Becoming a Kenyon Cheerleader
There are few things more gratifying for an admissions counselor than seeing familiar faces while on the road. Often these faces are those of other college counselors, but nothing beats seeing prospective students you’ve connected with. I recently had the opportunity to reunite with some students during Kenyon’s “interview blitz” weekend.
Admissions representatives for the interview blitz visited the following cities: New York City, Chicago, St. Louis, San Francisco, Boston, Portland, Baltimore, Los Angeles, D.C., Seattle and Denver. The reps paired off and conquered two cities each; one city on Saturday, and another on Sunday (with the help of Kenyon alumni at every location). Jarrett Tate and I had the pleasure of tackling St. Louis and Chicago, which was new to the list of cities we visited for the blitz. As the time slots began to fill up with registrants, my face lit up as I saw the names of prospective students I already had met at a school visit or on campus.
Seeing students who share my enthusiasm for Kenyon galvanizes me into “cheerleader mode.”* I start chatting about all the different things that Kenyon has to offer and how the prospective student can add to our community, and sometimes I let the student know if I think Kenyon isn’t necessarily the right fit for them. I am not only cheering for Kenyon, I am cheering for the student through the application process. As students share their stories during interviews, I begin to project their interests onto the Kenyon population. I start to see the student walking down Middle Path, throwing a Frisbee on Ransom lawn, or reading chapters of a book for class in the Gund Gallery’s lobby. I get excited while meeting prospective students because I start to see the possibility of Kenyon’s future.
Even if you have already applied to Kenyon, it isn’t too late for an interview. Interviews are a great way to get to know Kenyon and for Kenyon to get to know you. For more information on interviews, visit our admissions page.
*Let's be clear that I can't measure up to any cheerleader, including the students who just founded a cheer team here at Kenyon.