The Thread for College Interviews

[TangyTart]

Hmm, ok northstarmom, I was sort of going by what I read in Katherine Cohen's book but what you said makes sense.

[rigor_col]

Mt. Holyoke interview with an alum was quite informal type. The interviewer asked me to talk about family, how i grew up and all. She also went to tests and high school. Any Extra curriculars....well everything together was really good. I think it adds another dimension to one's application. In fact I also inked out a college where interview was compulsory...lol

[spaceball519]

I did a handful of interviews, and(not being humble for a second, I apologize), I'm freaking awesome at them. I only did one on campus interview, and I did 3 alumni interviews and an interview with the dean of admissions. My best advice is to not get nervous. That sounds like obvious and simple advice, but the more personable you are, the more likely the interviewer will A) remember you, and think more highly of you, and B)not think that you are just a resume, but a person who can enrich the campus. I guess this might not apply so much to schools such as MIT or Caltech, where frankly, there is a less personable aspect to them, and more of just a genius mentality. But if you are applying to a LAC, then the most important thing is to BE YOURSELF.

I loved alumni interviews, because within minutes I was able to loosen up the conversation enough so that it didn't have any of the awkwardness that can be associated with interviews. I apparently(and by no intention of my own, I guess it's just the way I talk), am a very genuine speaker, and from everything I have been told it sounds like what I'm saying is something is truly important to me(and it usually is, mind you, but what I'm trying to say is that I come across as a very passionate person). Every alumni interviewer I had said that I epitomized what the college meant, and that they would give me glowing reviews.

So, at the end of this long post, my most basic advice is just be comfortable, be yourself, and try to make things casual. Don't list off the block answers taht they want to hear, dont spend your time just listing off your grades and SAT scores. Spend your limited time showing the interviewer who you are, and why you are good for that college's community. The adcom will determine whether your grades are good enough, the alumni interviwer(or on campus interview, whatever the situation may be), will help figure out whether you as a person are right for the campus.

[Frenchygirl]

how to attend Harvard ?

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Hello I'mm laura I'm French and I dream to attend Harvard yard since I saw this cllege when I was 11. I live in france and switzerland with my family but half-my familly lives in Boston Massachussets and every genetion from this family goes to Harvard.I know it looks like a cliché but this is my dream...
would you mind telling me what I've to do to go to Harvard??
I'm 16, I've 16,1/20 at school which means A in USA and I'll do another High school year after my bacalaureat.
Thanks so much.
Laura

[Shobhit2006]

I have had two alumni interviews, one for Yale and one for Brown. Both were very informal, and usually basically just asked: "what more do you want to know about the college?." My Brown interview went extremely well and we started talking about favorite restaraunts and other random topics. My Yale interview, though, was basically that same "what more do you want to know about Yale" question again and again.

[Scrabble]

What does one wear to an interview? Seeing as it is generally hard to predict how formal it will be (from what I've been reading), is a nice tweed-like skirt and a sweater a safe bet (for a girl, of course - perhaps not so much for a guy)? No hooker heels, I'd assume?

Man, I get paranoid about the goofiest things. But input is still great.

[gohenry19]

I had my interview during school hours (and i go to a private catholic school) so I basically played it off as I left school early (which i did) to go to the interview. I wore school khakis, white button down, tie, and a sweater over it.
Actually, I had my interview 30 minutes ago for Georgetown. The guy was very open with me and made it easier to talk with (though I stuttered one or two words in the middle of the interview >.<). I know some people have been asking about gtown's interviews so I'll tell you what happened with mine. Basically I arrived 5 minutes late to apparently his office (which was really messy and crowded and had papers flying out everywhere) and he immediately told me not to be nervous and how his office should show how much of a relaxed guy he is. Anyway, I tried to be real honest the whole time (which I did for the most part) and he wrote down everything I said for the most part. Asked about my childhood, including all the schools I've attended and my family situation. Then went on to ask about my future goals and whatnot, talked about my religion (I'm not Catholic but have attended Catholic school forever). I mentioned how I consider myself Catholic blah blah. Nothing really unexpected, but at the end he asked if I really wanted to say something that I didn't get across in the application or throughout the interview. Anyways, he said it makes him sad interviewing potential students because many of them are qualified and usually 1-2 of his get accepted (I'm guessing he interviews around 10-15 people). Anyway, the talk was very casual, though I felt wierd because of what I dressed in.
The Georgetown interview was evaluative - for those of you who wanted to know plain and simple.
Good luck to everybody =D and don't be nervous like I was. (This is my first and I guess it was good practice because this isn't among my top few schools). My suggestion would be to practice talking with people you feel uncomfortable around - that's the biggest part in my opinion.

[primeminister]

Scrabble, your question of what to wear has been answered numerous times on these boards. Anyway, I would go with pants rather than a skirt. That's just from what I hear. No hooker heels, so try flats.

[guppy8888]

interveiws are so overrated, as mine didnt go so well and I still got into college....but then again, i already had a pretty strong app anyways

[guitars_girls]

i have an interview at the university for the honors program.

what should i wear a suit perhaps?

[Cooldude11989]

rice interview--just had it couple of hours ago...

uhh surprised it lasted only like 30-40 mins...but then again the lady was like she had to watch the bcs title game...but i left out a lot about "me"...eh, w/e don't have much of a chance anyway...oh well...

[tachobg]

Personally, I got into my early school and I fear that this may come up in another interview and that I will have to answer such awkward questions as why I thought the other school was a better fit etc. Any thoughts?

[Ceej]

I had an interview with Whitman yesterday, with one of their admissions people.

I feel it went well, we talked for about 40 minutes, and it felt pretty relaxed and casual. She asked pretty straightforward questions like:
"What is your high school like?"
"What are your interests outside of school?"
"Why did you apply to Whitman?"
"What do you think your teacher said about you on your recommendation?" etc etc

I am glad I prepared some before hand so I knew what I was talking about and had some questions, so overall it went pretty smoothly. I asked her if she could change one thing about Whitman what it would be...she said she was pleased with all aspects of it, except she wished it didn't cost so much. =P

[OHgiraffe]

I had an alum interview for dartmouth today. It went really well. There were three alums who were asking me questions. First they started out with my SAT scores and GPA, and then asked me a lot about my family life, interests, and ECs. We talked for about an hour. The atmosphere was relaxed, and we had a few laughs. I strongly suggest that you guys bring in a EC resume at the least. That way they can look at it over the interview, and have something to talk about.

I love Dartmouth. Most likely I will be rejected (not because of the interview), but meeting the dartmouth alums was a very positive experience.

[kremlinmirrors]

I have an interview for Harvard next week, and I'm already really nervous.
I'm probably going to wear jeans and a nice shirt, look professional but still like a high schooler, you know?

Any advice? This will be my first ever interview (schools, job, anything)