Goodbye and Good Luck

Over the past two days I've conducted interviews, answered phone calls, even gave an information session.  Business as usual.  But behind the scenes, well -- business is not as usual.  Today is my very last day at Harvey Mudd College.

I'm excited for the next chapter in my life, of course, but it's still heartrending leaving my Mudd family.  It's been a good five years.  Below are a few of my favorite memories.

DDR with Jamilla.  She's better.  Good thing I rock at Skeeball.

   

This is what happens when you leave the admission staff alone for a late-night data entry party.

Peter enjoys the admitted student chats so much.  And we enjoy Peter so much.

The tour guides!!!!  Triple heart this group of Mudders.

All set up and ready to go for our biggest event of the year, the Admitted Students Program.

Thyra's birthday, celebrated oh so classily.

This year's senior interviewers.  The Class of 2012 was "my" class -- the first I admitted at Mudd, and the only cohort I'll have seen through their entire four years at the school.  Hence they were (and are!) very special to me.

Just a typical committee.  Well, usually we have more food than this.  Must have been a light day.

Risa and Katie staying cool this summer.  Katie's last day was Friday -- now she's mentoring for Summer Institute.  It is a noble purpose but we miss her already.

The Class of 2016 Admit Packets prepared for mailing!

Admission Edition will shortly be moved into the brand-spanking-new admission website (due to be rolled out sometime in August).  My hope is that all the archived posts will move to the new location, so classics like the controversy over the age of our admission readers will be preserved for posterity.  At that point the entire admission staff intends to blog, so you have much joy to anticipate.

For the past two years, this blog has been a wonderful way for me to connect with prospective students and families.  I'll miss all of you.  Carry on and do great things.

Interviews and other items

Summer at Mudd continues to truck along.  The new building has a second story, the ice cream bike is making its rounds, and our visitors are being treated to that dire heat I mentioned in my last post.  It's toasty.  Good thing I have vacation coming up.

Before I head off to Moose Lake, Minnesota, I wanted to jump in with a few tidbits about interviews.  With Mudd's increasing popularity, we've had more interviews than ever this summer -- which means that if you want an interview on a particular day at a specific time, you should plan to book an appointment early (especially for August, I'd urge three weeks in advance if possible).  And please, be punctual!

I've written about interviews before, but there are a few things that bear repeating.

1. Dress comfortably.  Unless wearing a suit feels like second nature, you'll be much happier (and much less fidgety) in everyday clothes.  
2. Don't feel compelled to bring a resume.  Some students do, and that's fine, but don't be offended if it doesn't inform much of our conversation.  I'm more interested in delving into the why than the what.
3. Rest assured that we will see resume material later in the application process.  Rather than trying to find a subtle way to work your awesome SAT scores into conversation, use these twenty minutes to talk about what we won't learn about you from statistics.
4. Be prepared to discuss something that was difficult for you.  I know you want to show yourself in the best possible light, and I promise you that I'll try to keep 95% of our conversation positive in tone.  But since nobody glides through college without having a single challenging moment, I want to know how you react when things get tough.  
5. Spend some time reflecting on the kind of college you're seeking.  You don't need to have your college list finalized, but if you're still considering forty or fifty schools, you may not be ready to interview just yet.
6. Come prepared with a question or two.  This will show me that you've done some research into Mudd and/or have considered what kind of college will make you happy (point #5).  
7. Relax (if you can).  My goal is for you to leave the interview feeling like it was a friendly chat, not an interrogation.
8. It's okay to be a normal human being.  You don't have to spend all your free time saving the world and reading improving literature.  Like to hang out with your friends and read Harry Potter?  Guess what -- we do too!

If you're interviewing on campus this summer, good luck, and we look forward to meeting you.

PS If you're coming on a Thursday, bring change for the ice cream bike!