Interview with Kelli Gerrans, Admissions Counselor at Pepperdine University

Elton Lin: Welcome to our next webinar installment. I’m excited to introduce Kelli Gerrans, an admissions counselor at Pepperdine University and the school’s Northern California representative, so those of you who are interested in Pepperdine University will definitely want to connect with Kelli.

             Our students in the past have really enjoyed their time at Pepperdine, but there are some misunderstandings that I want to dispel about going to Pepperdine.

              Pepperdine has some amazing results for students, including a 90% admit rate for Pepperdine students applying to med school – which I think is outstanding! Just as a reference point, UC Berkeley is somewhere like 53 or 54%, which is on a national average for med school matriculation. So Pepperdine having 90% is crazy good! We want to delve into that, but before we do that I want to give Kelli an opportunity to introduce herself.  Kelli, would you share a little bit about yourself and who you are?

Kelli Gerrans: Definitely! Hi everyone. My name is Kelli Gerrans, and as previously shared, I am an admission counselor at Pepperdine University. If anyone here is interested in being an athlete at Pepperdine, I'm also the athletic liaison, so I work with all recruits that come into Pepperdine in the NCAA. I'll give you my email at the end, and you can definitely reach out about that.

            But a little bit about myself. Northern California has a close place in my heart. I grew up in the Bay Area and went to Archbishop Mitty, and I actually went to Pepperdine to play volleyball. I followed my brother, who was an athlete there as well. At first I was like, “No way, I'm not going there!” And then I visited campus and fell in love.

            I graduated in 2018 with a degree in political science and an emphasis in pre-law. And law school's not off the charts; I’m still studying for the bar and everything, going to the LSAT. But right now I'm an admissions counselor and getting my master's in clinical psychology from Pepperdine.  

            I love this school with everything in me, so I'm excited to answer the questions that you have, and to stay in contact with you in the future. And to all families and prospective    students listening, I hope you're all healthy and safe during this time. I'm really so sorry to hear about the fires going on up north. Please know that our community at Pepperdine is praying and thinking of all of you.

Elton Lin: Thank you so much, Kelli. Really appreciate the intro. Let’s dive right in! So many changes have been happening this past year: COVID-19, in addition to the other issues that are happening across the United States. What have been the greatest changes that have happened among your colleagues on campus?

Kelli Gerrans: That's a great question. The biggest one is that none of us are together!  We had to make a huge adjustment in spring – as did most colleges – to taking classes from home.

            Something that our president took an initiative on was mental health awareness -- something that I love to talk about. Not many students were prepared to be fully online, and so through the second half of spring into summer, and now to fall, we actually have mental health clinics – it’s one of the big changes on our campus and now you can actually escape class for a second and go speak to someone.

            We did originally plan to be back on campus in the fall. But unfortunately – with L.A. county and all the jurisdictions we have to follow – we are now going to be online in the fall, with hopes of being together in spring. But moving to online learning is an adjustment and we want to be there for our students however we can.

            There has been more of a richness of dialogue on campus, which is something that I appreciate, especially with the injustices going on. We've held more forums and more webinars for students who have any issues or are feeling like inequities have been done against them. Our president Jim Gash holds weekly student webinars to answer questions and we’ve provided more platforms during this time for students, staff and faculty to talk about the harder things. I would say that's the biggest change.

Elton Lin: That's really encouraging, in light of everything that's happening. And at Pepperdine -- since it’s not a large public school where that type of engagement is more difficult but is smaller --  being able to create space for students to interact directly with the university president  seems pretty privileged and a great opportunity.

            Let's dive into some specifics. You said Pepperdine is going online for this coming semester. I assume it's not the whole year. You're just reserving it for the semester, and seeing how it goes, and maybe reintegrating in-person back in the spring.

            But what are some other changes? UC Santa Barbara is doing 85% online courses. Other schools are doing hybrid models. What will the fall look like for Pepperdine?

Kelli Gerrans: We will be 100% online. We wanted to do a hybrid model at first, because certain classes --  lab sciences for example – are hard to do online. In the summer our faculty took time to figure out how to make it fully online. A large portion of our student body – and here's why we went online –is international. It was just going to create too much havoc and too much stress to try to do a hybrid model. We wanted to be fair and equal to all students. That's why we decided to be fully online.

            Also it was because our hands were a little bit tied, to be honest. We had to follow the jurisdiction. We wanted to be hybrid, but we just couldn't, and we didn't want to bring students to campus and then – end of September – have a case of COVID-19 and everyone has to go home. So we decided to have everyone be online through the fall.

            Students actually started school this week and we're going to send them home the week before Thanksgiving. Then they're not going to come back until the second week of February and then they will go home the first week of May.

            That's all providing if we do go in-person. If we’re online, we've been told by our administration that those dates might change a little. But for fall it’s solidified that they will go home the week before Thanksgiving.

Elton Lin: So every student who is planning to live on campus is invited back this coming fall, but every class will be online.

Kelli Gerrans: Let me clarify. No one's going to be living on campus at all. So, actually, no students are paying the housing fee and that cuts tuition for those students.

            The only students that will be allowed on campus are those with special circumstances. To give an example: food insecure or not safe at home. So we aren't closing doors to those students, because Pepperdine is a safe home for them. But for the majority of students who don't have special circumstances, they're going to be at home.

Elton Lin: I think that's a wise and sensitive approach.   Are there any other things planned for this coming fall? Since everything is remote is any on-campus activity happening?

Kelli Gerrans: Nothing this fall, just because we don't want to bring people in to say, “Okay, go home.” Especially to our international students.  

Elton Lin: Fair enough. Now let's go into the admissions process. If you don't mind, could you share a little bit about what the process looks like when an application lands on your desk?

