Why I'm here

<p>In light of recent efforts by the parent company of CC to get more college admission officers on this site, I thought I'd let you all know that I don't see my being here as part of UVa' marketing efforts. I'm here for a few reasons. </p>

<p>First of all, I silently read CC for quite some time (even prior to coming to UVa) and was disappointed by some of the bad information that was given out. For the most part, bad info isn't a problem in the UVa forum, but I thought it would be helpful to jump in here and there to answer questions. Second, being here keeps me aware of what is on the minds of prospective students. Some of my blog posts in the past have been inspired by posts on this forum. Lastly, I enjoy seeing students move from asking questions as seniors to answering them as UVa students. </p>

<p>It seems as though CC might move to a model where those of us from the college side who want to post here will have to pay to do it. If that becomes the case, I'm going to have to step away from posting here.</p>

<p>This is all a big "maybe" right now and I'm basing this on a marketing email (below) that was sent to deans and directors at many schools around the country. If the plan actually goes through, I hope you'll visit my blog to ask your questions and chat.</p>

<p>~Dean J</p>

<p>
[QUOTE]

Dear _________,</p>

<p>Want to connect with potential students through a medium they trust? At College Confidential, students may already be discussing the benefits of your school with their peers. Be a part of that interaction and recruit students who are genuinely interested in your institution.</p>

<p>College Confidential is the most popular college admissions community on the Web, providing free resources to college-bound students and parents during the college and university search. With 200 million page views last year, College Confidential can connect your school with students via discussions and fresh daily content provided by experts in the college search industry.</p>

<p>Why is College Confidential the best way for your school to reach potential students?</p>

<ul>
<li>Content and discussion threads updated daily keep users returning</li>
<li>Receive a "College Rep" membership to answer questions specific to your institution</li>
<li>Geo-target your ads to reach students in specific states or countries, increasing inquiries with a group more likely to attend your school</li>
<li>College Confidential is integrated into Hobsons' three other Web sites, providing more traffic to discussion on your school</li>
<li>Forum "Channel" Sponsorships provides your institution with the ability to reach students on the most-read sections of the site</li>
<li>Resource Boxes for individual school forums display links for more information on that specific school, all within our family of sites</li>
<li>There is no other similar college community site online to reach college students and their parents during the critical school search </li>
</ul>

<p>If you are interested in promoting your institution to the College Confidential community, please contact me. I look forward to hearing from you.</p>

<p>Sincerely,</p>

<hr>

<p>Vice President
Integrated Marketing Solutions Account Development

[/QUOTE]
</p>

<p>Your departure from this forum would be a significant loss for us all and, in my humble opinion, for UVA. Let's hope it does not come to pass.</p>

<p>I hope CC will maybe "grandfather" people like you in, without having to pay. Or, maybe you could coordinate with a student on here to help give out factual info when needed, so that the student can respond with the correct facts.</p>

<p>Hi Dean J!
Your contributions to this forum helps sell the Website. I have recommended this website many times and when I describe its value I often say there are even admissions officers who will post & answer questions. If they ask you to remove yourself from the board, or pay a fee, it would be a real loss to so many anxious students and parents. Where else can kids start a discussion anonymously w/ an adcom person?</p>

<p>BTW- when will UVA let normal (B+/A-) oos students in? :)</p>