Mission: Admission

 Over the next month and a half, thousands of high school seniors will apply for admission to George Mason University – some will succeed, others will fail, but each one has the same goal of joining the Mason nation.

“Mission: Admission” will follow the admission process of a few perspective students and chronicle the highs, the lows and all of the crazy stories of what these students encounter.

If you’re interested in participating in the “Mission: Admission” project, contact Senior Off-Campus and Community News Editor Jordan J. Frasier at jordan.frasier@connect2mason.com.
 

Contributors

Monisola Eddo is a senior at Gar-Field high school in Woodbridge, VA. She hopes to attend Mason because of its Conflict Analysis and Resolutions major, proximity to the capital, diversity, and school spirit. In school Monisola takes mostly IB classes and two foreign languages. She is also a varsity lacrosse player and a member of Edge club. Outside of school she loves to volunteer. She loves to read travel blogs and watch documentaries on different cultures. When she isn’t doing that, you can probably find her at the movies getting a good laugh. Monisola has frequently toured Mason’s campus and she’s hopeful to join the Patriots next fall. You can follow Monisola on twitter @alosinom55. 

Tyler Walter is a senior at Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax, Virginia. With his school a mere eyeshot away from the Mason campus, one may wonder why on Earth he would apply to GMU. Well, Tyler has no interest in abandoning the area. He not only excessively loves Northern Virginia, but he believes there's numerous opportunities he can gain in terms of internships, extracurriculars, student life...oh...and lets not forget education. While at Mason, Tyler wants to pursue a career in journalism, but will probably declare his "major" undecided. He has taken IB classes at Robinson, and he's also taken honors in History. Tyler enjoys playing soccer, and he's lived a very rough life being the only American soccer fan that roots for American soccer teams. Apart from his abnormal obsession for everything journalism and everything soccer, Tyler will read anything going on and take (or pretend to take) interest in it, spend time with friends and likes to meet new people. Tyler has "toured" GMU countless times, typically driving through campus on a regular basis. He took a formal tour in October and has seen everything he's seen everyday for the past 18 years more in-depth. Needless to say, he aspires to become a Patriot more than anything else in the World. You can follow him on Twitter @TylerWalter.

The Mission: Admission Story

Prompt #2: Playing the waiting game

Tyler Walter: The college talk has amped up tremendously within the last two to three weeks, an evident preamble to the senioritis epidemic. As you could imagine, the commonplace college discussions were ignited by select students (that applied early decision) finding out whether or not they were admitted into their top-choice school.

So far, I have friends who've been admitted into schools such as Penn State, William & Mary, CNU and Virginia Tech; some of the popular choices in Northern Virginia. People occasionally ask me about how the college application process is going, and whether or not I've heard back from the schools I applied to. Yet, I haven't been asked that as much now than, say, a month ago.

It is now transitioning from being relieved that my college applications are complete to wondering whether or not I get into Mason, or any of the other schools I've applied to. Maybe it's a pacifist view, some reverse-psychology, or just being prepared, but lately I’m contemplating the options of what happens if I do not get into Mason. My real worry on the application is that my SAT scores are slightly subpar in the Reading section. Now, I mean if I get rejected or wait-listed, I highly doubt that'll be the sole reason I'm denied admission.

Sometime over the Winter Break, I'll be planning out a flow chart of options of what I plan to do if I get accepted or denied into certain schools. I probably should be hearing back from some of the schools that have rolling admissions within the next month or two. Anticipating that day.
 

Prompt #1: Where are you in the admission process?

Tyler Walter: At this point, I've recently submitted my application and posted my video essay. Earlier this week, I received an e-mail notifying me that the school has received my application. So, in one aspect, it's a relief to know they've gotten my application, but now I'm now trying to get my Scoutmaster and maybe a teacher to finish their letters of recommendations to entirely complete the application process.

The process made junior year seem like recreation. Making sure I had college applications started (not just for Mason, but for my other five schools I'm applying to) as well as getting transcript request forms sent, teacher input forms, parent and student input forms, as well as transcripts sent, along with ACT's and SAT's made the process very gratifying to complete. The previous two and a half months working on applications beforehand seemed to make me rather aggravated. I'm relived the applications are done, but now the stress will build when hoping to get all acceptance letters back. I'm hoping the video application I submitted gives me an edge and increases my chances of...well, not being rejected, but making a video essay doesn't ensure you're a freshman-bound student to a college you aspire to go to.

Probably will be a few weeks until I hear back. Really looking forward to it.
  

Monisola Eddo: Where are you in the admissions process and what has it been like getting to this point? I'm pretty much finished with my application. I'm just adding finishing touches and making sure my recommendations get in. Getting to this point in the admissions process wasn't fun, but if this is all I have to do for four years of fun, it's not that bad.