I trust that most of you have had a chance to share your feelings on the three decision entries by now. I will continue to keep an eye out for questions that are posted in them. It seems like many of you answer questions for each other in those comments, often before I can get to the blog. Thank you for that!
I thought I'd cover some of the typical questions that come up when students are wondering what happens next.
Welcome Packets
A welcome mailing was sent out on Friday afternoon to all admitted first year students. Obviously, you saw your decision letter on SIS (and most seem to prefer the speed of online notification over waiting for the mail to arrive like I did when I was in high school), but there is some more information coming beyond that. A blog comments on Monday reported that one of those packets was received, so I imagine the USPS is ferrying them to you very quickly.
For now, you might be interested in checking out our admitted student page. If you decide to join the class, at some point between paying your deposit (deposits are due May 1st) and June 1st, you'll want to go through the items on the Summer Orientation website. In past years, that page has updated around April 1st, so the information that's on there currently is probably for last year's incoming class.
If you're really excited to do more, you could flip through last year's Welcome Book online. The 2012 book, with new dates, should be up soon. You can also take a look at the virtual tours of the residence halls.
Admitted Student Visits
Days on The Lawn (DOTL) are the admitted student events. If the DOTL dates don't work for you, you can plan your own visit, which might include staying overnight with a member of The Monroe Society or attending some open classes.
Days on the Lawn are totally optional events. We created DOTL to help students "kick the tires" before they commit to the University. You'll be walking around the Grounds just like our current students do. Dress as you do for school (unless, of course, you wear a uniform to school). We want you to be comfortable.
I'm more than happy to answer questions about directions, parking, and lodging if the DOTL page doesn't cover your concerns.
Financial Aid
I should have a financial aid update later this week. They aim to post packages around decision time, but we were obviously a bit earlier than expected with our decision release this year. I'm not sure if all packages will show up at once, like your admission decisions did, or if they will come up over a period of time. It takes time to ensure that all admitted students who have applied for financial aid have been properly awarded, so please be patient with them.
If you have any other questions about next steps, feel free to post them in the comments!
Tomorrow on the blog: What Comes Next for the Waiting List