Kelli Gerrans: Yes. For those applying for fall of 2021 – whether you're applying early action or regular decision – if you’re a senior, we have a big present for you all! We are test-optional. That will be posted on our website, but I just wanted to say that, in case you were wondering.

            One of the biggest changes in our admission process this year is that we are going to offer interviews. Many students are excited by that. Some aren't.  It's on a first-come, first-serve basis, and they're neither required nor recommended. It's, “Do you have something else in your application you would like to share with us? Is there something that you just don't know how to explain through writing? Are there questions you have for us?”

            For any parents listening, we also will allow you to ask questions because it's going to be via Zoom. There will be about 15 to 20 minutes per interview for parents.  

Elton Lin: You should interview parents too. Put the grill on them!

Kelli Gerrans: Yes, definitely! I think that that would probably be helpful.

            For students wondering about the interview process, we want this to be as stress free as possible. We are going to post our interview questions online so you will know exactly what they are. We're not there to trick you! We are doing this to help you, because we understand it's such a wild time.

            Those are the two biggest changes in our admission process. In terms of everything else, the process goes like this:

            At Pepperdine we are a Common Application school. I'm sure many of you are familiar with what that means. To apply to Pepperdine, you have to fill out that personal statement. Then we have one supplemental essay as well, and that talks about the fact that we are a faith-based institution. So I’ll answer the question I commonly get asked, which is more of a statement when it gets said to me: “So you have to be a Christian to go to Pepperdine, right?” No, you don't!

            I love talking about this. 50% of our student body affiliates with being a follower of Christ and we're very open about that and share that stat -- that's all denominations of Christianity. However, that leaves the other half of our student body: Hindu, Buddhist, Sikhism, atheist, agnostic, spiritual… My old intern used to say “yoga is life.” That was his mantra.  At Pepperdine, no matter where you come from on the faith spectrum, you have a seat at the table and your voice is going to be heard.

            So that's something that I want to make very clear to everyone listening here. We're not looking for you to be a Christian to admit you. We don't admit based on faith!  We also don’t admit based on your chosen major and we don't care if you put political science or undeclared; none of those things have a weight on whether or not you're admitted to Pepperdine.

            So with that being said, when you answer that supplemental question to apply to Pepperdine, we're just looking to get a feel for what your relationship with faith and spirituality is. I've had students who say, “I have none. What do I write about?” I say, “Great, write about that! Tell me things that you're passionate about. Tell me a little bit about your morals, your virtues, things that are right and wrong to you. Anything that you want to feel in your heart – put that on that paper.” That's what we want to see.

            We're looking for students who are going to be respectful and receptive to the dialogue of faith on campus. So to be transparent with you all, if you aren’t  willing to learn from someone who has a different worldview than your own, maybe Pepperdine's not right for you. And we're very honest about that. We expect students to come willing to try on the shoes of someone who sits next to them, even if they don't fit. That's what we want for you.

            Beyond the personal statement supplemental, you have the activities section. That'll be the next section you'll fill out on the Common App for Pepperdine. Some universities have a specific number of activities they're looking for, and they're like, “Perfect, done.” Not Pepperdine. We don't care about a specific number. We don't have one.

            But there are some things I like to tell students to please fill out thoroughly. The first one is a description. There's a place where you can legitimately describe what it is you're involved in. Please give us one, because – I've told you this – we read thousands of applications, so we don't have time to Google what it is you're a part of. If you can provide us a description, that's great. Then, at the bottom, tell us hours per week and weeks per year so we know your commitment to the activity and how long you've been involved, so we can see how that’s shaped you.

            And last but not least, what we're looking for is a letter of recommendation. At Pepperdine, we only require one but we guarantee that we'll read two. But if you submit more than two (say you submit three) we randomly select which two we then read. So I tell students to keep it to two.

            The first one has to come from a core academic teacher. Think math, English, science, history, foreign language. If you do come from a school that offers a religion course, they do count regarding letters of rec.

            This is something that we commonly see that I want to clarify: if you come from a high school where your high school counselor writes your letter of recommendation, we recommend that you then pick a core teacher to write that second letter. High school counselors are great – they really do get to know you – but we do want someone else who can speak directly to your involvement in the classroom.  

            That was a lot of talking! That was the Common App. I can jump into – if I have time – a little bit about the transcript requirements. Is that good?

Elton Lin: That’s super helpful! Definitely the part about how many letters of rec. There are other schools, like University of Chicago, that will actually take six letters of recommendation. But we always tell families for the admissions counselors, it becomes super belaboring to actually read that much content. So focusing on having two good letters and recommendations is the best thing.  

            With regards to that, maybe you can go into the transcript?  

Kelli Gerrans: Academically, you're probably wondering, “Okay, what do I need to get into Pepperdine?” I love that question. There's no minimum or maximum GPA to be admitted to Pepperdine. And, for those students that are applying as a senior, please know that if you like your test score and you want to include it, we're test-optional. If you don't,  you don’t need to include it. It's not going to hinder you one way or another.

            Submitting or not submitting test scores will not impact your ability to have financial aid or a merit scholarship. We evaluate every student based on what you provide us for a scholarship. So if you only give us a GPA, that's what we're going to use.

            What we're looking for in transcripts – and we only look at your 9th, 10th, and 11th grade core academic courses, so the ones I listed before: math, English, science, history, foreign language, religion – we're looking for two things. One: an upward trend. We're looking at each year to see that if you came from a high school that offered a good amount of rigor each year – you took a little bit more. If you didn't come from a high school that offered a lot of rigor, we’re looking for your grades to get better each year.

            With that being said, we say “rigor with reason.” You all are from the Bay Area and come from some of the hardest high schools in the U.S. In terms of expectations, we want to make sure that you look back on your high school experience and have had a good time. We're not looking that you took all 20 APs that were offered! Instead, we tell students, “Take classes that you enjoy!” If you like history, take history. If you hate history, don't take AP U.S. history!

