Collegewise Counselor Spotlight - Margot Filstein

This is the first of several Counselor Spotlights, which we hope will give you a better idea of who our bloggers are and what they're all about.  This week's Spotlight is on Margot Filstein, pictured at right at her Alma Mater's 5-year reunion.

1. In which Collegewise office do you work?  Irvine, CA.

2. Where did you attend college?  Pomona College (Claremont, CA).

3. Who was your mascot and what were your colors?  We were the Sagehens - Chirp!  Our school colors were blue and white, but our athletic teams' colors were blue and orange because our teams were made up of both Pomona and Pitzer students (their colors are orange and white).

4. What was your major?  Sociology.

5. What was your favorite class?  Either my freshman seminar course, Nature vs. Nurture, about the influence of genetics vs. environment on an individual, or an upper-division Soc. class I took called Violence in Intimate Relationships, for which I got to intern at City Hall in downtown L.A.

6. What kind of student would probably dislike attending your college?  A student who wanted an urban campus in a big city.  Pomona is awesome, but definitely not for those types of students.

7. What's a campus tradition at your school?  Ski-beach day - you get to go skiing in the morning and to the beach that same afternoon, complete with a bbq and s'mores!

8. Who is a famous alumni from your college?  Kris Kristofferson (actor)

9. What's one of your favorite memories from your years at school?  That's tough, but maybe Diwali?  Every year at Pomona, the Association of Southeast Asian Students puts on a production for Diwali, followed by a big dance party for students.  My senior year, we went to the production to see some friends perform, and then spent the night dancing our hearts out to Bhangra music.  I'm pretty sure I sweated through my clothes dancing that night...

10. What are some of your favorite colleges?  Of the ones I've visited, I think my favorites are Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, St. John's College in Annapolis, and the University of Vermont - the town is so cute, and it's 15 minutes away from the Ben and Jerry's factory!

11. What did you do before you worked for Collegewise?  Worked at a non-profit in Los Angeles.

12. What did you write your college essay about?  I wrote a lot of them!  But the one I used the most was probably about my first successful attempt at pole vaulting for my high school track and field team.

13. What do you do besides work at Collegewise?  I love reading, running, hiking, baking, and going to concerts and movies.  I also keep my Sagehen tennis skills up to par by playing in a league here in Irvine.  Other than that, I spend a lot of time with my boyfriend and friends, and visit colleges whenever I can (like the true college nerd that I am).

Comments

[Jessica Butler]

Margot is the super great gal on the far right, for those who want to know :)

[nfl]

I relate so much to this post. I've been reading you for years,