407: Behind the Scenes of an Admission Office + Supplemental Essay Deep Dive w/ Rick Diaz

On today’s episode I got to sit down with Rick Diaz, the Regional Director of Admission for Southern Methodist University (SMU) and someone I’ve known for more than 15 years. We have a pretty wide ranging discussion that covers:

• A behind-the-scenes look at how SMU reads applications and how they shape a class—and what that even means 
• Then we dive into supplemental essays — in particular the impacts of the Supreme Court’s decision to ban race-conscious admission — and how that decision has led to a large number of selective schools changing or adding new supplemental essay prompts. 
• We nerd out on Rick’s favorite supplemental essay—the “Why us” essay—talk a little about college majors and then—I think, Rick maybe has a little a-ha moment about when his interest in his own college major began
• We play a little game I made up on the chat called “What do students get wrong about…”
• And finally we discuss dos and don’ts for making a connection with your regional admission officers including (spoiler alert) why you maybe shouldn’t show up at their house with a box of their favorite cookies… unless you kinda’ want to freak them out a little?

 

I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. 

 

Play-by-play

• 0:00 - Welcome to the podcast
• 01:32 - Who is Rick Diaz?
• 02:35 - What’s Rick’s role at Southern Methodist University (SMU)?
• 06:04 - How does SMU read applications?
• 08:44 - How long does Rick spend on reading an application? 
• 10:42 - What are institutional priorities and how do they shape decisions in a college?
• 13:05 - What is the relationship between supplemental essays and institutional priorities?
• 16:29 - What are colleges looking for when their supplemental question is “Why us?”
• 17:21 - This year’s supplemental prompts at SMU
• 18:14 - Should you talk about your diversity in your college essays?
• 21:01 - An exercise in diversity
• 23:32 - What are colleges thinking about right now surrounding supplemental essays?
• 25:55 - Rick reacts to supplemental prompts from other schools
• 26:07 - Rick reacts to a prompt about being different
• 27:34 - Rick reacts to a prompt about your identity and goals
• 29:41 - How did Rick figure out his major in college?
• 32:46 - What is demonstrated interest and how important is it?
• 38:16 - Why do colleges care who is more likely to enroll?
• 40:25 - Do’s and Don’t’s of reaching out to your admissions officer
• 43:01 - What students get wrong about admissions
• 43:14 - How important are extracurriculars & summer planning?
• 44:41 - What about the personal statement?
• 47:03 - Is it true that the personal statement or supplemental essay can impact some students more than others?
• 49:00 - What about Standardized testing?
• 51:00 - What Rick loves about this work
• 52:41 - What should families keep in mind during this process?
• 57:07 - Wrap-up and additional resources

 

Resources

The “If You Really, Really Knew Me” Exercise (Template)
This practical, comprehensive exercise helps students generate a list of identities, skills, qualities, and skills they can share with colleges. It’s one of our favorites here at CEG—if you use it, just give us a shout-out. :)

The Social Identities Exercise (Template)
This exercise is another favorite and is useful for helping students think about diversity and identity in both broader and more nuanced ways. Includes a guide for counselors, facilitators, and parents.

How to Answer the “Diversity” (and Other Related) Supplemental Essay Prompts (Blog Article)

Colleges and Universities that Changed Their Supplemental Essay Prompts After the SCOTUS Decision Was Released (Blog Article)

Why You Don’t Have to Write about Trauma in Your College Essay to Stand Out—and What You Can Do Instead (Blog Article)