By the time this article is published, a part of the Class of 2028 will begin celebrating their admission to the College of William and Mary. For upperclassmen, college applications may feel far removed from their lives by now, with the memories of standardized tests and Common Application essays paling in comparison to the demands of college curricula. But for high school seniors across the country, on Reddit forums and college application blogs, the “magic sauce” that will get them into their dream school remains as elusive as ever. 

In recent years, many universities have begun offering an optional interview to prospective students in their senior year of high school, constituting another component of a student’s application to show demonstrated interest. This is typically conducted with an admission officer or alumnus, but the College — in what is a rare case — tasks a group of seniors to meet with students and help them round out their application. While an interview alone is unlikely to determine whether a student is admitted, a quick online search surfaces many articles from notable outlets espousing tips and strategies for nailing the 30-minute interaction. Google even has a quick primer for what to expect! Clearly, this is a big deal for many students — or is perceived to be.

I spoke with three interviewers, Natalie Bavos-Chen ’24, Paola Camara-Barraza ’24, and Max Beers ’24. In addition to their primary duties as interviewers , perform logistical and communication tasks for the admission office — about the job, one that uniquely resonates more with students outside our campus than within. 

Interviews are not typically considered fun or enjoyable, and many students would associate them with the finger-biting, armpit-drenching nervousness of saying the wrong thing or feeling unprepared. Having a current student speak with prospective students is an intentional choice: conversing with a peer, a friendly face who was in their shoes not long ago, alleviates the pressure to perform a certain way.

“The students that I enjoy talking to the most are the ones who are really able to go off the set questions that we have and are excited to talk about their interests, and just kind of have a conversation with them about things they care about,” said Bavos-Chen.

Bavos-Chen and Camara-Barraza are both tour guides, which speaks to how much they enjoy representing a slice of student life to the public. Their experience as tour guides complements the interview job, as both scenarios let them discuss their involvements on campus. 

“What distinguishes the tours is that we all have different experiences and things we love that better our community that we get to talk about to prospective students,” said Camara-Barraza. 

Tailoring the experience to each interviewee is a big goal for the interviewers. Each interviewer came up with their own “personality” question to elicit reactions that would drive the conversation in different directions. Often, these questions would catch interviewees off-guard for their whimsical nature. Bavos-Chen would ask which face they would add to Mount Rushmore; Beers would ask who they would send as the first person to the moon; Camara-Barraza’s question was about something the applicant felt pride in but wouldn’t include in their application. 

“I wanted to make sure that any interview prep they did was thrown out the window because nobody’s going to prepare for that question,” said Beers. “But more than anything else, it kind of puts people at ease right off that bat in that you know you are getting asked such a ridiculous question that can’t possibly have any bearing on your college decision.”

Lightheartedness aside, the interview is a crucial way for prospective students to imagine themselves as an active member of the William and Mary community, a mutually beneficial outcome. In their evaluations of the interviewees, the senior interviewers focus on what they learned about the student that could enrich campus life for others.

“I remember writing in my evaluations of some people, like this person is going to be a wellness ambassador, or this person is going to join this club and really love it. So my current involvements helped me realize how prospective students would probably get involved and what kind of stuff they would do,” said Beers.

The most rewarding moment is when a student is able to shine through the academic and extracurricular questions and demonstrate their intellectual curiosity. Whether your niche is food in movies, Dungeons and Dragons, or Disney (real anecdotes), the seniors — and admission committee — want to hear it if it makes you you. This sentiment should not be lost on applicants, as William and Mary’s supplementary essays try to dig deeper and beyond what their resumes can offer. Although you should ask your family and school counselors for advice, the journey is yours. What might not be recommended to do during your interview, then, is to have your parent(s) in the room.

“I think sometimes they were just nervous, or the parents wanted to hear it, which is fine, except that you want kids to be able to share their experiences and there might be something that they don’t want to say in front of their parents,” said Camara-Barraza.

In addition to surprise guests, the seniors invariably encounter a difficult conversation and have to maneuver around communication barriers to complete the interview and provide a fair evaluation.

“Some of the students will feel nervous and it just doesn’t make for a very conversational interview, and it really is kind of pulling teeth,” said Bavos-Chen. “I think what I learned from that would be to be reassuring when they’re answering questions.”

Beers also reflected on the challenge of guiding a tough conversation.

“I think the big thing is trying to decide if maybe you and the person just don’t click. It’s up to [our] discretion to figure out did this person give an answer that’s actually bad, or is it just that I don’t really know how to talk to [them] as a person, you know, not as an interviewer or anything like that,” said Beers.

After all, the seniors appreciate the students for traveling to our campus and want to make their time worthwhile. 

“If you do it and have a great conversation, it can only help you,” said Camara-Barraza.

For students who interview and further their interest in coming here, the seniors are more than thrilled to guide you through the process.

“Any time a student emails me and is like, you’re the reason why I’m applying early decision, or you’re the reason why I want to go here, is truly one of the most rewarding experiences, just because I know how big of a choice it is…. I’m glad that I get to be a part of your choice…whatever that looks like,” said Bavos-Chen.