As a part of Mount Vernon’s comprehensive college counseling program, many students in grades 9-12 recently participated in a mock interview exercise at MVPS.
While only a handful of colleges continue to conduct personal interviews for admission purposes, Director of College Counseling Erin McCubbin and Associate Director Pam Ambler organize several interview nights for Mount Vernon students to exercise their skills, becoming more prepared when interviewing for admission to college, a scholarship opportunity, a summer internship or even for their first job.
Providing students a real-world experience, several of Mount Vernon’s Experts in Residence served as interviewers. Each interviewee participated in two 20-25 minute interviews, receiving both written and verbal feedback after each. During the sessions students were posed questions such as:
- What attributes of college most appeal to you?
- What do you hope to experience in college?
- How would your friends and family describe you?
- Tell me about the most recent news article you read. Why did it catch your eye?
- What are you known for at your high school?
Appreciating the time our Mount Vernon Experts in Residence contributed, many of them shared that the experience was well worth it and were most impressed that the students self selected for this opportunity.
Andy Anderson: Senior Producer, Hi-Rez Studios
Ellen Dalton: Chief Marketing Officer, Medecision
Cynthia Dautrich: Procurement Executive, Kimberly-Clark Corporation
Colin Kelly: Attorney, Alston & Bird, LLC
Holly Middleton: Clinical Psychologist
Jeff Schneider: Regional Director, Korn Ferry International
“Listening to the career aspirations of these students was inspiring. I applaud them for taking the initiative.”
Richard Wilcox: Consultant, Carr, Riggs and Ingram, LLC
“This event was fantastic. I think both the students and the parents learned and grew from the experience. I think every student should have to go through this process.”
Experts in Residence is a successful, practical program at Mount Vernon, which allows our families to share real life experiences in our classrooms. Our parents are uniquely positioned to provide authentic input and feedback to students throughout each division at our School.
Pam Ambler reflects on the night, “Our experts were so kind to spend their evening with us! Tonight was a great example of partnering across divisions.”
