We are thrilled to introduce the new Dean of Admission, Mandy Castro, who stepped into her new role on August 1! Dean Castro formerly served as Director of Admission and will now lead the charge in recruiting and admitting students to TCU.

We had the opportunity to interview the Dean to get to know her and some of the reasons she loves TCU!

Watch the video and read Mandy's answers below. 

Q: Can you introduce yourself and tell us more about your role?
"My name is Mandy Castro, I am the recently appointed Dean of Admission at Texas Christian University. I've gotten to call TCU home for the past (almost) seven years, and we've helped bring in class after class of wonderful Horned Frogs. We're excited to start the work to bring in our next generation of Future Frogs and hope to meet you on the road."

Q: Tell us about your family.
"Family is the most important thing to me! I have a wonderful husband and a beautiful daughter, who is 11 years old."

Q: Where are you from?
"I was born in Victoria, Texas, but I grew up in Oklahoma and spent most of my childhood and adult life there. I've been back in Texas, so I'm kind of a boomerang here.”,

Q: What are some of your hobbies?
"My family and I love to backpack! We spend time in the back country, hauling big packs around, and sleeping outside. We love the adventure of it!"

Q: What is your favorite book/movie?
"I'm just now on the fifth book of Harry Potter, and I'm completely loving the Harry Potter series. There's a book called Safely Home that was a wonderful read as well, so I would highly suggest anybody read that. I don't have a favorite movie, but I have a movie that I can't turn off. If Con Air is on and I happen to click on it, I can't turn it off."

Q: As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
"As a kid, I wanted to be a marine biologist. I was fascinated with everything underwater and loved the fish, the vegetation and all of the different worlds that could be underwater!"

Q: What is one thing you can't go a day without?
"Oh, easy, coffee! I need it every morning, sometimes every afternoon, and I'm not a one cup girl. Definitely need multiples! My go-to Starbuck’s order is a tall Pike Place roast w/ cream. That's all I need!"

Q: What is something most people don't know about you?
"I sold everything that I had after graduating from college and I moved to Spain, where I taught English for several years, and now hablo español."

Q: Can you give some advice to students in Spanish?
"Cuando aplicas a la universidad, quiero que te presentas tal como eres, auténticamente, te buscamos a ti así que preséntate así. Vamos Ranas!"

Translation: "When you apply to college, I want you to present yourself just as you are, authentically. We are looking for you, so present yourself as you are. Go Frogs!"

Q: Where is your favorite spot on campus?
"I love the Campus Commons! Since the pandemic when they pulled all of the chairs out and they put up video screens and lights it's the central hub of campus and where students like to be, so that's my favorite place as well."

Q: What is your favorite TCU memory?
"I love the tree lighting! It’s impressive to see 10,000 people, not just students on campus, but the community around us, gather together to kick off the holiday season.”  

Q: What do you love most about TCU?
What I love most about TCU is the value-centeredness of our institution. When you build in a level of integrity, honesty, support and collaboration, it creates a culture that connects students and faculty/ staff to one another. This environment is where students really thrive.

Q: What are you most looking forward to as Dean of Admissions?
"I think that as a relator and a maximizer I want people to connect with one another. When we get out on the road and we have a plan to meet students, bring them to campus, connect them to our values, and show them what life can be like as a Horned Frog, it's always an 'ah-ha' moment when those students choose us, and that's the exciting part of our jobs. Admissions changes every year; while the academic cycle is the same, the students change, the university changes, the goals change, and it's fun to get to put the puzzle pieces together to find the next generation of Horned Frogs."

Q: What is your advice to students applying to TCU?
"Students should be authentically themselves! Think of the application as an interview. If we were to ask you all of the questions on the application, those are the questions we want answers to. Of course, you're telling your story throughout that process, so if you find yourself repeating yourself over and over again, maybe you want to rewind and answer a question in a different way. If at the end of it, you feel like 'Man, I wished they would have asked one specific thing,' use that one specific thing as your Freedom of Expression piece! We will allow you to submit anything from a video, a piece of writing, an artistic creation, something that you've ideated, but share that with us to help round out your application. You have the market cornered on your story, and that's what we want to know through this process."

Sophia Vargas is a senior Strategic Communication major with a Political Science minor from Northern California. She is a social media intern and operations intern for the Office of Admission. Sophia is also involved with her local church and the Turning Point USA chapter on campus.