            We want to see that you did do well in the courses that you took for 9th, 10th, and 11th grade. We recalculate that GPA to a 4.0 on a weighted scale. Inevitably, for the overachievers, here I get asked, “Okay, but what does that do to my GPA? I had a 4.2, but you recalculated. Now it's going to be down below 4.0!” Don't worry. Every time that we see an AP or an IB course, that’s a point towards your application. But we do have to recalculate it, because we need to evaluate all our students on a fair and even playing field.

            And just to know, for last year I'll give you the mid 50%. For the incoming fall of 2019, the GPA for those students for the first year was 3.64 to 3.97. For those that did submit an SAT, it was a 1350 to a 1450, and the ACT was a 28 to 33.

            But please, if your GPA falls below, or is higher, don't think, “That's it, I'm not going to Pepperdine.” Because that means 25% of our student body fell below those GPAs and test scores, and 25% applied and had gotten above. We evaluate each student holistically.

            That's something I really want you to take away from this webinar. We're looking at you as a whole. We're not just looking at your GPA and grades and saying, “That's it. You’re in.” To be very honest with everyone here, there are students we deny because we don't think they're going to be a good community fit. It's not all about grades. It's about what you're going to bring to the table, and how you're also going to impact our community. Maybe you fall below our mid 50% GPA, but you bring a lot to the table: you could be admitted. I've seen both cases.

Elton Lin: Just for clarity – you mentioned test-optional. Many of students have asked: “Is ‘test-optional’ really test-optional? If a student doesn’t submit a test score, maybe you'd think that the student got a low score?”  Are there those thoughts you might have when you don't see a test score come in?

Kelli Gerrans: That’s a question I can't answer yet, because we haven't even started reading. This is our first year being test-optional. But as far as what our dean of admissions is saying, if a student doesn’t submit a test score, our thought is they couldn't submit a test score. We don't want to hold this global pandemic against these students, and so that's why I say for this next admission cycle we are test-optional.

            We're going to see if we will carry that into future years. Our dean hopes so. To be transparent with everyone, we want to, but we're just going to see how this cycle goes.

            If you don't submit it, our thought isn't going to be, “Well, they just didn't take it,” or, “They did badly.” Rather, it's just going to be, “There was a global pandemic; they couldn't take it.”  

Elton Lin: Thank you for that. And just to get extra-granular on something that's less important than what I just asked: for SAT subject tests and AP scores, how do you factor those numbers into the review?

Kelli Gerrans: The SAT and the ACT are both superscored. So if you do submit it, we will take your highest score from every category and compile it together as a superscore. We do not require subject tests and we do not require the essay, so if you do submit it, we won't require any of that in the actual application review.

            We weigh your GPA – and this was even when we did have a test requirement – we weigh your GPA heavier than your test score. This is from research that our office does – a test score often is a better indicator of socioeconomic status. We want to make sure that we are honoring where all students come from.

            That's how we look at test scores. We want to see that you did well in the class, and then we'll see what your test score was.

Elton Lin: You mentioned rigor and AP classes, and that you want to see AP classes within reason, but at the same time there's definitely high schools that don't have the same number of AP courses.  There are different options for different students. Do you know high schools well enough to factor that into the process?

Kelli Gerrans: I love that question. Yes. That is something that we look at before looking at your transcript. So it's not like I'm getting a transcript from Palo Alto High School and Bellarmine and that's it, I'm diving in!

            I look at your school profile; it's a requirement. It's the first thing we look at when we're evaluating your application. It tells us the context of the environment you studied in. I can't look at a transcript without knowing those numbers! We're very data-driven at Pepperdine, and so we look at those data we see what is offered from there. Then we have a little expectation of what we want to see on your transcript.

            However, what's awesome about being a Common Application school – and, I would say, even better is the fact that we do holistically review your context – it paints the picture of your transcript. Every student here knows that. So if there was something going on in your sophomore year in high school, and you're grades tipped, that context will show us why. But your school profile shows us what was offered.

            So yes, we do know the schools well enough to know what to expect from each of you!

Elton Lin: Let’s talk about essays. You must read a ton of essays, and you probably read the same stories over and over again. I know the big joke right now is that there's going to be a ton of COVID essays – and perhaps you're hoping to veer away from that! But what are some essays, or types of essays, that you like reading? What are good essays in your opinion?

Kelli Gerrans: I love that question! I've done three years of this role, and for that personal statement, remember that it goes to every school you're applying to on the Common App. That's my biggest piece of advice. I've read a lot of essays – and I've been a representative for Pepperdine. Now I have a lot of good friends that work for LMU, but I've read personal statements that start with, “The reason I want to go to LMU is because…” And I'm like, “Oh no! This student probably applied to seven schools, and sent this one to all of them!” So please keep that essay generic! That’s my biggest piece of advice.

            And here's the second piece of advice I give to all students. College admissions people do not care what prompt you choose. Fun fact: we don't care. What we care about is the context of what's written. And there's one question every admissions person, regardless of whom you apply to in the Common App, wants answered: why should we want this student on our campus? That's what you need to answer in that essay. So, regardless of whether you're writing about an organization you're a part of or wanting to be an astronaut in the future, answer in that essay why we should want you. Please make yourself the hero of the story. That's the biggest way to show us why we should want you.

            So, for a great example of that, we get a ton of “I tore my ACL” essays. They're athletes, and they're writing about that horrible experience. I was an athlete. I tore my ACL. I get it. But the whole experience is just about recovering from that injury. We didn't learn anything about that student!

            Or another one: grandma essays. They're a joke for us. But we all love our grandmas, and we read a lot in our office about how great grandma was, and where she was born and raised, and what she's doing now. And at the end of the essay we're left with, “Okay, let's admit grandma.” We learned nothing about the student.

