St. Lawrence University Interview Questions
& Process

I applied for a faculty position in a science department, submitting my Cover Letter, Resume, Teaching Statement, and two proposed classes. Instead of a phone interview, I was invited straight for an in-person interview, which spanned two full days, plus two long travel days. The interview process itself was pleasant and informative, and I enjoyed the people. The location seemed nice, but its isolation and affluent student body hinted at potential minor political struggles for tenure, stemming from "high standards" that treat education like a consumer good. Ultimately, I wasn't offered the job. Getting specific feedback was tough, but what I did gather suggested the other candidate connected better with the students, and my offered teaching level was too advanced for undergraduates, given this would have been my first faculty role and I have limited undergraduate teaching experience. My sense is the school avoids faculty who challenge students. When I discussed teaching hard scientific skills (programming, math, spreadsheets), I was told, "there are a lot of liberal arts students and they may not respond well to a lot of quantitative materials." It felt like some faculty were uncomfortable with hard skills themselves and thus didn't want to see them taught, perhaps unaware of their own biases. My impression is students would have a great personal experience, but their parents are paying a lot, and the students are unlikely to be well-prepared for the "real world" where quantitative skills are crucial in science. Despite this, it seemed like a nice place, and I would have been happy to work there. It's a very cold and isolated area, with likely some "town vs. gown" issues, but the community seemed nice overall.

It was a very competitive position, but the selection process felt fair. There were 3 rounds in total. The first round's decisions were based on the application questions. The second round was an interview with current ambassadors, and there were 3 interviewers. The third round involved interviews with staff members. Overall, it was a great experience.

It was three rounds, getting harder each time. First, met with current ambassadors, then program coordinators, and finally the dean of admissions. The current seniors were helpful with questions. The whole point is to sell the school, so they asked a lot about why I should be the one to do that instead of the other 50 people applying.

I did a Hirevue interview first, where I had to answer about 5 questions. I had 30 seconds to prep for each question and then record my response. About 2.5 weeks later, I heard back for a Superday, which was over Skype. I'm still waiting to hear back about that.