niightingale

does anyone know what kind of questions they ask ? i have mine this saturday and i'm really excited! haha but i heard interviews can go in a weird direction. a friend of mine had a ponoma interviewer ask her what kind of tree she wanted to be...

sciencegal

Mine went well... The interviewer just asked about why I liked Smith, why a women's college, etc. She also asked me what I had/hadn't liked about HS and what I looked forward to in college. Then we discussed my ECs and interests and then I asked her several questions about the school. It was really chill -- you'll have fun.

SmithieandProud

The interviews are intended to be very relaxed and casual. They're just to give you a chance to talk about yourself, and give the college a few more data points to help them make a decision. And by data points I don't mean "I was in this club, this volunteer activity, got that grade in this class blah blah blah" but rather things that don't come across on a resume or in an application. For example, maybe you list "Orchestra" on your application as an activity, but that doesn't give them any idea that you're totally passionate about the cello and that you own every yo-yo ma record ever created and you once bet your friend $100 that you could play them a song on the cello they would love more than any song they've ever heard on the radio and you won (I'm totally making this up, btw). Smith would never know that, unless they talk to you, so that's what they try to bring out in the interview. What is the story behind the resume (if there is one)?

Every interview is very different. They don't give the interviewers a set list of questions to ask, though most interviewers do develop their own go-to list. Common ones are things like "Why did you choose Smith" or "describe your biggest challenge" or "I see you listed English as one of your interests, why did you choose that?" Then they kind of let the interview take its own course, just like a normal conversation. There are no trick questions or mean interviewers, the whole goal is for them to learn more about you and for you to get a really positive, personal experience with Smith.

So relax, have fun with it, dress comfortably, and just be honest. Oh and it helps if you come with a few questions for the interviewer.

Prairie

Well expressed, SmithieandProud.

Hailun

My interviewer is so nice. You will be fine.

lili92

mine was very comfortable..

Momwaitingfornew

My D thoroughly enjoyed her Smith interview. With so much competition coming from her high school, I think that it helped her to get in over the others because she was able to convey who she was and why she liked Smith -- beyond a small box on the application.

As she describes it, the interview was more like a normal conversation than a grilling. They talked about Smith, of course, but also about music, literature, foreign travel -- stuff my D was passionate about. My D was relaxed enough to make some humorous comments that cracked up her interviewer. I could hear them laughing from all the way out in the waiting room.

Be yourself, and enjoy the conversation. No matter who you are and what you like, this is your opportunity to give a voice and a face to your application.