Tips for SMFA First-Years
To be honest, my first year at SMFA at Tufts was a bumpy road. I laughed a lot, cried a lot, but most importantly, I learned countless important life…
A Few Tips for the College Inquiry Phase
Lindsay Pike, Associate Director of Admissions, shares her tips for asking impactful questions and having a successful application journey.
Ask questions that matter to YOU!
Engaging in research is a substantial part of the college search process. You're asking yourself big questions and once you nail down the list of schools that you are interested in applying to you might be asking yourself, "Well, what next?"
This is my favorite part of the application process, the inquiry phase. You are now in the position to investigate what your individual experience might feel like at each school on your list and it is done by asking questions with intention.
While it's easy enough to ask an Admissions representative or current student if the school has club sports or study abroad options, asking these questions in a way that shares a little bit about you will result in more impactful results and give you a clearer insight into the school itself.
For example - "Do you have club sports teams?" can become "Playing hockey has been a really important aspect of my high school experience. Can you tell me what my options might be to play here and what does school spirit look like on campus?" Another example might be "How hard is it to take classes outside of a major at your school?" Instead you might say "I have pretty varied academic interests and engaging across disciplines is important to me. I'm planning to focus in Political Science and Fine Art as I'm interested in the ways that they intersect. What might that look like here?" In each case you'll get an answer that is tailored to you and your experiences.
If you're starting to see a theme here, you're on the right track!
The best way to get started on creating your intention-based questions is to write down the questions you have then ask yourself, "What am I trying to figure out by asking this? Can my question be answered with a simple Yes or No?" By considering the "why" behind your question you'll be able to ask direct and specific lines of inquiry that tell the Admissions representative more about you, and leaves you with concrete examples of why each school could be a great match for you.
While it takes a little introspection to figure out why you might be asking each question, how to phrase the questions for the most impactful answers, or even what you're really trying to figure out, it's worth it!
The more specific you can be in your inquiry, the more meaningful your interactions will be in determining if an institution is a great place for you to both live and learn. Plus...these answers would be great starting off points for your supplemental essays...but that's another blog post!
