There’s 110 days of summer vacation and school comes along just to end it. So, the annual problem for our generation is finding a good way to spend it. Like maybe… getting a summer internship with the Swarthmore College Admissions Office!
Each Spring, as summer quickly approaches, I rapidly realize that I have no clue what I want to do for the next three-ish months and find myself asking the age-old question mentioned above. Throughout the school year, I’ve enjoyed working with the Admissions Office as a hosting intern, where I help to recruit hosts for Swatlight and Discover Swarthmore, our two fly-in programs. When I heard about the Admissions Summer Internship, I applied, hoping to learn more about admissions. So far, it’s been a great use of my summer! Here is what a typical day in my schedule looks like:
8:15 AM
I wake up every morning in my cozy NPPR single. I quickly brush my teeth and cobble together a (reasonably) professional outfit, relying on old t-shirts and my trusty EMS pants, having made use of my limited selection of collared shirts earlier in the week.
8:30 AM
I leave my dorm and make a stop in the Ville (what us Swatties call the town of Swarthmore), for a coffee & breakfast. This stop is new for me this summer as Kohlberg Café, where I would normally stop before class, is closed for a well-needed revitalization over the summer.
9:00 AM
Enter Parrish Hall, where I stop by the Admissions Office to sign in and set up shop in the conference room which us interns use as a workspace.
9:02-9:08 AM
Greet my coworkers as they file in. Various flavors of “good morning,” fly between us, as we crack open our laptops and check the schedule for today.
9:10 AM
Sufficiently caffeinated, work actually begins. I add to my blog, check my email, as well as the Ask A Swattie inbox (send us some questions!) and peruse the registrants for today’s tours, always on the lookout for fellow Austinites.
9:30 AM
No luck on the Austin front. Best I can do is two folks from Dallas and a Houstonian. I’ll take it. I answer emails, finish my blog post, and start reading one of the few dozen scientific articles I have saved for my admissions research project.
10:20 AM
Time for the first tour of the day. Five of us close our laptops and slink downstairs, stopping in the Admissions Office proper to don name tags (fancy) and sling-mounted speakers (less so). We file into the Admissions Commons and introduce ourselves, putting the kibosh on a small line of students waiting to ask questions to the presenting Admissions Officer. Sorry, folks, but you can ask them after the tour.
11:45 AM
Tour finished. I followed my standard route this morning, which takes me far up campus ASAP to avoid foot traffic from the other four-or-so tour guides each shift. Back up to the conference room we go.
12:00 PM
Lunch! Today I head to Essie’s Corner, one of a few options open during the summer. During the semester, I stop here often, grabbing breakfast or lunch. Today, I opt for a chicken sandwich.
12:20 PM
Lunch secured. Back to Parrish to watch some TV (Last night’s Big Brother) while I eat.
1:00 PM
Back to work… More blog writing and reading for my research project. Over the course of the summer, each intern chooses a topic in admissions or higher education to learn more about, culminating in a 15-minute, semi-casual presentation which we deliver to our peers & the Admissions Office. I’ve chosen to look at the role of AI in the admissions office, focusing on any bias implementation of these new tools could introduce.
2:30 PM
Another tour. Same deal as before, except hotter.
3:45 PM
Last tour o’ the day finished. I head back to Parrish, write a few emails, and then sign out in the office and head back home.
4:13 PM
I arrive back in my NPPR single, kick my shoes off, and settle into my rocking chair to read until dinnertime. The work week is over! Until Monday.
Over the course of the summer, I’ve learned a lot about myself, as well as many valuable workplace skills. I’ve spent time conversing around the water cooler, written (many) professional emails, and polished my public speaking. I’ve actively listened and given detailed answers about every facet of Swarthmore. This internship, along with a healthy dose of self-reflection, has really helped me figure out the answer to one of the other age-old questions I often ask myself: what do I want to be when I grow up?
