{"id":2019,"date":"2016-02-08T16:07:16","date_gmt":"2016-02-08T20:07:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/ebuckhor\/?page_id=2019"},"modified":"2016-02-08T16:07:16","modified_gmt":"2016-02-08T20:07:16","slug":"admissions-at-trinity","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/reporter-winter2016\/features\/admissions-at-trinity\/","title":{"rendered":"Admissions at Trinity"},"content":{"rendered":"

Angel P\u00e9rez seeks new ways of identifying \u2018best and brightest\u2019<\/strong>
\nBy Mary Howard<\/em><\/p>\n

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Vice President for Enrollment and Student Success Angel P\u00e9rez Photo: John Marinelli<\/p><\/div>\n

Trinity Vice President for Enrollment and Student Success Angel P\u00e9rez is shaking things up in the world of college admissions.<\/p>\n

P\u00e9rez, who came to the College in June 2015, believes that characteristics such as persistence and optimism, coupled with high school GPA (grade point average), are better predictors of student success than standardized test scores and that sometimes the students who will thrive the most in college aren\u2019t so obvious.<\/p>\n

\u201cColleges need to explore new ways of defining what constitutes \u2018the best and the brightest,\u2019 \u201d P\u00e9rez says.<\/p>\n

To that end, he was at the center of the College\u2019s decision last fall to join the more than 800 colleges and universities that have made the submission of standardized test scores optional for undergraduate admission. \u201cResearch has proven that high school GPA is a stronger predictor of success in college than are standardized test scores,\u201d he said in an October 5 letter announcing the decision. Many of Trinity\u2019s top competitor schools already have made this move.<\/p>\n

Trinity President Joanne Berger-Sweeney agrees: \u201cThere are many indicators of long-term success in college and life beyond standardized test scores.\u201d By going test optional, she hopes to expand the diversity and further raise the quality of Trinity\u2019s applicant pool.<\/p>\n

This is exactly what happened at Pitzer College, a liberal arts institution near Los Angeles, where P\u00e9rez served as head of admissions for eight years before coming to Trinity. In addition to other changes, the school dropped its requirements for the SAT and ACT in 2004 and since then has seen significant increases in applications, student diversity, and GPAs.<\/p>\n

But becoming test optional is not enough, says P\u00e9rez. Through questionnaires for guidance counselors, student essay questions, and interviewing techniques, he and his staff are going deeper and evaluating personality traits and characteristics \u2014 such as creativity and curiosity \u2014 that research shows predict student success. These attributes will not replace grades or other factors in the application, says P\u00e9rez. \u201cThey will provide depth to the applicant\u2019s file and give the committee other tangibles to consider.\u201d<\/p>\n

P\u00e9rez, who holds a B.S. from Skidmore College, an M.A. in education from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in international education from Claremont Graduate University, has made the study of these indicators his current academic focus. \u201cMy goal is to understand what research shows about traits and characteristics young people exhibit that are linked to success later in life,\u201d he says. At Trinity, he is using this research to inform best practices in the admission process.<\/p>\n

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Caption: P\u00e9rez addresses the Class of 2019 at Convocation in September 2015. Photo: John Atashian<\/p><\/div>\n

P\u00e9rez also has implemented additional methods of reaching qualified potential students. Trinity\u2019s admissions counselors are visiting high schools in parts of the country \u2014 including areas in Texas, California, and Washington state \u2014 that had gone largely untapped by the College in the past. Many of these locations have high concentrations of college-bound students.<\/p>\n

To learn which applicants truly want to become Bantams, technological tools are being utilized to help keep track of a student\u2019s authentic and meaningful engagement with the College. A reinstated supplemental essay asks applicants to explain why they want to come to Trinity or what they hope to gain from the experience of studying in the urban setting of Hartford.<\/p>\n

P\u00e9rez recognizes the importance of building strong relationships with high school guidance counselors, who are seen as the gateway to connecting with students. As part of an effort to build those bonds, the College has stepped up its visits with counselors and has produced two newsletters for the counselors and plans to publish more. Events for high school counselors in various locations around the country also are in the works.<\/p>\n

P\u00e9rez also hopes to have Trinity represent the world even more than it does today. \u201cWhen you have a student from Iowa, a student from California, and a student from Kenya, you are going to have much richer conversations, both in the classroom and outside of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mandi Haines, the former senior associate director of admissions who oversaw the recruitment of international students, was eager for P\u00e9rez to come to campus after his appointment was announced. \u201cAngel has a strong reputation in the admissions world, and I knew he would take us in bold, new directions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anthony Berry, director of admissions and a 16-year veteran of the office, says it\u2019s P\u00e9rez\u2019s infectious energy that keeps the team going during stressful times. \u201cHe is overwhelmingly positive and optimistic.\u201d<\/p>\n

These characteristics were what first impressed Berger-Sweeney. \u201cI saw Angel\u2019s energy, enthusiasm, and experience as excellent for Trinity,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

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P\u00e9rez participates in a discussion at the Schools for Tomorrow conference hosted by The New York Times in September 2015. Photo: Neilson Barnard\/Getty Images for the New York Times<\/p><\/div>\n

For P\u00e9rez, that energy comes from the passion he has for \u201ccreating greater access to higher education\u201d for all students. \u201cThe college admission deanship is ripe with opportunity to make a significant difference in the world,\u201d he wrote in an essay titled \u201cBecoming an Admissions Dean\u201d (Inside Higher Ed, December 2013). The work is intense, with long hours and much travel. \u201cI feel like I never stop,\u201d he says. In his role at Trinity, he oversees admissions, financial aid, institutional research, career development, and retention.<\/p>\n

But when the work feels overwhelming, P\u00e9rez thinks of his parents, who moved his family from Puerto Rico to the United States to seek better opportunities for their children. \u201cThey moved to this country without knowing English, with no money and no jobs. I know that even on my hardest day, I\u2019m not working nearly as hard as they did to provide me with an opportunity to study in the U.S.\u201d<\/p>\n

At 17, P\u00e9rez wasn\u2019t exactly an admission officer\u2019s dream student. \u201cBy all traditional measures, I shouldn\u2019t have made it through college,\u201d he says. The price his family paid for the American dream was steep. They lived in the South Bronx during one of the most dangerous times in the borough\u2019s history, says P\u00e9rez, who experienced crushing poverty and cruel violence and twice found himself in the back of a police cruiser. His high school was one of the poorest performing in New York City. By his own admission, his grades and SAT scores were not exemplary.<\/p>\n

But a high school guidance counselor and a college admissions officer took an interest in him. \u201cThey saw things in me, like grit and an ability to overcome adversity,\u201d he says. He enrolled at Skidmore through the Higher Educational Opportunity Program, a New York state program that provides financial and educational support to disadvantaged students. \u201cIt saved my life,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

P\u00e9rez did well in college and landed his first job as an admissions counselor at Skidmore. Later he helped first-generation college students with the application process in New York City.<\/p>\n

Today he is a fierce advocate for change within college admissions. He said he feels traditional admissions tools often exclude students \u2014 like himself \u2014 who can make significant contributions to campuses and to the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy own story led me to challenge conventional thought,\u201d says P\u00e9rez.<\/p>\n