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Positive Educational Direction |
May 2011 Table of Contents | Next Article » Introduction: May 2011
Dear Friends, Congratulations to all our graduating high school seniors on their acceptances! We are so happy to have been a part of your journey and hope you will stay in touch with us. In the late spring, we traditionally give our juniors simulated college interviews, which many over the years have regarded as valuable preparation. The questions we ask students in those interviews ask them to confront issues that reveal their level of maturity and intellectual development. They are designed to prepare for admissions officers' queries that are often contrived to get you to open up about social and academic issues that they value most. For instance they might ask, "what is your favorite subject, and why?", "what have you read recently that was meaningful to you, and why?", "what experience or event has caused you to change your social or political outlook?" or "what do you think is your greatest weakness?" A classic open-ended question is "Tell me about yourself." How do you know how to respond? What might be most important about you to bring out in the context of these questions? How do you accomplish that without sounding egotistical, self-centered or immature? During our simulations, we give you the opportunity to experiment and test yourself in the face of typical college interview questions. This practice session is intended to separate the important from the unimportant and enable you to be articulate in presenting your best self. One safeguard we build into your presentation is the development of your own questions for the interviewer. With mature and appropriate questions based on your knowledge of what college admissions most care about, you control the subject matter. Your own questions can demonstrate that you know what's most relevant and may enable you to articulate what you have practiced. During our simulations, you gain knowledge about what the colleges most value in their candidates; you learn how they think. This is an ideal opportunity to learn about your interviewer and at the same time, explore topics that are ideal material for application essays. I cannot think of a better introduction to the essays that lie ahead. The summer is the best time to get started, and after your interview rehearsal with us, you will be in an ideal position to begin writing. Your essays will also be reviewed and critiqued by members of our team of counselors, as many as six or seven, which can help you complete as much work on your applications as you are willing to take on during the summer. We're looking forward to seeing you! Cheers! Don Dunbar ddunbar@dunbarconsultants.com |