            So my big piece of advice -- please relate what you're writing back to you. It’s uncomfortable to brag about yourself, but this is your one opportunity to make yourself the shining star of the story. So brag! Brag, but also be humble. But really make yourself the center of attention in that essay, and show your character. Show what you would bring to the table on a campus.

            Those would be my big takeaways for the essay.

Elton Lin: If you don't mind, what would be a good example? You don't need to give details, but what's a good example?

Kelli Gerrans: If you think of something that really gets you up in the morning and gets you excited, and you can relate it back to yourself, that's awesome.

            There was an essay that I always use as an example. A tangible item. Hats. This young man related hats back to himself – so he had a 26 piece hat collection. I remember this essay to this day. It was my first year being an admissions counselor, and it stood out to me.

            I have one hat, so I was really impressed and he had 26 hats. And he related every single hat back to a different character trait of himself. A lot of them were sports hats, so he talked about the Forty-niners, and then he went to baseball and talked about the Yankees – to which I was like “You can't be a Yankees fan!” And he went through; every single hat related to a different piece of himself and took me on a journey.

            So if you can take your reader on a journey, and you can show us your personality, that's amazing. And to everyone here, if you have a humorous side, show it! We read – I would say – every week during reading season I read about a thousand essays, and that's on a good week! If you can make us laugh – because sometimes they get kind of dry – even better – show a quirky part of yourself, whatever makes you unique! Because we're reading so much. We're sitting right here glued to the screen. If you can make us have a smile on our face you'll stand out in that application process.

Elton Lin: Here's where I feel like there's a lot of misconception about how the essay really should be viewed. And this is no offense to parents who are on this call right now, but I feel like parents tend to feel like the essay needs to be a running resume. And you said “Brag, brag, brag, but be humble.”

            I’m getting a sense that you're wanting to get a sense of the personhood of the students, right? So that may be a little bit different than just saying, “Let me brag about all my achievements.” What are your thoughts on that?”

Kelli Gerrans: I would say to that, brag about yourself, not about what you've done. So brag about your character. Make your character show.

            We have essay writing workshops, so if anyone here ever wants to participate in one, send me an email! And one thing we talk about is, show us if you were to open up the door to your room. Show us everything you're a part of. We're not going to take away much; however if you can show us just an inkling – just one thing that you're part of, and your personality – we're going to remember that!

            Your activity section can be your resume. You can have your resume, and you can put that in. But please don't tell me more about the organization you're part of, or the club you started, in that essay. We've seen it in the activities section. Tell us something different than it being a running resume! That's another common one we get in our office. It's not unique. It's very common for students to write that way, and that's fine. But if you could focus on one thing and make your character shine, you're going to stand out far more to colleges.

Elton Lin: Awesome! Let's switch over to, “Why Pepperdine?” I know there are a lot of families on the call right now who are thinking about applying to Pepperdine, and I mentioned the 90% admit rate for Pepperdine grads going into med school! Tell me why is Pepperdine such a great place to study to prepare for going to med school?

Kelli Gerrans: I love that. Let's talk about med school!

            We’re very proud of that 90% acceptance rate and wear it as a golden star.  If you want to be a pre-med student, you get an academic advisor, and she's been advising students at Pepperdine for 25 years. Her name is Dr. Laurie Nelson. And if you want her email, she loves talking to prospective students and families.

            Laurie is the reason we have that high rate. Her network is large and vast in L.A. and across the country. So she, unlike in other colleges, follows every single pre-med student from the minute they declare pre-med. She will send you an email – because it's automated in our system – to shoot her an email to set up a conversation. In that conversation, she asks you questions such as, “Why med school? What are you interested in studying?”

            Then she'll sit down with you and talk about medical schools that you'll land – for sure schools, dream schools, and reach schools. Laurie's job is to help get you into at least one. That's her goal, and so she really works with every student. And she's a resource that doesn't leave you until you get into med school.

            Some students joke, “Laurie became like a best friend because, she was always there for me and she answered all my questions.” So Laurie will be on you with everything. She'll make sure that you're getting the right grades in all your courses to get into a particular medical school.

            Some students have said that she's kind of harsh and everyone will reply, “Well, she's getting you into med school!” She'll tell you, for example, to retake O-chem, if it's not a grade that's going to get you in. She'll set you up with a tutor over summer and take you to a place where she knows you will do well. Laurie sets you up with an MCAT tutor and she prepares you.

            So for all students interested in going to medical school, you understand that if you apply to medical school your senior year, you have that gap year to get your answer back before you can go. That year, Laurie will set up those students with research opportunities, because medical schools like to see research on their resumes. For students who want to start medical school right after their senior year and jump into it right after they graduate, she will set you up your sophomore year with an MCAT tutor, to take the test your junior year, to apply to find out by the time you graduate from Pepperdine.

            She has this process down! She's amazing. And she works with all of our students. She's the reason that percentage is so high, and in her opinion she's like, “I'm not leaving Pepperdine anytime soon!” All these students would have the privilege of working with her, and she loves to talk about what you're interested in. And her whole thing is to make sure you go to medical school in the U.S. She wants to make sure you get that education. And she wants to be there for you.

            So if you're in that gap year still waiting to hear back, she will bug you and say, “Are you doing your research? Do you have an internship? Can I set you up in a private practice? A pediatrician's office? What can I do?” She's amazing!

Elton Lin: I will say, I don't know if I've heard anything like that! I mean, definitely there are universities all over the United States that have study groups and advising and all those kind of things. But to really have somebody who's dedicated and passionate about seeing every student who wants to go to med school get into med school!   It's like having another mom – auntie's older sister – whatever the case may be, but somebody in your family whose goal is to help you get into med school. That's impressive and encouraging!

