AAP Volunteer TrainingVassar College

Training Sections

● Overview of Vassar

● What’s new at Vassar?

● Overview of AAP Activities

● Interviews

● Expectations for Interviewers: Setting up and conducting the interview

● New Interview Report

● Example Interview Write-Ups

● 10 Minute Break

● Case Studies Exercise

● Questions

Vassar in 5 minutes

● 5 minute Vassar pitch using key facts/statistics

● Helpful for college fairs or when you are interviewing someone who does not

know a lot about Vassar

● For additional facts and stats you can reference “Vassar at a Glance” in the

AAP portal and on pages 16-17 of the Volunteer Handbook

Location

● 1,000 acre campus

● Poughkeepsie area population: 130K

● Hudson Valley National Heritage Area

● 75 miles from NYC

Student Body

● Approximately 2,500 Students

● 23% NY, 11.2% international, 11.1% CA

● 49 states, 60 countries

● ⅓ students of color

● 68% on financial aid

● 22% Pell grant

● 15% First-generation college

● 41% male, 59% female

● ⅔ public, ⅓ private

Academics

● 1,000 classes

● 51 majors (Top 5: Econ, Poli Sci, Bio, Psych, English)

● 16 average class size; 19 average intro class size

● 8:1 student faculty ratio, 70% faculty live on campus

● Open curriculum

● 23 languages

● 45% study abroad, 130 approved programs, 50 countries

● 50% internships, Community Engaged Learning, for credit

● Research (URSI, Ford Scholars)

Student Life

● 1,000 campus events, 170 student orgs

● DIII, Liberty League, 23 varsity teams, club, intramurals

● 50+ theater shows per year, Music biggest department

● 98% students live on campus, guaranteed all 4 years

● 9 houses, no Greek life

● Seniors typically live in senior housing and are on meal

plan

After Vassar

● 91% 6-year graduation rate

● ⅔ grad school within 5 years

● Right After Graduation:

○ 65% Employed

○ 20% Grad school

○ 10% Fellowships

○ 5% Undecided

Admissions and Financial Aid

● Early Decision I and II; Regular Decision

● Common App, Coalition App, Questbridge

● Transcript

● Testing (SAT or ACT)

● Extracurricular Activities

● Recommendations

● Personal Essay

● Vassar Supplement—Short Answer

● Arts Supplement/Athletic Support

● Interview

● Yourspace

● Need blind for US Citizens

● Meet 100% of Financial Need

What’s new at Vassar?

New Dean of Admission and Student Financial Services, Sonya Smith● Nearly two decades of admission experience at Reed College, Stanford, and most

recently Princeton

Curriculum Changes

● New Vassar Intensive and Experiential Work “Intensives” taking effect this fall● Project-based, non-traditional classes that will foster deeper faculty-student

interaction around field work, mentored research, independent study, “rapid

response” classes around hot topics, and immersive travel experiences

● Examples:

● German dept is taking students to a conference in Germany to study

interactive gaming

● Education dept is teaching a class on Caribbean students in the US at

Poughkeepsie High School

● Political Science department is helping undocumented immigrants in

Poughkeepsie get an ID that can help them get them local support services

What’s new at Vassar?Inn and Insitute for Liberal Arts● In planning and design stages for 48,000 sq ft building

that will include 50 guest rooms, a restaurant, and a

convening space.

● Space for faculty, students, and community to

exchange ideas as well as a social space connecting

to town

Dual Degree MPH with Columbia University

● Students can receive a Masters Degree in public

health a year after they graduate from Vassar

● Juniors can apply beginning this fall

● Idea came from President Bradley, who has

PhD in health economics and public health from

Yale University

AAP Activities

● Interviews (October-February) Pages 8-10 of Volunteer Handbook

● College Fairs (Fall and Spring) Pages 11-14 of Volunteer Handbook

● Congratulating Admitted Applicants (April) Page 15 of Volunteer Handbook

● Attending Admitted Student Receptions (April)

Overview of Activities on Page 4 of Volunteer Handbook

When a student requests an interview we tell them...

● Application needs to be submitted

● Prioritized based on application round

● Will be notified if we cannot find an interviewer

● Not having an interview will not negatively influence the application

● All interviews are considered equal

● Contact interviewer if they can’t attend interview

● Do not bring application materials/resume

● Should be fun not stressful

● A summary of the discussion will be added to the application

Page 8 of Volunteer Handbook

Expectations of Volunteers for Interviews: Setting up the Interview

● AAP Chairs assign interviews to volunteers

● Automated email to volunteer

● Email AAP Chair to accept or decline the interview

● Email applicant to schedule interview

● Select a comfortable, public place

● Can’t do face-to-face interview?

DO NOT:

● Accept the interview if your child is applying to colleges that year

● Accept an interview for applicants you know personally

● Conduct an interview in your home

● Ask the student to provide any materials

Page 8 of Volunteer Handbook

Expectations of Volunteers for Interviews: Conducting the Interview

● Introduce yourself

● Be warm and welcoming

● Ask questions

● Pay attention to personal and intellectual qualities of the applicant

● Let your passion for Vassar show in what you talk about

● Ask if the student has any questions

● Give the applicant your name and contact information

DO NOT:

● Speak negatively about another college or university

● Ask overly personal questions

● Try to predict admission decisions

● Wear clothing that promotes another college or university

● Connect with the applicant on social mediaPages 8-9 of Volunteer Handbook

Troubleshooting During Interviews

What if…

● A student asks where else you applied?

