Looking Back on a Summer as a Senior Interviewer

I’m having a hard time comprehending that this week marks my last week as a senior interviewer at the W&M Office of Undergraduate Admission. How can senior year be coming up so soon already?! Every day at the admission office has been busy; I have been giving tours, manning the lobby, answering phones, giving interviews and completing evaluations. But don’t worry—it hasn’t been all work all the time. I come in some mornings and have delicious Cuban espresso tastings with the deans and I can count on some type of cake waiting for me in the kitchen in the afternoons. (My life revolves around the possibility of free food apparently.)

I remember being so nervous when I showed up to the office on my first day of work this summer. I had no idea what to expect. I didn’t really know any of the other interviewers or deans beyond their profiles on Facebook or our past emails, and I had no idea what an interview would be like. To top it all off, it was my 21st birthday. What a great way to celebrate, right? It turns out, though, that everyone in the admission office was so welcoming right from the beginning. I was shocked! There was cake and excitement all day! I have to say this turned out to be one of my favorite birthdays. I don’t often get ‘Happy Birthday’ sung to me by over 150 strangers before their tour of campus….

The awesomeness only escalated over the course of the summer. The Dean vs. Interviewer kickball game this July was intense with a lot of trash talk and more baked goods leading up to the game. If you haven’t already, check out Dean Livingston’s Admit It! blog post about Kickball Week. We did end up letting the Deans win in a close game because we’re nice. Don’t let them convince you any different.

I joked to my friends and family that after this summer working for the admission office, I would turn Green and Gold with all my W&M love. I realize now that it was not a joke at all. This summer has strengthened my love for the College and reaffirmed for me in every way why W&M was the perfect college choice for me. Telling hundreds and hundreds of people “Why I chose William & Mary” after their tours has a way of doing that to you.

So, to everyone who contributed to making this the perfect summer, thank you. From the 14 interviewers’ first week of training all the way to our surprise Thai dinner extravaganza last night, it’s been pretty darn cool. I am so glad too that a small amount of interviewing continues in the fall. I’m going to miss all of the crazy antics in the basement phone room, and meeting all of the incredibly smart and talented prospective students every day!

To any prospective students and their families that might be reading this:

This summer I was continually in awe of all of your academic and extracurricular achievements. I kept thinking to myself, “There was no way I was that cool and put together in high school! These guys are going to take the world by storm.” I loved hearing about your goals, your quirks, and your passions. Too many times I wrote in my follow-up evaluations: “I WANT SO-AND-SO TO BE MY NEW BEST FRIEND!” The deans are probably sick of it, but it’s true! You guys all did wonderfully. (Also, thank you for indulging me and answering “Who would you want your two celebrity parents to be?” I appreciate it.)

And to those on my tours: we braved the humidity (and sometimes cataclysmic rain) together! Thanks for laughing at my jokes, letting me gush about all my past campus activities, and not letting me run into any more trees than necessary.

To everyone: best wishes on your entire college search & applications! It was wonderful to meet and talk to all of you. Thank you for coming to W&M!

Sofia