John Wolfgang

he/him/his

Assistant Director of Admissions

T: 540-254-5809
E: jwolfgang@wlu.edu

Regions: Delaware, New Jersey, New York (NYC Greater Area)

Short Answer Prompt

To help jumpstart your brainstorming and to demonstrate that we empathize with the challenges you face in applying to college, our staff has published their own responses to our supplemental short-answer prompts. We hope you’ll enjoy learning a bit about us and will feel more comfortable showcasing something new about yourself. Remember, these are optional, and you are asked to submit only one.

Prompt #1 (Max 250 words or 2-Minute Video)
250 words or less or max 2-minute video: Please describe an aspect of your life outside of school that is important to you, such as an extracurricular activity, a job, or a family responsibility. How has your involvement shaped your personal qualities and growth, and how has it impacted those around you? Growing up, I never really thought of myself through a diverse lens. In fact, even in college, when there were conversations about diverse experiences, I always assumed I was solely benefitting from, and not contributing to, those. It wasn’t until a professor offhandedly mentioned that I brought a diverse background that I ever really considered it. I asked him what he meant, and he said that as a first-gen, low-income, rural student, I had a very different perspective from most others at my school. He was right, of course. Nationally, rural students are underrepresented at colleges. That’s especially true when that college is located in NYC—haha! There were times I felt a little out of place; I remember mentioning to my freshman floor that I couldn’t believe Thanksgiving Break didn’t extend through First Day (IYKYK 🦌), and them looking at me like I had antlers—ironically enough. But there was also the time I took a class on higher education and was able to speak personally to being underrepresented at a highly selective college in a way my classmates couldn’t. In that moment, as I saw them grappling with ideas they hadn’t heard before, I realized I was contributing. It’s gratifying that my work allows me to continue doing exactly that. W&L, uniquely, is a school that values open discussion, and that doesn’t work without having different perspectives and viewpoints represented. My job is to find and support our contributors, and my background was essential in realizing there aren’t limits on who that can be.

Prompt #1 (Max 250 words or 2-Minute Video)

250 words or less or max 2-minute video: Please describe an aspect of your life outside of school that is important to you, such as an extracurricular activity, a job, or a family responsibility. How has your involvement shaped your personal qualities and growth, and how has it impacted those around you?

Growing up, I never really thought of myself through a diverse lens. In fact, even in college, when there were conversations about diverse experiences, I always assumed I was solely benefitting from, and not contributing to, those. It wasn’t until a professor offhandedly mentioned that I brought a diverse background that I ever really considered it. I asked him what he meant, and he said that as a first-gen, low-income, rural student, I had a very different perspective from most others at my school.

He was right, of course. Nationally, rural students are underrepresented at colleges. That’s especially true when that college is located in NYC—haha! There were times I felt a little out of place; I remember mentioning to my freshman floor that I couldn’t believe Thanksgiving Break didn’t extend through First Day (IYKYK 🦌), and them looking at me like I had antlers—ironically enough. But there was also the time I took a class on higher education and was able to speak personally to being underrepresented at a highly selective college in a way my classmates couldn’t. In that moment, as I saw them grappling with ideas they hadn’t heard before, I realized I was contributing.

It’s gratifying that my work allows me to continue doing exactly that. W&L, uniquely, is a school that values open discussion, and that doesn’t work without having different perspectives and viewpoints represented. My job is to find and support our contributors, and my background was essential in realizing there aren’t limits on who that can be.