Recently, I had the opportunity to interview one of my co-workers, Melinda Wood. She is the Assistant Dean and Director of Applications for Elon University Admissions and a 1999 graduate. I think that she is awesome and I think you will too! Enjoy!
Where are you from originally?
I grew up in the beautiful foothills of North Carolina. I am from Wilkesboro, NC the birthplace of Lowes Hardware and NASCAR. Not that I know anything about home improvement or racing cars, but growing up in a town that centered around these past times I often pretended to know more than I really do.
What brought you to Elon?
I looked at a wide range of schools during my search for the “right” college. I was certain of one thing I wanted to stay in North Carolina because we have so many wonderful colleges. Other than that, I was completely open to location, size and programs. I went into the college process as an undecided student. I was looking for a school that would provide me the opportunity to take a range of classes in a multiple areas before declaring a major. I looked at several schools, which offered this type of self-exploration, but Elon’s program was less restrictive. When I visited campus, I knew immediately Elon was the school for me. I was pleasantly surprised by the beauty of campus, friendly environment, school size and flexibility to design my course curriculum.
What do you enjoy most about Elon?
My college days are long gone, but I still enjoy some of the same things now that I enjoyed as a student. For example, attending a baseball game on a beautiful spring day, sitting outside for lunch, going to college coffee or attending one of the productions from the performing arts.
What are your main responsibilities in the office?
Some days I ask myself that very question. I am the Director of Applications and my main responsibility is to manage the application process. I work directly with staff members who process and read over 9700 admission applications each year. I also chair the admissions committee and I track and report statistical data on the incoming freshman class.
What are your recruitment territories?
California!
What is your advice to students who have been waitlisted?
I encourage students to stay in communication with their admission counselor. This is the best way to ensure our office is aware of your interest to attend Elon.
Could you share a few tips with students who are interested in applying and attending Elon?
As the Director of Applications, I strongly encourage students to apply well before the application deadline. One of the greatest challenges as a staff is to track over 50,000 pieces of mail associated with admission applications. When you apply before the deadline, you will have more time to submit missing documents. So, do not wait until the deadline to apply!
Explore. Dream. Discover Elon Admissions. 