I was referring to Franklinbrown, who used to post here (lives in Oregon and also HAD interview questions).
My interviewer was an alum who used Oregon as an example for under-represented states, interviewers-wise. But if your son had one, I guess that was good news for you.
Don't talk my word too seriously, I was only HALF-kidding,
I submitted my application on December 31st, and I live in Suffolk County in Long Island, New York.
My interview went pretty well on Friday. I brought in my research abstract and my list of activities to the interview, so that might be a good idea to bring (just don't bring too much). I had to fill out a form with all of my activities and scores and stuff before my interview. Because of this, I'm almost certain they don't receive Part 2 of the application because they ask that stuff on Part 2.
I went in and I was asked the following questions by my interviewer (off the top of my head): How did I hear about Columbia? Why do I want to attend Columbia? What do you want to major in and why are you passionate about your major (in my case, computer science at SEAS)? What are your interests and how do you explore them? Where is Columbia ranked on your list of colleges? On what criteria are you going to base your college decision on?
I think I sounded clear, articulate, and professional in responding to these questions (or at least I hope so), although I wasn't given the chance to say all that I wanted to say. Despite this, I think I accomplished the goal of showing them "that I exist and have a brain", so that's good. My interviewer seemed light-hearted and kind, and the interview was relaxed and easy. I will say the interview was pretty short - it was definitely less than 15 minutes, which is a bit discomforting - but my interviewer had to get a lot of people in and it was the same amount of time for everyone, so I'm not worried. Just make sure to say what you have to say relatively quickly. Overall, I'll say its a success and it'll definitely help me out.
Good luck to everyone else who still has to take the interview, and I hope my experiences help you out.
I do alum interviews at coffee shops. Yes, it is a good idea to buy at least a drink but nothing messy to handle. Then your interviewer feels more comfortable with his/ her own order and you can sip to fill a silent spot. The coffee shop will kick you out if no one orders anything.
I applied to Columbia ED and was deferred. I did not get an interview even though I live in suburaban New Jersey, and other ED applicants that I know had the chance. Also, all my friends from my school who applied to CU as RD applicants have been interviewed or are going to be.
I am very worried that CU might not even want to give me an interview because it had decided that I was not qualified????
And also, it seemed ironic for me that I recieved a deferral, rather than a rejection when an interview was not provided..
Is there any way for me to contact an alumnus/a because Columbia still remains as my first choice?
Well, I would usually recommend people never to call the adcom for an interview because they don’t handle this. But since you were deferred, you can send them a letter updating your achievements and also side-note a little interest in wanting to show them who you are (through an interview perhaps?).
The important thing to keep in mind is 1. The interview might not be as important as you think. 2. Columbia sends your name to the Alumni committee, it is up to that committee to decide whether to give you one or not (who knows why they didn’t?).
