Why did you choose a career in college admission?
I started working in admissions as an intern while I was an undergraduate at USC. I found that I really enjoyed talking to students about my experiences in college and encouraging kids who had never dreamed that college was an option to at least consider it. I especially enjoy the cyclical aspect to the admissions office because generally when I start to become bored of traveling a lot in the fall, we transition to reading applications. As soon as I feel that my eyes can’t take reading another application, we transition to working with admitted students and soon enough it starts all over!
When you lived on the East Coast, what did you miss most about California?
I think most people would say the weather, but I actually missed the diversity of California. I enjoy trying different types of cuisines and it’s so easy to do that here (and relatively inexpensive) because we have such a diverse community.
How has it been working at HMC so far? Has there been anything about the college/admission office you didn’t expect?
It’s been fun so far. A bit overwhelming to have to learn all sorts of new terms and quirks that hopefully I’ll be able to correctly share with prospective families. I really feel a sense of school pride at Mudd that I don’t know that I really expected and/or that I’ve experienced at past institutions.
You’ve done a lot of interviews of prospective Mudders in the past couple of weeks. What do you think makes an interview successful?
Wow…this was a difficult one. I think the interviews I enjoy most is where I can just let the student talk about the things that interest them the most. It really shows the student’s passion for an activity or interest when I can just ask one question and the student’s eyes light up when talking about the subject.
Mudd just ranked #3 on a Princeton Review list of “least beautiful campuses.” Why do you think this is?
I don’t actually think it has anything to do with having ugly buildings or anything like that. I actually just think people generally picture college campuses as large, brick buildings with the ivy on them, so when they see something that’s a bit different, it can be somewhat surprising.
You’ve got a long list of travel territories – Colorado, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Sacramento, in addition to your local territories. Are any of these places you haven’t visited before? Where are you most excited to go?
I have actually never visited ANY of these territories before…..actually, that’s not true. I did go on a school trip to Sacramento when I was in 4th grade, but I don’t really count that because the only thing I can remember is stopping to eat at an Old Spaghetti Factory on our way home. I hate to say I’m more excited to visit one place over the other because I’m excited to meet students from all of these areas. However, I have heard that New Mexico is absolutely beautiful, so I’m excited to see for myself!
Any must-have travel items?
Definitely have to have the GPS…at all times!
Snacks/attire/music/etc you find conducive to file reading?
So, this is incredibly embarrassing, but I love to read applications at home on the couch in my pajamas with a cup of coffee or tea. It’s what I find to be the most comfortable and it makes the reading process more relaxing for me when I’m comfortable. I suppose my colleagues will soon learn that I have a Snuggie that I bought specifically for the long committee hours last year.
Favorite kind of birthday cake?
So, this is also a new admission to my colleagues, but I’m not actually a huge fan of desserts and cakes are especially too sweet for me. This is quite odd to most people because I LOVE to bake (in fact, I make a mean cheesecake), but I rarely eat the desserts that I bake.
Thanks Jamilla!
No comments:
Post a Comment