Kelli Gerrans: Definitely! And something I’d like to mention is our dentistry stat. We have a 99% acceptance rate – ninety-nine percent – into dental school! That one is a stat that our career center loves to bring up.  

Elton Lin: 99%!

Kelli Gerrans: 99! If you want to look at the data, our class that goes to dental school from Pepperdine is typically far smaller than the ones that want to be a pediatrician or they want to be an all-care doctor or they want to be a surgeon of some type. But for those dental students, they have a very high acceptance rate! And those are to dental schools in the U.S.

            And all this data is public. So if you ever want to reach out to me or to Dr Laurie Nelson or to our career center and get these stats and read them, please reach out. I'd be happy to provide them to you.

Elton Lin: I think this conversation essentially crescendoed at that point of 99%! 

Kelli Gerrans: Yeah. But if you do well, and you abide by her standards, she goes a long way for you to write you a strong letter of rec.

Elton Lin: Fair enough. So you can't just take a nap for four years, and then expect med school.

Kelli Gerrans: No, you actually have to work!

Elton Lin: All right, fair enough. In Silicon Valley there are a lot of students who are interested in potentially studying computer science – is there a fervent computer science community? I know there's a department at Pepperdine, but studying STEM at a liberal arts type school like Pepperdine, what is that like? 

Kelli Gerrans: Two years ago we created two different types of computer science majors.

            So to explain, there's computer science mathematics and computer science logistics. In the logistics of computer science, you're studying the theory of computer science. Many students who pursue that route then take a business role in a company to explain why it's important that people understand these theories. So their job is more of a consultant.

            For computer science mathematics, you're doing the breakdown of data. You're doing that hard leg work. A lot of those students go on to get a master's degree or some sort of graduate program to get a specialized degree in the type of STEM they're interested in.

            We've also created a new computer science club where you have to be a computer science major in either mathematics or logistics to join, or you can have the minor. It's a almost like a think tank, where yout go in and think of different ways to even innovate things on Pepperdine's campus.

            For everyone interested, all majors have a required internship and it’s four units for computer science students. You work with your career advisor. Some students choose to work with the faculty, who are working on their own outside projects. They might have their own businesses, and you can intern with them to get research hours.

            That's a requirement that lets you get your toes wet to figure out, “Do I really want to do computer science?”  

Elton Lin: I'm not sure I knew that. At Pepperdine, all majors have a mandatory internship? 

Kelli Gerrans: Yes, and it doesn't have to be related to your major. For example, I was a political science major but I did a marketing internship with Gatorade, just because I thought it would be interesting!”  

            We want students to really get something on their resume. It's a push to be like, “You have to get something on your resume while you're a student at Pepperdine!” Hey, you're going to get four units out of it, credit for it – so please, go do it!

Elton Lin: And if you're making it mandatory, obviously this is where – similar to schools like Northeastern or Drexel that have a mandatory co-op program – if you're making it mandatory you are putting the resources behind it to also help students find those internships?

Kelli Gerrans: Absolutely!

Elton Lin: That's great. What about business majors? I know that it's been a popular major for a lot of students. How is the business major administered at Pepperdine?

Kelli Gerrans: Business is our most popular major, partly because of our five-year MBA program, which is very successful! In five years, you get what most students get in seven—a B.S. in business, and a master's degree in your specialty, whether that's accounting, finance, marketing… whatever type of business you're interested in.

            For that five-year program, there’s actually a two internship requirement. You'll do one internship while you're in undergrad and then, after you walk with your class that fourth year – the fifth year is spent on our grad campus and you have to do an internship for that whole year.

            However, some students panic at the thought: how am I going to get my classes done and get an internship? We give you a list of companies that we work with so that fifth year you literally just send them a notes saying, “I work in this program, what can I do?” And they say, “Here you go!” There are about six different companies that we work with in L.A. and it's an L.A.-located internship that you do for a year. The goal is to get a handshake job offer after graduation. So we really do feed into those companies!

            In terms of what that program looks like, business is a major I wish I would have pursued when I was a student at Pepperdine. Here's why. Four of our business faculty own their own startups, so not only are they faculty for you, they are more than willing to have you learn how to create your own startup.   You guys all are from Silicon Valley, so you understand what that can do for you! And, two, you can get research or internship opportunities – or maybe even a job after graduation!

            Our business division has the most faculty who are still involved in their field of study, because they just keep going!   If you're interested, pursue it and plug into your faculty, because they will help you!

Elton Lin: Awesome! And just to continue on this conversation, I feel like among people who don't know Pepperdine as you've already shared, there's a lot of merit to going to Pepperdine – but there are certainly swaths of the population that may not know Pepperdine as well. They may be thinking, “Hey, if I come out with a Pepperdine degree, will hiring managers know about Pepperdine?” I would say, “Of course they do!” but with regards to hiring patterns that are happening in Pepperdine, what can you share about students who are graduating?

Kelli Gerrans: Something that students get to be a part of is PepConnect, and you’ll be part of our alumni alliance and handshake and you have to be a wave to be a part of it. The biggest percentage of our students is hired through alumni. I would say the network at Pepperdine is incredibly strong!

            We do something through our career center called a career trek. They take as many students as sign up – and this would be a pre-pandemic situation – and they offer two career treks every semester. Forty-five students on average go. We take care of airfare,   hotels,   food, and other transportation and take you to world market centers and companies where there is an alumnus there.

            Here’s why. We want you to say, “ “Hi, I'm Kelli. I'm at Pepperdine. I would like to work for you. How would I get in your shoes? What did you once do to get to where you are?”

            We want to help you by putting you in the place that could help you. We don't want to just provide you the resources and say, “Go!” We want to actually walk with you to make that possible.

            So that's something at Pepperdine that has made our rate of employment after graduation spike. 89% of our graduates are fully employed six months after graduation. It was 86% two years ago, and so this program greatly helped uplift it by three percent!

