Thank you for your volunteer work with the Kenyon Admissions Office! Below are steps for selecting students in your area to interview and tips for the interview itself. As a reminder, students are continually requesting interviews, so please visit your portal frequently through the end of February 2020.
Once you have claimed the student, you can see the student’s name, high school, academic and extracurricular interests, and email address in a dialogue box when you move up to your Assignment list and click on the student’s name.
When you claim a student, your name, class year, and email address are sent to the student.
It is the student’s responsibility to contact you to make mutually-convenient arrangements for the time and place of the interview. If the student doesn’t contact you, you don’t need to do anything else (but let me know at kaan@kenyon.edu that the student did not follow through).
Students will contact you to set up an interview. If a student does not follow through with contacting you, or they do not arrive to your scheduled interview, please let us know at kaan@kenyon.edu.
Once a student makes the initial contact to schedule an interview with you, please offer a list of times for an interview and possible locations. Please keep in mind that you will be meeting high school students, and they may have commitments with extracurriculars. We find that times between 4:30-7:30 p.m. work best on weekdays. Mid-morning or early afternoon is best for weekend interviews.
Please keep in mind that you will be meeting with 16 and 17 year olds. Do not schedule interviews in personal homes or locations that serve alcohol or other controlled substances.
Examples of preferred interview locations:
Other factors to consider when selecting a location:
Kenyon interviews are informal conversations rather than an actual “interview.” They are an opportunity for us to learn more about the student as an individual — their academic goals, interests, and personal experiences — as well as an opportunity for them to ask questions about Kenyon. Many students will be nervous, so please start by saying the interview will just be a relaxed conversation. Hopefully, this will put them at ease and allow them to open up.
Remember to also introduce yourself with your name and class year as well as any other information you believe to be relevant such as your major, involvement at Kenyon, etc.
Interviews are typically between 30-40 minutes long. Be sure to give the student a chance to ask their questions about Kenyon as well.
Possible questions for the interview:
Thank you for assisting us with an alumni interview! When the interview is completed, please report the results of your interview by returning to your Alumni Admissions Portal. Click on the student’s name in your assignment list; click on “File Report” in the dialogue box; and fill out and submit the evaluation form.
It’s best to complete the write-up immediately after an interview while it is fresh in your mind. The deadlines for write-ups are as follows:
For Early Decision 1 Applicants: Reports must be submitted by Nov. 25, 2019.
For Early Decision 2 Applicants: Reports must be submitted by Jan. 18, 2020.
For Regular Decision Applicants: Reports must be submitted by Feb. 14, 2020.