● A student gives you their resume with their academic information and asks you

about their chances of admission?

● A parent is lurking in close proximity to the interview?

● A student is answering questions with one word answers and it is difficult to

prolong the conversation?

Interview Reports

The interview report is important because…

● It’s a record that an interview occurred or at least that contact was made

● It becomes part of the applicant’s file to be reviewed in context with other application materials

● It outlines ways in which a student might contribute positively to the Vassar community

● It notifies us of any red flags or concerns we should be aware of

● It gives an indication of whether a student is likely to accept an offer of admission if taken off the waitlist

The interview report won’t…

● Provide all the necessary information required in determining where any one student falls on the overall

scale of qualified candidates

● Help us determine if the applicant is academically prepared for Vassar

● Determine admission decisions

Page 10 of Volunteer Handbook

Interview Reports

On the interview report you will be asked to comment on the following topics:

● Academic Interests

● Extracurricular Interests

● Personal Qualities/Background

● Interest in Vassar

● Additional Comments

The interview report will provide guiding questions to help you construct feedback on these topics. You do

not have to answer all of the questions but be sure to:

● Address the overall topics with specific examples

● Provide evidence to support your observations

● Remain unbiased when describing the interaction

● Include 2-3 sentences per topic

Page 10 of Volunteer Handbook

Weaker Interview Reports

1. “___ is a bright, engaging young man with a very high level of interest in Vassar. He asked intelligent and thoughtful questions,

and responded likewise when discussing his experiences.”

1. “The interview went pretty well. He was extremely interested in Vassar, and kept talking about how the freedom to explore

intellectual passions was a huge draw for him. As he has grown up in China the education system is very focused on

memorization, and he wants something different.”

1. “____ and I met at a coffee shop for the interview. He was very enthusiastic and I think a little bit nervous. He described Vassar

as his "dream school" and said that he thinks about it all the time. We talked about our mutual interest in Math and he asked

questions about the Poughkeepsie area, as he's never been. I gave him my contact information and encouraged him to reach

out to me if he has any more questions.”

1. “My meeting with ____ was quite interesting. She is a young woman who came to this country in 10th grade. She is an only

child and her parents remain in China. ___ is soft spoken and quite thoughtful and asked excellent questions about the school

as well as my experiences as a student there.”

1. “____ has applied to 22 schools in the US & says that Vassar is one of his top choices. I think he just really wants to study in

the US. If ____ gets into another school, such as Brown, I think he'd enroll there instead. He said his parents are not convinced

of the value of a liberal arts education, but he has applied mostly to liberal arts colleges.”

Strong Interview ReportSince ___ grew up in a military family, her father's deployments took her to many different places, including the Deep South.

Her interests include the arts and music, as well as the study of psychology. She would be very enthusiastic about a career in music or art therapy,

and is attracted by Vassar's opportunities for interdisciplinary study as well as the ability to design one's own course of study. Since ____ serves as a

babysitter for an autistic boy with whom she uses her art skills to help him interact and express himself, she would be very interested in working with

autistic children in the future, and designing and researching courses of learning to enable them to learn successfully.

___’s grandparents are a strong influence in her life, and her grandfather, who is a graduate of a small liberal arts college (Reed), recommended she

apply to Vassar. He is a pharmaceuticals scientist and her grandmother is an art teacher, who taught her many artistic techniques. In fact, in ____'s

freshman year, she even received an international prize for one of her paintings in a competition in Turkey! Her high school art teacher encouraged

her to send her painting into the competition.

To help her to decide where to go to college, ____ went to visit Vassar in August last summer, and had an on-campus tour. She visited three other

small liberal arts colleges, including Colby, Bowdoin, and Middlebury, but liked Vassar the best due to the enthusiasm of her tour guide and the

people she encountered there. She also liked the fact that her guide headed an African- American group on campus, and that Vassar valued student-

run initiatives.

Sports are also an important focus for ____. She was part of the soccer, lacrosse, swim, and tennis teams until her sophomore year, when she broke

her ankle and had to have knee surgery. This had to do with the growth plates in her bones. However, instead of quitting sports entirely, she used her

injury as an opportunity to serve as the manager of her soccer team. In the process, she began to heavily practice yoga to help heal her injuries, and

is seriously thinking of training to become an instructor. For community service activities, as part of National Honors Society, she helps out with

tutoring other students. Also, she is part of the Interact Club, which engages in community outreach in economically disadvantaged White Springs,

near her town of Orange Park. In the summer, ___ went to Jasper, Georgia and North Carolina with Young Life, a Christian organization to work on

mission projects. They engage in clothing drives, and during the holidays, sing carols and do other charitable activities.

My impression is that ___ is very modest, humble, and polite, so she does not highlight her strengths right away. However, her maturity, enthusiasm,

and desire to make a difference in life really came through during the interview. Vassar would definitely make a positive impact on ___ in mentoring

her towards her ultimate goals.