It was my senior year of high school and I was in the process of trying to figure out where I wanted to go to college. I had already sent out my applications and was impatiently waiting to hear back from my top schools. This particular day was extra stressful, as I was going to be interviewed by an admissions counselor from one of the schools I was applying to. On top of that, they were going to tell me-right there in person- if I was accepted, based on how well the interview went. As you can imagine, I was a nervous wreck. I had never been in a real interview before and I was so afraid that I was going to completely bomb it and be rejected from that school. Despite how nervous I was, I took a deep breath and walked into the office of where I was going to be interviewed. The conversation that took place in that room between the admissions counselor and I has stuck with me since it happened, which is both a good and a bad thing.
At first, the interview was going pretty well and essentially involved the counselor asking me basic questions such as what extracurricular activities I was involved in and why I wanted to attend this particular school. I answered these questions honestly and easily and I was starting to get more comfortable as the conversation flowed between us. The counselor then began looking over my transcripts and mentioned that I had a high-grade point average. I took this as a compliment and was feeling relieved because the counselor made it seem as though he was impressed by my academic performance. It was not until the counselor asked me what I wanted to major in in school that the conversation started to take a different turn. I explained to the counselor that I was planning on pursuing a major in social work, with the hopes of having a future career as a social worker. The counselor then asked me if I could name 10 college majors. I was completely thrown off guard and confused by his question. I felt as if he had put me on the spot and could only think of a few at the top of my head as the counselor counted on his fingers. I was mortified to say the least, and I couldn’t figure out why he had asked me to do that. The counselor used the fact that I could not name 10 majors as his example of why I should major in social work in college. He told me there was no way I could possibly know what I wanted to do with my life as a senior in high school and that I could not pick a major so soon. I was completely stunned by his comments, as I had not anticipated this kind of reaction from him. The counselor then began to go over my transcripts and look over my grades again. This is when he expressed the real reason why he felt I should not be a social worker. While looking through my transcripts he said “You have such good grades, you can do so much more than social work. You are too smart for that.” I was frozen. I had absolutely no idea what to say. Yes, being called smart is an amazing thing to hear from someone else and I now know that he meant it as a compliment. However, in that moment I was offended and wanted nothing more than to get out of that room so I could release the tears that I was so desperately trying to hold back.
The counselor ended up telling me that I had been accepted into the school but I honestly could not have cared less at that point. I was so stuck on the words “you’re too smart for that”. Too smart for what? Social workers are trained professionals who have to be equipped to handle all kinds of situations. We have to know how to engage with others, be observant of minute details, use critical thinking, know how to gauge emotions, react quickly and efficiently during crisis situations, determine the appropriate interventions for individuals with specific needs…and the list goes on and on. Having the responsibility of improving the quality of life of anyone who comes to us in need is no small task and takes a special kind of person. This job takes a toll on us physically, mentally, and emotionally. Other people, whether they are family members, friends, acquaintances, and even strangers our are first priority. I knew exactly what I wanted to do for my future career when I was a senior in high school. And now here I am, a senior in college still chasing my dream of having the career devoted to helping others and I can honestly say I have never second guessed it.
