Inserting Politics into College Interviews

celloguy
Thu, 04 Jan 2007 12:23:38 +0000

It would be easy, I think, for a student answering questions to (perhaps inadvertently) offend an interviewer, after which the interviewer might find it difficult to be fair.



The purpose of a college interview is to exchange information, yes? It’s an opportunity to share views regarding important issues. For students, it’s an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge of the world and their concern for its future. For adcoms, it’s an opportunity to present the college’s resources and give a sense of its culture.

I’m not sure we’re all defining “politics” in quite the same way here, which leads to misunderstanding. The OP suggested a fairly narrow definition – “do you think opinions on current politics and political figures are appropriate interview question?” – which is apparently being narrowed further to comprise just the current U.S. administration. Too narrow for my taste.

Political discussion strikes me as an important tool for refining match – not a match of party affiliation, but a match of culture. An adroit kid could learn a lot about where he’ll best thrive.