            As for the liberal arts education – and some people are pro-it, some aren't – but I would say liberal arts gives you things other universities don't that aren't liberal arts. The biggest one for everyone here is that you garner and create and strengthen communication skills.

            In a more technologically advanced society – which you are all aware of in Silicon Valley – we're always looking down. It's important that you know what to do when you're looking up – when you're engaging with someone else – and you know how to speak in public and are not nervous to do so. You know how to get it together and debate with someone that you disagree with.

            You'll gain all of that at Pepperdine, because you will have to take a debate class and a public speaking class. It’s required. We want to teach you these skills because – as technology gets better – your voice has to go with it, or technology is going to just leave you! We want to make sure that you're able to succeed with technology and with how our society is moving. That's something you get at liberal arts. We also send out surveys to companies where our students are currently working to find out how are our students are doing  Now more than ever they're saying Pepperdine students’ communication skills are off the charts. “It's great having someone who knows how to speak up for themselves, but also knows how to sit and have a calm conversation.” So those would be some of the big things.

Elton Lin: You're not just necessarily training somebody to go into the workforce; you're training someone to really succeed in the marketplace and learn how to communicate. Technical ability is of course very important, but being able to advocate for yourself, communicate, lead a team, and really function well in that capacity is going to help students be successful for years to come.

Kelli Gerrans: Absolutely.

Elton Lin: All right. Before we go in the Q&A, I'm just thinking about 99%, 90% – good numbers! – but what might be other reasons that a student should consider going to Pepperdine

Kelli Gerrans: The first one that comes up is the class size. I grew up in the Bay Area. I understand a lot of students here want to go to Cal, and they want to go to Stanford, UCLA… They want to go to the big classes.

            But Pepperdine is a top 50 university, and you get a small class size. You get 17 students per class, and a 13 to 1 student-to-faculty ratio. At those other schools that I listed, it’s rare to be known by your faculty.  My best friend went to USC, and she's like, “My faculty never knew me by name.”

            At Pepperdine you get a top 50 education where your professors know you by name. That means they can write you that letter of recommendation. They can help get your foot in the door at a company. In a big class somewhere you can pursue your faculty member, but whether or not they're going to remember you is up to the impact that you make on them. Whereas with a small class size, the faculty will know your name after that first week, because there's 13 of you in some classes, 20 at most in others. So that's a big reason to pursue Pepperdine.

            And no – if anyone’s wondering – it's not high school 2.0. It doesn't mean everyone knows your business. When I was a student, I was highly involved, and when I walked my senior year, I was sitting next to people I had no idea who they were, and they had no idea who I was. So it's big enough to feel like a college campus, but small enough that you'll walk across campus and see a familiar face. You'll see people who will be willing to help you, but you'll also get to meet new people that whole time who can help you in your future vocation. So that would be one of my biggest reasons to choose Pepperdine.

            And another one – for all high school students here listening – it's a community where you don't have to pretend to be someone you're not. High school is often all about forging your identity. It's about figuring out who you are. At Pepperdine, we want you to bring whoever you are to the table. We don't want you to have to feel like you have to fit; we don't want you to feel like you have to put on a persona.

            What I appreciated about Pepperdine is as I was even finding my faith as a student, I could have that open dialogue. Now, there's judgment everywhere. Any university that says there's no judgment is lying! There are going to be cliques and judgment at every university. But in terms of acceptance, I felt so accepted.

            And even as everything was happening with the election, and as a female, I felt like I had faculty that were supporting me in the past election with everything going on. It's a community where you don't have to put a mask on. You can be yourself.  

Elton Lin: Fantastic. And actually, I wanted to make sure you touched on this, because we talked about this in our pre-call, but with regards to the flexibility of the community, that you're intentionally wanting to find students who are different, and really wanting students who are different to engage with each other. And with regards to the pressure to be something that you're not, I really appreciate this inclusive and embracing community that you're communicating. Fantastic!

            Why don't we go into questions? If I can invite Anthony back in? And if you have questions and you want to share them, go ahead and post them in the Q&A box. And let's take some questions, shall we?

Anthony Su: We do have a lot of questions to go through! I think everyone's excited to learn more. I have a family member who said, “Hey, my student is at the local community college taking courses as a substitute for junior year and senior year courses because they want to pursue something in the medical field and thought courses in that community college would be better than something like AP bio or AP chem.” They're wondering how Pepperdine would view AP or IB versus dual enrollment at a community college.

Kelli Gerrans: When you apply to Pepperdine, we don't have required courses. So pay attention! Some colleges have required courses to apply. And recall, I said at the beginning that we do not admit by major!

            The student you describe would be a transfer. Even as a transfer we're not looking at coursework! You have transferable courses. Dual enrollment courses transfer very similarly to AP courses. So our academic advisers will take care of that for you.

            Something to know about Pepperdine is we don't offer pre-advising because we have over 16,000 applications, but there's a committee of 20 of us dealing with all of that! Once you're admitted, you will get an academic adviser who will send you a degree audit report. That shows you how many classes – whether dual enrollment or AP – that you took that transferred.

            In terms of how that would look, it's really about performance. If you performed well in those courses, that will help you. If you didn't, that could hurt you in terms of acceptance. It's just solely based off of those grades and those core academic courses. But if you are admitted, your grades in those courses aren't going to impact your ability to be pre-med once you're admitted. You can declare pre-med.

Elton Lin:  If the student is in middle college or taking the majority of their classes in high school at the community college they probably aren't applying as a transfer, but perhaps they're asking, “How do you view community college classes in relation to high school AP courses?”

Kelli Gerrans: We're very open about it. We'll look at your school profile, regardless of where you're attending. It's not like we look at high school greater than a middle college, or greater than a community college. We take you in the context of where you're coming from. If that's where you studied, we'll look at that transcript. It's not going to be judgment. It's not going to be, “Oh, they didn't go to high school, didn't finish.” We're going to look at your school profile and take it from there. 

