Inserting Politics into College Interviews

celloguy
Thu, 04 Jan 2007 16:45:54 +0000

oracle, that’s pretty far fetched; adcoms are interested in creating a lively, diverse, interesting class (all the while balancing the books). They aren’t going to give much credibility to an alum blackballing an applicant for divergent political views. I didn’t suggest that the “politics of one interviewer” spoke for the school. I just meant that the interviewer, who presumably knew the school well, could talk knowledgeably about clubs, faculty specialties, students’ academic interests, sports, assessment of the health service, or whatever the applicant wanted to know. I think we’re narrowing the notion of “politics” way more than necessary. Does the college provide confidential health care, including reproductive health? That’s “political,” but also extremely practical. Are there, for example, Socialists on the faculty? Intelligent Design proponents? What’s the proportion of men and women in the math/science faculty, and what about distribution of tenure? Are vegans going to die of protein deficiency before winter break?
Gosh, I don’t personally know any of the interviewer alums at William and Mary, but I’m guessing they’re a pretty savvy lot.