Adam Troy and his fellow high school classmates celebrate their sports signing day at the Humble Civic Center. Troy committed to the Pepperdine baseball team and will start playing fall 2022. Photo Courtesy of Adam Troy
After several months of anticipation, Pepperdine’s early action applicants for fall 2022 received their decision letters.
While the Class of 2026 is not yet complete, Pepperdine expects to form an incoming class of 900 students, Admissions Counselor Katie White wrote in a Feb 3. email to the Graphic. The University received 12,371 applications for the incoming class, White wrote.
Regular decision applicants will receive their decision letters on or before April 1, White wrote. Incoming first-year Delaney Dickey of Casa Grande, Ariz., said she is eager to come to Pepperdine in the fall.
“I was a lot more excited about being accepted to Pepperdine than I felt with the other schools so that kind of felt like a sign,” Dickey said. “There was a reason that I applied here so now I am excited about it.”
Dickey said she vividly remembers the day she received her acceptance letter to Pepperdine. She remembers the exact date and place she was when she opened her phone and saw an email that read, “Pepperdine Admissions Decision.”
“It was Dec. 17 and I was sending last-minute Christmas cards,” Dickey said. “My little sister had my phone and [handed it] to me because I got the Gmail notification,” Dickey said. “I opened it while putting my letters in the mailbox. So I was like, ‘Oh, I got into Pepperdine.’ It was shocking because I wasn’t expecting to hear back that quickly.”
Incoming first-year Adam Troy of Houston, Texas said he had a similar experience to Dickey when he received his acceptance letter. As a baseball recruit for Pepperdine, he said he felt relieved because it made everything official.
“[I] got admitted a month ago, and that was a super good feeling for sure,” Troy said. “It kind of put the period on the whole thing. It was just like, it’s done. Like, I’m going to Pepperdine. I’m committed.”
In addition to the traditional application process, Troy said he attended a baseball recruitment camp in early October where he spent several days showcasing his skills to the Pepperdine coaches. A few days later he received an offer and flew back to Malibu for his official visit.
“I felt super [relieved] knowing I committed and that entire kind of thing was off my plate,” Troy said.
While visiting, Troy said he was at ease about his choice to attend Pepperdine.
“I wasn’t there necessarily on a business kind of trip to prove something to the coaches, I was there to enjoy Malibu and being there with future teammates,” Troy said.
While the initial stress of waiting for an admission decision is over, both Dickey and Troy said they are elated but also worried about leaving home for the first time.
Dickey said she is thrilled to be in a new place she hasn’t experienced before.
“I am excited to see places that are going to become more familiar with me as time goes on,” Dickey said. “So choosing the places that’s like, ‘oh, yeah, me and my friends hang out in this place. Or, oh yeah, we love that beach, that sort of thing.’ I’m super excited for that. Just building that community. This is my home now.”
Troy said he is looking forward to being in a new place where he can try new things.
“There is surfing and spearfishing [and] all kinds of stuff [to do]. [It’s a] super different world from here [Texas],” Troy said.
Troy said he fears time management will be a new challenge for him in college.
“The academic and time management aspect of everything is definitely going to be the thing that I’m going to have to stress most for myself […] just making sure [I’m] on top of that kind of the progression and [not] procrastination,” Troy said.
Pepperdine looks for students who show high academic achievement in their transcripts, White wrote.
“In our holistic review, the majority of a student’s admission decision is based on academic achievement as demonstrated through the unweighted and recalculated GPA, the transcript which shows course rigor and trends,” White wrote.
As academics are a large determining factor in the application, Pepperdine also considers non-academic achievements important in contributing to the Pepperdine community as a whole, White wrote.
“We continue to value students with stellar qualifications including outstanding leadership and community service, potential to engage in our unique undergraduate research and study abroad programs, and a demonstrated commitment to faith,” White wrote.
_________________________________
Follow the Graphic on Twitter: @PeppGraphic
Contact Brielle Yauney via Twitter (@brielle_yauney) or by email: brielle.wood@pepperdine.edu
