? Your parents think of things you would easily overlook; they're trained for it! After moving in, I realized I forgot to buy socks (I hate shoes; love sandals), an umbrella (my rents bought me two; one for heavier gusty winds and one lighter one that would work in most situations. I would never think of that. And, buying two means you'll have an extra if you lose one.), a basic screwdriver set, scissors, flashlight, cotton balls, first aid kit, FOOD, storage, etc.

Your parents will also be there for most of the day. Buying all the stuff you forgot, putting everything together, making sure you're settled in. Always remember to thank them and tell them you love them. You, their baby, is going off to college!

And, if they offer to unpack your stuff, let them. Unpacking will go by much, much faster and they just know where to put stuff. Seriously. If mine hadn't unpacked my stuff despite my protests, I wouldn't have unpacked for weeks. And the first thing you should unpack is your fan. Set it up and turn it on immediately.

There's plenty more advice out there. Do some reading and don't just go off the lists of "dorm essentials" that stores produce. They are generic and often lead you to believe you need more than you really do. Remember to consult the "what to/what not to bring" lists that housing publishes. There are also some fire safety regulations to consider when thinking about decorating your room.

The waitlist is released

I just got out of our staff meeting where the Dean announced that he is releasing the waitlist. SIS statuses will start to change today and letters will start printing tomorrow. Keep in mind that it will take a few days for letters to be printed, folded, and stuffed into envelopes, so you may not have an official letter in your hands until sometime next week (depending on your mail service, of course).

Knowing that many of you will never visit the blog again, let me say that it's been a long year for all of us and I've valued our interaction on this blog. Best wishes for a wonderful time at your chosen school. While your first year might not be at UVa, I know it will be an exciting time for you all.

Are you a "fan" of UVa on Facebook?

I just came across an interesting slide in a presentation posted by a group that consults colleges about their presence on the web. According to their research, among schools with an undergraduate population between 10,000 and 19,999, we have the 2nd highest number of Facebook fans. At a little over 13,500 students, we're probably smaller than some of the other schools on the list (Kansas State, ranked first, has over 16,000 undergrads).

I'm a fan of UVa on Facebook because I work here and I love this school. I'm wondering if the number of fans is related to employees, current students, and alumni who use Facebook or about prospective students tagging a college in which they are interested.

So, my question is: did you become a "fan" of UVa on Facebook? If so, did you do it because you already have a connection (current student or alumni) or because you have become interested in UVa though your college search?

Away for a few days

If you follow my Twitter feed (see the column to the right), you know that I'm out of the office, at a conference in Boston. Hang in there. I hope to have an update for you when I get back to the office on Friday.

CavDog on Lawn Life

I love Lawn Life, a photo blog that captures some of the moments that happen on Grounds. Today, they posted my favorite picture of CavDog.

You can follow Lawn Life on Tumblr or on Twitter.