Elton Lin: I think they're wondering whether community college is an advantage! I think that that, perhaps, may be the root of that question; I'm not sure.

Kelli Gerrans: It depends on your performance. If you were somewhere just because it had a great name, but you didn't do well – that's not going to help you in the application process. It's all about how you do. 

Anthony Su: People also had some questions about the comment, “We don't admit based on major” and asked, “How important are major-related activities on my resume for applying?” And then also, “Is it easy to switch if I want to change that later on?”

Kelli Gerrans: In terms of not admitting by major –none of our majors are impacted. So… this will never happen – but say half of our incoming student body declares business. We would hire more faculty to keep that student-to-faculty ratio.

            In terms of major-specific work, because we're not admitting by major, for the courses that you took and your extracurricular activities we're not going think, “Oh, they'd be a great business student.” Instead we’d think, “Wow, this is a great student, period!”

            We'll look at the courses and we'll make sure you did well in them. But for activities -- say you were part of a business organization and you were an intern – that looks great on your application regardless of whether or not you want to pursue business. That shows us that you're taking initiative. You're showing leadership. Service. You're working. If you say, “Hey, I'm interested in business,” and you show us your activities, that you did all of this – that helps you in the application for sure, because it shows us, “Wow, this student's really taking initiative!”

            It easy to switch your major -- I'm a walking example of how easy it is to switch. I think I was going to give my parents an aneurysm, because I switched my major four times! I went in undeclared, but you don't have to declare your major until the end of your sophomore year. We do this on purpose. We don't expect you to come into college knowing exactly what it is you want to do.

            We have you take lots of general education courses and figure it out. You have to declare something by the end of your sophomore year and you have until the end of your junior year to solidify that. I had a friend who did, in fact, not declare their major – like they changed, and kept changing, until mid-junior year – and still graduated on time. So it is possible.

            And for everyone here wondering, people who double major versus those who have one, the graduation rate is the same. That's a great stat for Pepperdine! So our academic advisers will make sure you can graduate on time.

Anthony Su: Perfect! There was also a question relating to graduating on time. What’s the percentage of students that graduate within four or six years?

Kelli Gerrans: 74% of our students graduate in four years, which is 35% above the national average. Our academic advisers are kind of like Laurie Nelson; you'll get your own as well. So for pre-med students, you get Laurie Nelson and an academic adviser. They are there to make sure you succeed. All students get an academic adviser, and they will send you emails to say, “Hey, you enrolled in 12 units. If you still want to walk with your class, you should probably take 16.”

            I, for example, tried to enroll in 12, and before my senior year my academic adviser,   sent me an email and said, “Hey, Kelli, I think you should take a summer school course if you still want to walk with your class,” so I did enroll in a course. Academic advisers help  make sure you graduate on time, and they're a big portion of that 74%.

Anthony Su: We want to hear about study abroad opportunities as well! Because I think that is something that Pepperdine is really proud of  and that a lot of students participate in.

Kelli Gerrans: Definitely! So Pepperdine is consistently ranked in the top five for international programs in the nation. Here's why --top three reasons.

One: when you study abroad as a Pepperdine student, you are working with Pepperdine faculty and taking their courses. The same faculty that would teach in Melbourne are the ones you're traveling abroad with. So wherever you're going – maybe that's Lausanne, Switzerland; Argentina; London –they travel with you. All courses transfer.

            Two: you are living and working in Pepperdine-owned facilities.  For example, if you're going to Italy, we have our own villa in Venice and own the land and own the property so you are in a safe space… Faculty typically bring their family. And you have a roommate there. Your parents can come visit; there are guest rooms. You never have to worry, “Where am I going to stay? What's my rent going to be?”

            Which leads to the third point: when you travel abroad as a Pepperdine student, your financial aid travels with you. So you don't have to worry about that being a factor that is going to change.

            86% of our students go abroad during their time at Pepperdine and during new student orientation your second week at Pepperdine, we let you begin the application process and encourage students to do so. There are multiple different offerings during the year --you can go for one semester, or two: fall and spring. Some people go fall, spring, and the two months of summer!

            Since there are a lot of students who are interested in pre-med, I want you to know that during the summer, we have major-specific programs. I’ll explain. When you're traveling abroad during the year – and maybe you're in Lausanne, Switzerland – you're only taking general education courses. But if you travel abroad during the summer, we have major-specific courses.

            Pre-med students – only – go on a medical mission to Fiji. You're there for a month to two months, and we pair with Doctors Without Borders so you can see, “Is this something I would really want to do?” Dr. Laurie Nelson sets that up. Of course, you can't work with the patients, but you get to observe and see whether or not that's something that you would want to do.

            So everyone is really jealous, because you have to be pre-med to go, and you get to be in Fiji!

Elton Lin: You get to observe in Fiji?

Kelli Gerrans: Yes! My best friend, who's currently at USC medical school, would send pictures and it was ludicrous! She'd be with doctors from eight to noon, and then just out in Fiji. Yep, hard life! But that's a little bit about our study abroad.

Anthony Su: That sounds great! Not only do you have that experience, but the courses all line up. Awesome.

            There's a question about other three-plus-two programs also, or five-year. As you mentioned with the five-year MBA. If there are other options like that available also at Pepperdine?

Kelli Gerrans: Definitely. This is the Bay Area, so maybe some of you are interested in engineering. We do have a 3-2 program and just implemented part of that – a 3-3 program. I'll explain.

            We have a 3-2 engineering program and we pair with Washington St. Louis and USC. Your first three years are spent at Pepperdine doing more of the logistic and theory work of engineering at Pepperdine. Then we send you apply wherever you want -- to USC or Washington St. Louis.

