After what felt like an eternity, the waiting room door was pushed open by a tall, middle-aged man with graying temples.
"Thank you for your patience," he said. "It’s a pleasure to et you. I’m Jason."
"Hi!" Anya’s voice was a bit breathless as she leaped up from her chair. "I’m Anna Sergeyevna Volkova."
"This way, Miss Anna," he said, leading Anya to his office. "Please, have a seat."
He gestured toward a velvet armchair across from him.
"Hmm," he said, glancing at Anya’s application materials. "Please, tell a little about yourself."
"Um," Anya said.
She couldn’t rember if this was one of the questions she had prepared for. The question was a bit vague. ’Tell a little about yourself.’ What was she supposed to tell him?
She took a deep breath, then began, "I transferred from Moscow this year and am attending the Horace Mann School in Riverdale." The interviewer raised an eyebrow slightly. "I am fluent in English and Russian, and I can hold a conversation in French. At Horace Mann, my GPA is a 3.8, and I have A’s in art and music..."
Anya subconsciously recited everything she had prepared, and the interviewer, Jason, didn’t interrupt her once. He just occasionally made a mark in his notebook.
When Anya finally realized she had been talking for nearly five minutes while he hadn’t said a word, she stopped abruptly, her throat feeling a bit dry.
"Very organized, Miss Anna," Jason said politely. "But besides academics, we also value uniqueness. Do you have any special talents, long-term community service experience, or, shall we say, a particular skill that would make you stand out among tens of thousands of applicants?"
Anya froze.
’Talent? My left hook is pretty powerful. I once broke a classmate’s ribs with it.’
"I... I enjoy reading, especially Russian literature," she said, her voice lacking confidence. "I also practice equestrianism and fencing, though it’s been a while since I’ve competed."
"Russian literature is magnificent; it holds an important place in literary history," Jason said, leaning back slightly and capping his pen. "So, could you please tell your thoughts on the differences between the literary styles of Dostoevsky and Tolstoy?"
Anya pursed her lips, her fingers subconsciously tightening on the velvet armrests.
Seeing her silence, Jason didn’t press the issue. Instead, he flipped to the last page of her application materials.
"Finally, I’d like to confirm your family background. Your father, Mr. Sergey Volkov, is a... leading figure in Russia’s energy sector?"
"Yes," Anya’s back instantly straightened. "He is my father."
"I see," Jason said, standing up. "Miss Anna, your academic record is excellent. We will conduct a comprehensive review of all factors for our early applicants. We will notify you and your school if there is any news."
"The interview... is over?" Anya asked, a bit lost as she stood up as well.
"Yes, I have another interview after this." Jason extended his hand and politely shook her fingertips. "I hope you enjoy the rest of your ti in New Haven."
...
"What a gift!" Head Coach Tony of the Yale Bulldogs exclaid. "Li Wei, you’re an absolute genius! A natural-born athletic prodigy!"
When he saw the stats on Li Wei’s long-distance passes and completion rate, he had yanked the tactical cap from his head, lost his composure for a mont, and slapped it against his leg. The exclamation startled a few pigeons foraging by the side of the training field.
Just a little while ago, after dropping Anya off for her interview, Li Wei had arrived at his own interview location.
However, he had originally thought that after turning down Ohio State and Alabama, Yale would send him an early application interview invitation for a regular student.
But when he arrived, he was surprised to find that it was another interview invitation from a head football coach.
"Coach," he said, "I have to correct you. I was originally planning to apply to Yale based on my academic record."
"What?" Head Coach Tony said. "You’re not planning to play football anymore?"
Li Wei wasn’t sure how to explain his agreent with John Mara, since they had a non-disclosure agreent.
"I know what you’re thinking," Tony said, a cunning and complex smile appearing on his face as he watched Li Wei’s expression. "You’re going to say that you made a deal with John Mara to skip the NCAA and go straight to the NFL, right?"
Li Wei frowned. "How did you know?"
"Li Wei, this is Yale," Tony said, pointing to a nearby building that resembled a Gothic castle. "That’s our law school. It’s the best in the United States of Arica, maybe even the world. The network of connections here is beyond your imagination."
"The lead counsel for the Giants’ legal team is a forr student of mine. He drafted that contract for you himself," he said. "Otherwise, why do you think I’d have the university send you an interview invitation?"
"Alright, alright," Li Wei said, resigned. "So what’s the purpose of you interviewing ?"
"Partly out of curiosity, and partly because the university wants to assess the likelihood of you actually making history," Tony explained. "If you get my approval, the school will send you an offer during the early application phase, by early January at the latest. If I don’t give my approval, then you’ll have to wait until March to apply through regular decision based on your academic rits."
"Aren’t you worried that I won’t end up finalizing the deal with Mr. Mara?" Li Wei asked curiously. "If I fail to go straight to the NFL, what’s the point of this evaluation?"
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