<e modeling may be the highest paying student job at Carleton, the College’s admissions fellows would argue that they hold the best job on campus.
Admissions fellows are seniors selected each year by Admissions to interview prospective Carleton applicants and work in the Admissions office.
“The fellows are [often] the only people the prospective student actually talks to,” Somogyi said.
Somogyi, along with Alex Brewer ’12, Katie France ’12, Kelsey Ross ’12, Cari Hanrahan ’12, Jessie Hao ’12 and Alek Sharma ‘12 are all admissions fellows this fall.
Each Fellow must dress in their Sunday’s finest and conduct between six and ten hour-long interviews per week, and writing interview summaries for the admissions staff.
Somogyi, Brewer, and France all enjoy dressing up, they said.
If being an admissions fellow sounds like a cakewalk, the job is harder than it sounds.
“It takes a wide variety of personalities to make a community,” Somogyi said, explaining the mindset fellows must take into each interview.
“We need fellows to be cognizant that Carleton is more than just their individual experience,” said Assistant Dean of Admissions Jaime Anthony.
Anthony emphasized the importance of admissions fellows to Carleton’s application process.
“If a student comes to campus and interviews with a fellow they are much more likely to enroll,” said Anthony.
An interview cannot make or break a prospective student, but it humanizes applicants, and it is imperative that a fellow can coax that human element out of a nervous student.
“We don’t want it to be like an interrogation,” Anthony said.
Many of the fellows decided to apply for the job because they too were interviewed by admissions fellows when they were applying to Carleton.
As a Fellow, Brewer said, it can be surreal to now have insight into what Carleton is looking for in a future student.
“[We look for] maturity, poise, intellectual curiosity, and passion,” he said.
“I really like people who you can just tell are passionate about things, anything. People that have something that drives them, gets them up everyday, excited about the classes they are taking, not just going through the motions,” he said.
“Carls are a self-selecting bunch. Prospective students who are looking at Carleton don’t care if people have heard of Carleton before. Their accomplishments are not to impress, it’s because it’s a part of their life,” Somogyi said.
These students, whose vibrant personalities shine through, make interviewing a rewarding job for fellows.
“I’m proud to be a Carl, and being an admissions fellow is the best job on campus,” France said.
Fellows not only get a chance to talk with fascinating students from across the country, but the interviews come at an opportune time as they look forward to their final year at Carleton.
“I’m able to reflect on the opportunities I’ve taken advantage of at Carleton, and I can use these to excite people about Carleton. This is one of the things I really value. I really appreciate what Carleton has been for me. It makes me nostalgic, and makes me want to apply to Carleton all over again,” said Brewer.
“I like feeling as though I have the ability to recreate what I love about Carleton for the next crop of students,” said Somogyi.