Adam Epstein '05

With the seven-week terms at WPI, it seems like it is almost always the start or end of classes. I know students are happy that tomorrow marks the last day of C-Term (it was extended a day due to snow in January). By many C-Term is the least liked term—most likely because of the cold weather. The fortunate few have already wrapped everything up and are happily relaxing, celebrating, and perhaps heading to an exotic spring break destination; the rest will be done soon enough.

If you do happen to be visiting next week, the campus will be noticeably quieter than usual. Although undergraduates have a full ten days off from classes, WPI of course keeps going. We’ll still be ready to welcome you and take you on a tour of campus if you do visit!

I wanted to give a quick glimpse into a typical day in the life of an Admissions staff member, but I realized that a day in this month is very different than last and next. And for that matter, every month is different.

February for me has been a very busy month. We’re in the peak season for application review, and I have had several hundred applications to complete and review over the past four weeks. Making my deadlines even tighter, I decided to schedule a few vacation days, so I’m even more pressed to finish application review as soon as possible.

But as you know from my profile, I have many more responsibilities than just reviewing applications. This month, Crimson Key took the forefront since it is the time of the year when we select new undergraduates to be campus tour guides. Crimson Key is a volunteer organization, but it is a prestigious position; this year over 100 students applied for less than 40 spots. The interview and selection process consumed much of my time in the first half of February while preparing for the upcoming training has been on my mind more recently.

As a member of the Admissions events team, I was also hard at work assisting in the planning of our Winter Preview open house event for admitted students held two weekends ago. With over 1,000 visitors to campus, every detail is important!

Finally, I’ve been working on getting this blog started. Now that it is here, I just have to remember to post every so often.

Hello, and welcome! I am Adam Epstein, Assistant Director of Admissions at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). I am also a WPI alumnus and graduate student.

I have a few goals for this blog; I hope to:

• provide you an insider look at the Admissions process at WPI,
• discuss trends, developments, and newsworthy items related to college admissions,
• show you what makes WPI a great place, and
• be a real face of the WPI Admissions Office—not just a name or address.

I’m not targeting any specific audience, but I do hope that prospective students and parents in particular will find the information I post helpful. I am always open to questions and suggestions, and the comment feature is enabled.

Enjoy!