            A lot of students are worried: it is an automatic acceptance? If you keep above a 3.4, it's an automatic acceptance into those two programs. And if not, our head of our engineering department will write a letter of recommendation on your behalf.

            It would be three years and then two, and you would get a diploma from both. Some students worry about what that would look like. Well, you have a Pepperdine degree and another university degree.

            In regards to the 3-3, we just started a 3-3 program. Your first three years are spent at Pepperdine, and your last three are spent at USC or Washington St. Louis, and you go into a master's program from there. So it's six years. It's a 3-3 program. You get your undergraduate degree and a master's degree in a focus in engineering.

            Those are those two programs.

Elton Lin: I know there are a couple parents of students who are considering engineering or computer science, and I think it's a great way – especially with regards to the computer science pool being so competitive right now – that you can begin at Pepperdine and finish at USC engineering school, or Wash U. engineering school. That's a great opportunity! 

Anthony Su: We do have a lot of questions, but are running out of time. So maybe the last two. A question about co-ops.  I think this applicant was interested in psychology and criminal law. But we are also wondering about co-ops and opportunities there.

Kelli Gerrans: In terms of things that they can do to get their toes in the field of study? Is that what you mean?

Anthony Su: Right. Things like that. 

Kelli Gerrans: Yes, definitely! I think you said forensic psychology? 

Anthony Su: Mmm-hmm

Kelli Gerrans: Right. We always get asked about that, so we’re very honest. People would think we have psychology or marine biology because of our location. I tell a lot of students this is just a caveat. If you're interested in marine biology, please go to Santa Barbara, because they're amazing. We don't have forensic psychology.

            However, what we do have at Pepperdine is an emphasis program --so you could be a psychology major with an emphasis in forensic psychology, and you create your own senior capstone around forensic psychology. But you won't get a degree in it.

            What we can do is set you up in an internship or a career opportunity through your career adviser. There also are two psychology professors at Pepperdine who can help. One previously worked for the CIA and so knows a lot about that. And the other one currently does research for the government.

            There are opportunities to pair with your faculty, and this is why I tell students, please, please get to know your faculty! Ask them about the research they've been a part of. Ask them about their jobs and what they've published. Because then students can get their toes wet in those fields!

            Just because we don't have it listed as a major or minor doesn't mean you can't create an emphasis or be a part of it!

Elton Lin: Anthony, can we do the one about LGBT?

Anthony Su: Yes -- the LGBTQ community at Pepperdine and whether a member would be comfortable on campus. Are there clubs or things like that there?

Kelli Gerrans: I love that question in particular because I just spearheaded research for Pepperdine for the LGBTQ+ community and whether or not it's inclusive. During my visits last year I had a lot of students who were inquiring about transitioning, and whether or not there was a place for them on Pepperdine's campus.

            We just recently changed all our bathrooms to gender-neutral. And all of our faculty actually have a ton of changes and trying to understand the community. This is how you speak to this population. These are the questions they want asked.

            We're actively trying to educate ourselves, so we're not ignorant anything that this community is feeling. We have Crossroads at Pepperdine, which is a club for those members who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community.

            I would say at Pepperdine, everyone just accepts – regardless of faith. Some people think, “a Christian University -- they're not going to welcome me.” It’s not like that!  I'm very open about the fact that one of my best friends was in that community and he felt very loved at Pepperdine. It's a place where you are going to be welcome and your voice will be heard and opportunities are rich as well, because we're so close to Santa Monica, so close to L.A. It's a community of people that will love and support you.  

            To anyone inquiring about transition housing, I don't know if you've read the research on it, but there are some universities that are creating housing for that. At Pepperdine we have just dipped our toes in the creation of that, and what it would look like. So please know it is on our radar and it is what we're thinking about!

Elton Lin: Maybe a question with regards to deferrals -- are you guys seeing an inordinate amount of students requesting referrals for next year?

Kelli Gerrans: Good question. So – fun fact about Pepperdine  – we don't defer. Those students would just be withdrawing. We have a re-application process.

Anthony Su: That's different!

Kelli Gerrans: Sounds silly, but if you applied through the Common App and were admitted, for the re-ap all you do is re-submit your Common Application. That one has a 90% re-acceptance rate, providing that you didn't do anything illegal, immoral, or unethical during that time.

            So, typically, the students requesting a withdrawal already filled out the re-ap. “It's COVID-19, this global pandemic, affected my ability to come in.” We did see a large amount, as most universities did, and so a lot of our students are requesting a semester or a year off to be able to come back.

            Please know, if you are a current student you have the ability to essentially take a gap semester or a gap year and still stay a student. So we did have some current sophomores, for example, who are going to be taking a year off for financial reasons, and then come back.

Anthony Su: Awesome. Kelli, if you're okay with it – I'd love to share your email with everyone here.

Kelli Gerrans: Let's do!  I would love that.

Anthony Su: Please email Kelli and ask her about those topics that we weren't able to get to. Kelli – thank you for being here and answering these questions! 

Elton Lin: Yes, thank you so much, Kelli. I appreciate your time. And 99% dental school admission rate – for crying out loud! If there's one take-home message…

Kelli Gerrans: I hope it's that one!

Elton Lin: 90% med school admit rate, 99% dental school admit rate. Goodness gracious! Good to hear, and thank you again, Kelli.

            We have another webinar next week coming up, which is “What seniors should be doing now,” and it's going to be led by Dana Meyer, one of the educational consultants on our team. Those of you who are seniors and are not sure what you need to be doing, jump onto that webinar and ask your questions! We'll meet you next Thursday night at seven.

            Thank you so much again. Kelli’s email is there; definitely reach out to her!

Anthony Su: Thank you all, and thank you, Kelli, for joining us.

Kelli Gerrans: Thank you. This was great!

Elton Lin: Thank you guys!