Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Interviews.

One of my favorite parts of my job as an Admission Counselor is interviewing prospective students - but it's also one of my least favorite parts. How is this possible? 

My favorite part of doing an interview is really getting to know the student that I'm sitting down with. I like asking questions like "tell me about your favorite class this year" and "what do you like to do outside of school?" Students give some great answers to these questions, and I enjoy feeling like I actually have something to write about when I write notes after the interview. Coming back upon these notes when reading an application is also a nice reminder of my time with the applicant, and can help me remember the details of why I thought a student was a good fit.

After I spend some time with just the student, I bring their parents into the interview room so that we can chat - this is another favorite part of interviewing. Parents can ask TOUGH questions, and I love thinking about the answers and providing the best information that I can to the family.

That being said, there are some interviews that I do not have such a wonderful time conducting. Because interviews are mainly driven by student questions, students that come into their interview unprepared or who answer questions with one word are especially painful.

I am often asked "should I do an interview?" and here is my answer: it depends. You should absolutely do an interview if you have questions that you would like answered by an Admission Counselor or you have a unique story to share that you think would be important for your counselor to know. Sitting down with your Admission Counselor shouldn't be scary or nerve wracking, because it should be just as much about you interviewing them as it is about them interviewing you. Come prepared with questions (written down, in a notebook is the best!) and be able to talk about yourself. Think about things like your favorite book, favorite class, best experience in high school and thoughts about your future.

However, there are some students who should not do interviews - students who do not have questions, are not interested in the school or are only coming to campus because their parents are making them are unproductive for all parties. It's a waste of your time to sit down and try (or not..) to make up answers to my questions, and it's a waste of my time trying to drag answers out of you. So - have a real, honest conversation with yourself (and your parents) about the pros and cons of doing an interview. Remember, you don't have a second chance to make a first impression!

If you are planning to do an interview at Saint Michael's, don't be nervous! You are the expert on you, and that's what we want to learn about. Bring questions - we look forward to meeting you!

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

12 Favorites of 2012

Happy New Year! I hope that you all had a wonderful holiday season and are having a good start to 2013!

I thought I'd wrap up 2012 with a post of my 12 "favorites" from the year we're leaving behind...

1. Accomplishment - Running my first 10K road race at the Middlebury Turkey Trot and Gobble Wobble.

This was taken right before the finish line!

2. Place - This was a really tough one, as I visited some incredible places this year, but the Grand Canyon takes the cake for 2012!

me & Amy at the Grand Canyon

3. Professional Accomplishment: Presenting at the Collegiate Information and Visitors Services Association (CiVSA) annual conference in Denver, CO

me & Dustin at Red Rocks Amphitheater during a CiVSA conference social

4. Album - Hands down my favorite album of 2012 was MIKA's "The Origin of Love"


5. Day - My favorite day of 2012 was Monday, September 3rd. My roommates Meghan, Lauren and Heather, colleague Kath and friends Natalie and Anna went on an adventure to Addison County where we swam at Bristol Falls, ate lunch at A&W, walked around Middlebury and stopped at the Magic Hat Brewery on the way home. What a beautiful Vermont day!

Clockwise, starting at the top - Lauren, Kath, Meg, Anna, Heather & me...and Nat behind the camera!

6. Broadway Show - It's no surprise that I saw a few shows on Broadway this year, and my favorite was absolutely Book of Mormon. It was my ultimate Bucket List Broadway show and it didn't disappoint!

(l-r) Ashley, me, Mallory and Nic Rouleau, the actor who played Elder Price!

7. Song(s) - (12, in no particular order) "Blown Away" by Carrie Underwood, "Somebody That I Used To Know" by Gotye, "Try" by P!nk, "You're All That Matters To Me" by Miss Willie Brown, "Old Pine" by Ben Howard, "Cha-Ching" by Imagine Dragons, "I Will Wait" by Mumford and Sons, "Pontoon" by Little Big Town, "Silenced By The Night" by Keane, "Popular Song" by MIKA, "Hard Way Home" by Brandi Carlisle, "Baby Come Home" by Scissor Sisters and "Home" by Phillip Phillips.

8. Memory - Coming to the end of my first 5K and seeing my friend an running coach/partner Allison there cheering for me!

The SMC "Saints on the Run" team at the Corporate Cup

9. Family Moment - I gained an infamous reputation among my family as a very grouchy race runner this year...mostly because I yelled at my sister during our "Pirate 5K" on the Waterfront in Burlington because she was rushing me and I was having NONE of it. Oh well, sometimes you just have to get your butt whooped by your baby sister :-)

me & Emily at the beginning of the race, before I got a little grouchy.

10. Quote - "Have only one rule: be your wild, courageous, brilliant self, every single day, no matter what." I'm not sure who to attribute this to, but my roommate gave me a magnet with this quote and a peacock. I love it.

11. Event-  Watching my sister (the same one I kind of yelled at during our race!) graduate from SMC in May!

 My fam with the graduate!

12. Change -  Change can sometimes be hard, but my favorite change of 2012 was moving into my new apartment with 3 friends. I love our little house and all of the memories that we are creating there!