Think of Kramer with the set of the old Merv Griffin Show

Though the holiday season is winding down, the season of college applications is still chugging along. For the second year, I have volunteered to interview applicants to Harvard. Two seasons ago, I had a lot of fun meeting bright and bubbly seniors in Orlando. This year, it's time to show Houston some Crimson love.

Garrett was surprised when I told him that everyone who applies to Harvard is granted an interview (except for, perhaps, the lone homeschooler in the Alaskan wilderness). He said he had been very excited when, lo, those many years ago, he found out he had landed an Ivy interview. That's one of the great things about Harvard: every applicant is special and worth at least an hour of an interviewer's time.

The alumni associations across the country are facing a big challenge this year, since the university did away with the Early Decision process. All applications were due by January 1st, and all of our interviews need to be completed by January 31st. With nearly 30,000 applicants, that's a lot of schmoozing to fit in!

Here are some of the things that go through my mind during the typical interview:

• Was I this energetic and optimistic when I was 17? These kids are intensely interested in so many academic areas and passionately committed to righting all of society's ills.
• Have I met the expectations I set for myself when I was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed? What would the 17-year-old Kristin say to me today?
• Does the overachieving teenager manage to find more than 24 hours in the day? I am vicariously exhausted reading long resumes and hearing about packed schedules.
• If the tables were turned, and this student asked me to expound on MY interests and outline MY goals for the future, would I be able to do so, enthusiastically and articulately? It's a lot to ask of anyone, let alone a senior in high school.
• I'd like to think I have a good sense of who would make a good Harvard student, but do I really? Are there unknown biases affecting my judgment? What is the value of an impression after one hour of talking to someone? With great power comes great responsibility, as someone once said.
• And what every Harvard graduate thinks at some point: Would I be accepted if I applied today? For the class of 1983, the admit rate was 17%. For the class of 2013, it was 7%. Yikes!

I'm looking forward to meeting more youngsters, so that I can be dazzled and inspired... and so that I can continue to use the phrase, "Back in MY day..."