Columbia Calls

Yesterday I had a phone interview with Columbia which was rather…interesting. I think it was a probably an average interview at best. To begin with, I had to keep asking the interviewer to repeat himself due to bad static on my end.

The interview took about 45 minutes in all, including all his questions and the few that were mine. Among other things, he asked me the following (and I paraphrase) – my answers in italics:

If you were principal of your school, what would you change?
Make more opportunities for student driven extra-curricular initiatives – including sport – by introducing funding and incentives, to make students more passionate about their interests

If you couldn’t get into any university either in America or Australia, what would you do?
Either get a job locally with a newspaper as a journalist or apply for an internship or job with The Age in Melbourne, try to gain experience and work my way up

You say you’re passionate about human rights. Was there an article, magazine or event that you read about this year that strongly affected you?
Burma was something that I thought was terrible, the protests of the monks and the way they were imprisoned was one of the biggest breaches of human rights.

If you eventually end up at Columbia, what do you see yourself doing about the Burmese crisis?
I’d like to be able to join groups – both political and human rights – to advocate and work for change, as I’m already part of several online organisations that sign petitions against such things.

What do you want to be remembered for at you previous school?
I think among friends and teachers alike I’d be remembered as a hard working student. (Chuckle.) I also like to think that I’d be remembered as a friend – I was always happy to help – and as a leader, both in the house and the softball field.

You come from a pretty small country town. How do you see yourself moving to Columbia, if you are accepted?
Having attended boarding school, I feel that I'm able to adapt to different environments, and having travelled quite frequently with my family, I feel I'm fairly well placed to be flexible in a different place and society.

I have a feeling I didn’t really answer all of the questions the way he wanted me too. It’s a relief though. I’d really love to attend Columbia, it’s one of – if not the – best school for creative writing and journalism in the States. But if I don’t get in, I hope I can participate in an exchange there or the University of Pennsylvania, which also has a highly recognised writing program. It won’t be the end of the world if I wasn’t accepted there; if I get into Melbourne, I’ll definitely be satisfied, because while it might not be Yale or Columbia, it’s adopting a new direction in the way they structure their degrees, US style, and it might not be an Ivy, but it’s in the Top 8. The obvious advantage is it’s right in Melbourne, close to my family and friends, and offers all kinds of opportunities academic and otherwise, including the (New Generation) Bachelor of Arts, which I look forward to.

x
Just a girl