When I was a young child, my grandmother would always have a jigsaw puzzle under way on a table in her living room.  She taught me the patience and careful observation that eventually brought all those hundreds of pieces together in a new whole.

Choosing the students who will be part of the next class at RISD is a bit like putting together a beautiful/fascinating puzzle.  As we now pass our application deadline and continue to sort all of the drawings, CD’s, transcripts and recommendations into the waiting application folders,  it reminds me of sitting with her and organizing all the individual pieces to begin to create the whole.

Our Admissions Committee members are now beginning the rigorous process of reading and learning about all of the talented individuals who aspire to challenge and develop their skills and their lives over the next four years at RISD.  We are always excited by the anticipation at this time of year, as we “meet” a new generation of creative thinkers, who we know will be shaping our world in many ways in the decades ahead.

You invested a great deal of effort in preparing your application and we will do the same in discussing our sense of how you might benefit from, and contribute to, RISD.  We know we will have more highly-qualified applicants than we can accept in the class, so we will try to make a skillful blend of people with different ideas, skills, perspectives, backgrounds and aspirations to create the most intriguing and inspiring puzzle here in Providence in the coming year.

Hats off to those students who were recently added to our  new puzzle from our first application deadline.  Those acceptances went in  the mail at the end of January and, if you haven’t been there yet, admitted students might want to visit the RISD 2013 Facebook group to begin to meet people who could be your classmates in September.

Ed Newhall, Director of Admissions, contact me at enewhall@risd.edu