Okay, I applied...or I'm working on it. What next?

As we finish up our last visits to your various high schools and get ready to settle into our offices for a winter of application reading, we are interviewing more and more of you fine students! I always receive a lot of questions about the interview as it can be a strange and mysterious thing, filled with fears of unanswerable questions…be not afraid!

The College Interview…

The college interview is such an integral part of the admissions process. For those of you we did not meet on the road, we would love to have you come to campus and chat with us. An application to a college can feel very one dimensional, but an interview is your chance to make your application “pop”, a chance to be three dimensional. As we review your application, we'll have this conversation with you in our memories!

At Sacred Heart, the college interview is highly recommended. For Early Decision applicants, it is required. We really are not scary, so don’t be afraid! Here are a few survival tips for you nervous ones!

• First impression: sight! Dress professionally. The interview is a chance to show that you are college ready. Don’t lose sight of your style, but do present yourself as a professional young student ready to enter into the next step of academia.
• Second impression: stuff! Feel free to bring your resume and transcript to your college interview. It’s not so much a requirement as a security blanket! You will appear prepared to discuss your candidacy from an academic stand point as well as an extracurricular one. Further, if you get nervous and draw a “blank”, all of your accomplishments are listed right there!
• Third impression: questions! Always ask questions. As I stress in every post, you are choosing a home for the next few years. Shouldn’t you be picky about your home? Ask questions about the curriculum, student life, food, etc.! We are interviewing you, but you are also interviewing us! Questions lead your interviewer to believe you are inquisitive and prepared for the college process.

Basically, relax and talk to us about yourself. This is a great opportunity to verbalize all of those gray areas an application cannot quite address. Explain the things you wish you could have explained, ask the questions you thought of during your research! You’ll be great. We love to chat!

Since I mentioned Early Decision, I’ll close by tying up some lose ends on the subject. If by now SHU has become your top choice (and honestly, how could it not?), Early Decision might be a great option for you! It is a BINDING contract you sign saying if accepted, you will enroll at SHU. Feel free to click around the Early Decision links (after “Apply Now”) to read about the contract in further detail. The deadline is December 1^st and you will receive an admissions Decision by December 15^th! Make sure your application is complete with your ED Contract and submission of the CSS Profile by December 1^st, as well as the aforementioned interview. Please contact your counselor with any questions!

Last but NOT least, VISIT VISIT VISIT! We have one last Open House Saturday November 20^th and it is our Athletics Open House. We welcome all to attend for any reason as you can still tour and meet with faculty. However, coaches from our Varsity and Club Teams will also be in attendance.

Find more info under our “Visit SHU” page. We already have had two very successful Open Houses: October 30^th and our Performing Arts Open House last weekend. Saturday should be a blast – it’s also our last home football game. If you can’t come, definitely come soon for a tour and/or interview!