andave's place

As you know, I had an interview with Patrick Henry College last Thursday. I was requested to read the Student Life Handbook, which took me three hours, before the interview. I was kind of miffed; I read for three hours and we barely touched on it in a fifteen minute interview.

I was nervous until we started talking. Mrs. Thompson, the admissions counselor who interviewed me, started off with prayer, which I appreciated immensely! It really helped to make me comfortable, and the last vestiges of nervousness disappeared when she started asking me questions -- they were interesting questions, ones that it was easy for me to forget myself in because I was passionate about them. Stuff like where I see myself in ten years, and who has inspired me in my Christian walk and why, how will I fit into the college, what extracurricular stuff will I get into, based on my reading, how do I think I'll fit into the college...

Mrs. Thompson told me that I'll be getting my notification within a week and a half of the interview. The interview is the last step of the application...Now for the scholarships and financial aid. My mom and my friends who know of PHC are sure I'll be accepted, but unless we can get some substantial financial aid I probably won't be able to go to college. My mom said if that's the case I should take a gap year and do some missions work. That actually sounds like a good idea, but all the same I'm still praying that I can go to PHC.



That's not the only interview I had this week. About a month ago my astronomy professor sent an email to some of his students, asking them if they would be willing to come to campus and do a video interview with the publishers of the textbook we use. I agreed to do it, and the interview was yesterday, in the college planetarium. I sat down and while the camera people were getting everything set up, I started talking with the lady who would interview me.

It all started out very politely. She was laughing and smiling with me, talking, even telling me "you look smart."

She gave me a heads-up on what questions she'd ask me and we started to make conversation.

I told her I was glad it wouldn't take a long time because I had babysitting straight afterwards. She seemed a little surprised that I babysit, but we moved on to other topics.

I told her I am actually a dual enrollment student; I am still a high school student but I'm getting to work on my college general ed work.

She was shocked. "Oh?? Oh really? Oh, ah, well, we don't need to say that in the interview, you know? We don't...need to go into that, because the publisher is a higher-education publisher, you know. We just, we just won't go into that." she said.

Then she asked me about my goals and where I want to go to school and I told her about PHC. My professor told her a little about it too, which makes me think that he researched it because when I first told him about it he wasn't familiar with the college.

(I think I insulted her by telling her I'm still a highschooler. I mean, a paltry highschooler doing college level work, and on top of that appearing poised and comfortable while being interviewed by strangers?? (appeared being the operative word here. My heart was pounding. ))

During the interview she stiffened up most alarmingly. Within twenty minutes she finished the interview and I really think she was glad to see me go.

I have been cracking up every time I think about this. I think, of all my memories at the junior college, this one is my favorite. It is the first time someone has ever been disapproving of my highschooler status. A nobody senior at college? Sacrilege!! But I guess she didn't know that the college is ridiculed as a high school by the locals.

And the worst part is, I didn't even tell her I'm homeschooled. When she said we didn't have to bring up my dual enrollment status I SO BADLY wanted to say, "Would it help if I said I'm homeschooled?"

But in the end manners and a want to please my professor won out. I didn't add insult to injury, although I really wanted to, just to see what she would say.

I had fun. That was probably the funniest part of my week! But the poor interviewer...the dignity of the company...a HIGHSCHOOLER!? What is this world coming to??