by Susan on September 1, 2011
The end of the summer brings a new crop of admissions work, cultivated throughout the year and finally harvested. In 2011, graduate admissions have taken pride of place. St. John’s University School of Law has been a focus throughout the year, and now the viewbook and ancillary brochures are in, with the Dean’s Report and interactive viewbook still in the works. The Harvard School of Public Health admissions catalog is also ready — a fascinating assignment that involved above all remapping content for better usability.
by Susan on July 25, 2011
I’m getting more and more annoyed about pre-. It’s a perfectly good prefix, but people seem intent on escalating the beforeness of almost everything. I first starting noticing the trend with the announcement, “This program was prerecorded.” Well, yes, if it’s not live, it’s recorded, so why do they need the pre? What’s wrong with, “This is a recorded program”? Suddenly it was everywhere: presold, preordered, precooked, and on and on. And then there’s preapproved, as all those credit card and re-fi offers tell you that you are. It still raises my ire, but for a different reason. It implies that you’re approved, but you can’t actually be approved until you file an application. So what preapproved really means is, “Based on all the evidence we have on you, you’re highly likely to be approved if you file an application.” But that’s not nearly as preassuring, is it?