MIT: Master Interview Thread - Page 10

Mikalye · 12-19-2008, 09:56 AM

Quote:

the EC doesn't even know what's in our application.

That's of course true, but I have had students who feel a desire to reel off test scores, and grades earned, misconstruing that that is what the interview is about. Although I have never seen the application, I do know that grades and scores are already well covered elsewhere in the application.

For an example of what I mean, look at the overwhelming majority of "chances" threads on this board. Most of them give a lot of evidence to prove that the student is academically well qualified for MIT, but contain nothing that allows anyone to assess the match. Since match is what gets you in, and is what the interview is about, these chances threads are basically useless.

prime235 · 12-19-2008, 06:57 PM

ic what you mean. so by "parroting the application," you mean spitting out meaningless test scores and numbers.

ok, I didn't do that. I just talked about my EC's and stuff. But when you said "application," I'd got worried a bit since EC's are part of the application, and I was thinking maybe there was something else I had to talk about...

Catalysis · 12-20-2008, 08:06 PM

How much does missing the interview deadline/not getting an interview affect your app?

SYNCHROTRON · 12-20-2008, 11:32 PM

^^^not much according to MY perspective. My interview totally sucked, the interviewer just talked about her major-- computer science, all the time; wanted me to do computer science instead of my projected Aerospace major.

BTW i got deferred in the EA round.

Cider · 12-21-2008, 09:48 PM

I remember seeing a statistic on the MIT website that said admit rate with interview was 17% and without was 9% or so. I think that if you get a good one, it'll put you over someone you're very close to as far as admissions goes that didn't interview.

zephyravatar · 12-21-2008, 10:15 PM

I had my interview the past Tuesday. went pretty well I guess. asked me a lot about my EC's, since I gave him a resume. it was pretty casual, and he gave me good advice about majors and courses at MIT. he did the EE part of EECS and I want to do the CS part hahaha

I was surprised because my interviewer went to my high school. nice sign.

reverie91 · 12-22-2008, 06:54 PM

How will MIT view the lack of an interview not by fault of the applicant? I contacted before the deadline, my EC said she would be out of country, I e-mailed MIT, they reassigned me another EC, but the contact information they gave was wayyy outdated so I couldn't reach him, and now I'm waiting for MIT's response again ..

spdeer7 · 12-23-2008, 07:48 AM

Honestly the interview is really not scary or hard.
My interviewer was just so incredibly kind that I wasn't nervous from the moment I got there. He really just let me talk to try to make me look as good as possible.

Just be yourself

spideyunlimited · 12-24-2008, 06:50 AM

My interviewer hasn't uploaded her report yet! My interview was on 8th december. I used the 'conducted interview' form on 'MyMIT' to notify MIT. Wonder what's happened :-|

Mikalye · 12-24-2008, 07:10 AM

Spideyunlimited,
What happened is that your interviewer hasn't uploaded their report yet. It usually takes me an hour or so to do the interview, and 3-4 hours to write the report. For interviews in December, I rarely get time in the run up to Christmas to write and edit the interview report. I usually do mine between Christmas and New Year's. Don't fret about it.
-Mikalye

kaizad · 12-29-2008, 02:38 PM

Rhetoric, cliche advice, but very important: Contact your interviewer ASAP!! to get a date scheduled. I contacted mine on November 8th and then a million unprecedented holidays came by and I couldn't get in touch with the EC's secretary. Thankfully I got an interview scheduled for tomorrow.. phew..
Now I'm full of butterflies haha.

thejas90 · 12-31-2008, 12:24 AM

I had my interview today, I was late by half an hour. I could not freaking believe it. I was and am so ****ed.

How important is the MIT interview? How much will my punctuality factor into the interview? Do you think it could kill my chances ?

Mikalye · 01-01-2009, 04:34 PM

As with all of these things, everything depends on the circumstances and on the EC. There are 2700 of us, and your mileage very definitely may vary. That being said a lot enters into it. I've had candidates turn up late with very legitimate excuses, and they were not harmed by it at all. If however, I met a candidate who I felt was not taking the application seriously at all, then yes, that would affect their chances.

Eihjia · 01-04-2009, 05:20 AM

First of all... It's over! Don't worry about it! I'm sure you did a great job.

1. As far as I know, unless you do something ridiculously stupid (ya know, cuss every other sentence), the interview can't really ever hurt you.

2. Visiting MIT is not considered at all in the admissions process. Such a policy would inherently advantage people who have the money and live close by. I got in early and have yet to visit. So, you didn't hurt yourself at all by saying you weren't going to visit.

3. It's reasonably irrelevant whether the interviewer liked you or not. The reports they write are supposed to be objective and factual, not opinionated.

4. If the interviewer was as polite as you say, then I don't think you can infer anything from her ending comment. I think she means exactly what she says.

You're done with the application process! Have fun. Chill. Don't waste two or three months of your life freaking out about MIT.

Mikalye · 01-04-2009, 08:14 PM

I'm not sure I agree with all of Eihjia's comments.

Quote:

As far as I know, unless you do something ridiculously stupid (ya know, cuss every other sentence), the interview can't really ever hurt you.

Can the interview hurt you? Absolutely it can. Eihjia is right about one thing, given that there are 2700 interviewers, there is a quality control issue. Further, the interview is not required. Therefore, an interviewers comments are not as critical as some other parts of the application. That being said, there is a reason for the EC system. Any interview at the extremes, for good or ill, can certainly affect the application.

Quote:

Visiting MIT is not considered at all in the admissions process.

Visiting MIT is definitely not considered at all in the admissions process. Don't stress about that.

Quote:

It's reasonably irrelevant whether the interviewer liked you or not. The reports they write are supposed to be objective and factual, not opinionated.

The idea that the interview reports are objective and factual and not opinionated sounds good, but is ultimately wrong. For example, as an international interviewer, one thing that I am expected to check for is the students fluency with English. That sounds fairly objective, no? But in truth, particularly at the boundaries, its not so straightforward.

By definition, we are looking for the characteristics that make up a good match with MIT. We spend the interview looking for "objective" evidence of certain characteristics, and then we take an opinion about them. We express our opinion, backed up with as much objective evidence as we can, but it is fundamentally our opinion.

That being said, last year I interviewed a young man who I liked very, very much, but who I recognised was not a strong match for MIT. Similarly, I have met candidates who matched well but whom I did not particularly get along with. In that regard, it does not matter whether they like you.

Quote:

If the interviewer was as polite as you say, then I don't think you can infer anything from her ending comment.

I agree. I am an international interviewer, and the acceptance rate for international applicants is 3.9 percent or roughly 1 in every 27 candidates. Given that I tend not to interview 27 candidates per year, that means that most years, none of my applicants will get in. Indeed, every year I meet brilliant, talented, wonderful candidates who will not get in. I probably would not say something like "Good luck wherever you end up", just to avoid the confusion and soul searching that you are going through now, but I do think thought just like that all the time at the interview.

Quote:

Have fun. Chill. Don't waste two or three months of your life freaking out about MIT.

This is of course completely correct and wonderful, if hard to take, advice. Relax.

Good luck.