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This is the first in a series of interviews with current and former college admissions officers where we go behind the scenes to let you know how things work.
This particular episode is with Kati Sweaney, Senior Assistant Dean of Admission at Reed College. Kati is also a theatre artist who's dramaturged and performed in Portland, Seattle, London, and Chicago and was also a college composition instructor at Northwestern University, my alma mater.
In this episode we get into:
The life of an admission officer, including what their travel season is like
Do’s and don’ts for that initial email to an admissions office
What is demonstrated interest?
Why it matters for colleges to predict who attends their school
Some other ways students can demonstrate interest
Additional info sections that made a difference
How fast do admissions officers read the application?
How many essays has Kati read?
Kati’s do’s and don'ts for the application essays
PLAY-bY-PLAY
[2:00] How Kati got into admissions
[3:42] What kind of person is drawn to working in admissions?
[5:30] What is travel season for admissions reps?
[10:05] Why do college reps travel to so many high schools?
[13:55] A little bit about college fairs
[16:13] Examples of how students stood out at college fairs
[19:50] Some do’s and don’ts for the initial email to admissions offices
[22:44] What is demonstrated interest?
[26:37] Why it matters for colleges to predict who attends their school
[29:27] Some other ways students can demonstrate interest
[32:00] Additional info sections that made a difference
[34:50] How fast do admissions officers read the application?
[39:17] How many essays has Kati read?
[40:40] Kati’s do’s and don'ts for the application essays
[43:50] Why those tiny details are so important in an essay
[45:25] A few college essays that stood out (after reading 25,000 essays)
[54:16] Kati’s advice for parents
[56:54] What Kati hopes students will keep in mind throughout this process
