RD Applicants: Interview Advice - Page 32

AdmissionsAddict · 01-20-2009, 11:40 AM

kgarcia--Very inappropriate remark by your interviewer if he meant it the way you emailed it. Don't take it too hard, just as you wouldn't take it too seriously if an interviewre said your chances were really good.

SuperMarioJ · 01-20-2009, 12:48 PM

kgarcia , your interviewer was an *******. and i may be biased but i dont think they should let people like that into yale. everyone's beliefs are their choice and yale is an educational institution so therefore does not discriminate based on religion. for all yale cares you can believe in satan. and why did you guys talk about GOD? very controversial topic.

SuperMarioJ · 01-20-2009, 12:49 PM

and i guess not all interviews are created equal. but dont let that put you down. yale is a crapshoot for everyone anyway, so think positive

ChandlerBing · 01-20-2009, 03:52 PM

That's a really unprofessional thing for an interviewer to say... wow. But on the other hand, talking about God/religion is generally not a savory topic to discuss with someone you haven't met previously.
But seriously... strong beliefs are just fine as long as you don't try to convert others to your ideologies.

the prophet · 01-20-2009, 03:57 PM

true that. i gotta say -- i'm watching this obama thing and it's pretty epic.

random, but uhh. you dig. your interviewer was a jerk but still keep faith -- unless you are a passionate atheist then whatever. just hope. it's a crapshoot like crazy.

safiye · 01-21-2009, 07:19 AM

AA my daugter had a nice interview , I know that it is not so important if you do not have but if you have a very nice interview how much it will effect your chance. Also my daughter is SCEA candidate and deferred, during EA process Yale did not offer interview but after deferral they asked interview , by chance who has graduated my D's major. What do you think about this, is it possible to think she is at the border?

AdmissionsAddict · 01-21-2009, 11:44 AM

safiye--The fact your daughter got an interview after deferral just means that local interviewers were on overload during EA and she probably got priority as a deferred EA applicant. Yale does not instruct the ASC Director who to interview. It's all based on availability. Start at the beginning of this thread and read my posts and T26's for more detailed info about how interviews are assigned.

Lots of people probably feel like they had very nice interviews with me as I try to make applicants comfortable and, I think, have a generally sunny disposition. Many would be surprised that I gave them a 5 rating which means the applicant is average in the Yale pool. My honest opinion is that a bad interview can really hurt you and take you out of contention and that good interviews just bolster the rest of the file. A strong interview will help, but in a pretty minute way.

_Silence · 01-21-2009, 01:38 PM

It looks like I am going to have my interview on friday. I haven't really spent a thought about it until now, as I am international and didn't think about it at all.
The interview will most likely be in a cafè so is it okay to wear non-jeans pants and a nice shirt?
The alumna emailed me in German, does this mean the interview will also be in German?
Is there anything I should bring to the interview? Transcript, Resume or else?
I'm kind of confused, because this hit me really off-guard and I my stats are below average, and that's still nicely phrased.

AdmissionsAddict · 01-21-2009, 04:21 PM

Silence--Your attire sounds perfect. No idea what language the interview will be conducted in. You might want to bring a resume, just in case, but if the interviewer didn't ask for anything, you don't have to bring anything. Don't bring a transcript. Interviewers aren't supposed to know your GPA and test scores.

As written elsewhere, being offered an interview has nothing to do with your chances. If there were enough alumni interviewers, everyone would be offered one. Who gets offered one is a reflection of local alumni volunteers, not the quality of your application.

nyc_dream1 · 01-22-2009, 09:57 PM

I just got my interview. My interviewer was very nice. We talked about everything(from me to Obama to Slumdog Millionaire). It was quite fun but I'm still worried since I don't really know what he thinks.
Good luck to all others who will have their interview

grieglover · 01-22-2009, 10:25 PM

i live in a very populated area with tons of yale interviewers available but i still haven't received an email. all of my friends who have applied from my school have. one of my friends even had a second interviewer contact her after her first said she couldn't do it. what should i do? can i contact the admissions office now and inquire about an interview? yale is my top choice and i really would like an interview for the school that i'm dying to go to.

NonSenescent · 01-24-2009, 11:07 PM

My interview wasn't too wonderful.
I walked in and he asked me to tell him about myself. He just looked at me as I rambled on and on about my extracurriculars without any acknowledgment that he was listening. When I ran out of steam, he went straight to "Do you have any questions for me?"
20 out of the 30 minutes went to that, and when I couldn't pop out any more of those, he asked if there was anything else I'd like Yale admissions to know that wasn't in my application.
When I finished saying something inane about my job, we shook hands and I left.
Ugh.

EAO1227 · 01-26-2009, 07:19 AM

AA, my son is applying to Yale and we live overseas, he has not heard anything about an interview as yet. Is the process of deciding who gets interviews the same overseas? My daughter applied SCEA to Yale last year and got deffered...finally called admissions told them she was willing to go anywhere to interview and got an interview which went very well, the lady called her to see if she got accepted on the day decisions came out. She didn't but she did get accepted to Harvard and is currently a freshman there. My husband feels that my son should call as she did to ask for an interview, however the website says not to call admissions for an interview. My son feels that he should not call and wait and see what happens since when his sister did it she got an interview but didn't get in. So my question is should my son write admissions to inquire about an interview or leave it alone and let the chips fall where they may? Can it hurt his chances that he did what they said not to or will it show initiative? Thanks

pswib · 01-26-2009, 09:08 AM

Is there some sort of cut-off date for getting interviews? In other words, is there some day on which, if not offered an interview already, I know that I certainly will not be given one?

AdmissionsAddict · 01-26-2009, 11:45 AM

The rules for overseas are the same for the US. Interviews depend on availability and not on how good a chance an applicant has of getting in. You can call the admissions office. At worst, they'll be annoyed. It shouldn't keep him out. You'll probably talk to a secretary, not an actual admissions officer. There could be an assumption that your son is only willing to travel within, say, a two hour radius and a call could clarify that it's not the case. Bottom line, however, is the admissions office has no control over who gets interviews; it's all up to the local interviewing coordinator and how many volunteers s/he has.