RD Applicants: Interview Advice - Page 26

bluereedz · 12-30-2008, 04:07 PM

AdmissionsAddict. My interview happens to be in the interviewer's home (is that unusual?). I feel like I should be bringing some sort of small gift since I'm going to her home. Is that a good thing to do?

Thanks in advance. You are awesome for answering all these questions.

AdmissionsAddict · 12-30-2008, 04:19 PM

It's unusual to have the interview in the interviewer's house because the interviewer handbook requests that interviewers not do that. Don't bring a gift. I think it would put the interviewer ill at ease and could be interpreted as bribery.

T26E4 · 12-30-2008, 04:26 PM

acceptd wrote: "Do interviewers already have a good background of you before the date of the actual interview? Have they looked or reviewed your application at all? Do colleges already group you into a "strong candidate"/"fair candidate"/"strong reject" categories before the interview?

Just wondering because economics is on my application as an academic interest - which it is, but i'm wondering if I should be prepared to give a dissertations on how our current economic crisis occured..."

Alumni interviewers are provided nothing beyond your contact info so they can write a completely "first impression" report w/o the bias of knowing other metrics. As far as discussion topics, just handle yourself well. If you don't know something or have an informed opinion on something, then say so.

I've had only one "in home" interview b/c my wife got called into work and it was too close to reschedule. I agree w/"no gift". I guess some flowers for the table would have been a thoughtful gesture! LOL

goldenratiophi · 01-01-2009, 05:06 PM

Sorry, I didn't read the whole thread, but...

If no one from my high school has ever applied to Yale before, do I have any chance for an interview?

AdmissionsAddict · 01-01-2009, 05:34 PM

The answer is there if you read the thread.

Short answer: It depends on how the ASC Director for your territory runs things. In some areas, everyone gets an interview. In other areas, it's first come, first served. In other areas, there are interviewers "linked" to certain schools. In other areas, there are probably other strategies.

Olive_Tree · 01-01-2009, 10:30 PM

My interview is tomorrow, and I've been thinking of questions to ask. I'm afraid I'll forget some so is it all right if I write them down and take them to the interview? Will my interviewer just look at me weird?

Denebola · 01-01-2009, 10:38 PM

I dunno, I'm not official or anything, but to me it would seem that if you've come with questions on a piece of paper that means you're really prepared and have clearly put a lot of thought into this particular interview (and by extension this particular school)

but then again I'm not an interviewer

good luck tomorrow though!!! i've only been hearing good things about Yale interviews from friends who have already done theirs

findis · 01-01-2009, 10:40 PM

I did that for an on-campus interview over the summer, and the interviewer did give one strange glance at my notepad but it wasn't a huge deal.

Olive_Tree · 01-01-2009, 10:40 PM

Thanks! I'm nervous, though.

Olive_Tree · 01-02-2009, 10:36 AM

AdmissionsAddict, will it be ok to bring written quetions?

Olive_Tree · 01-02-2009, 05:28 PM

Just had my interview! I thought it went great; she added that she was impressed at how I knew about Yale and had researched it thoroughly.

Denebola · 01-02-2009, 08:28 PM

haha, toldya

Olive_Tree · 01-02-2009, 08:54 PM

^ You were right! I stumbled one or twice but she was very nice and made me feel comfortable.

Denebola · 01-02-2009, 08:58 PM

What kinds of questions did you have for her? Because I feel as if it's good to have some of your own questions to emphasize how much you care about the school, but I care about Yale SO much that I've done over-exuberant amounts of research and I feel as if I have nothing left to inquire about Yale! haha (and if you don't want to share your questions because you're worried about competition, don't, because I'm a junior so my Yale application won't be in the same pile as yours!)

AllyGator · 01-03-2009, 12:41 AM

Regarding the gift thing, I had an interview for Princeton (it was about early December or so?) and I had made cute little Santa Claus cookies the night before. I thought it'd be a cool gesture if I brought a cookie to my interviewer the next day. I think he thought it was really weird and probably considered it bribery even though it was just a cookie (totally not my intention at all!). I totally gave my Yale interviewer a cookie too (since it was around the same time) and he was like "Oh thanks!" and put it on his desk and forgot about it. I'm wondering if they thought I'm trying to buy them with cookies... but I guess I won't worry about it since I can't do anything about it now!