RD Applicants: Interview Advice - Page 5

sandheart · 01-21-2007, 10:08 PM

i also got a letter saying that i won't be getting an interview because my school isn't linked to any alumni--even though my friend who goes to the same school applied early and did get an interview. my guess is that there are fewer applicants in the early decision round and therefore the rules are different and they have a higher chance of being interviewed? although i do find it odd that yale would provide the whole linking thing as a reason when that doesn't seem to be the case for all geographical areas (as AA explained)--or even for students at the same school. oh, well. i guess i was just a little bummed about not being offered an interview.

rNadOm · 01-22-2007, 11:49 AM

hey just wondering, normally how many days before an interview are interviewees informed? I just got my email this morning and the guy said call him to set up an interview time. So I called and suggested next tuesday. He said he's only free tommorow and wednesday. I obviously went for wednesday but it still feels really soon...

Also, he said "Please email me a detailed resume prior to the meeting and include all
the relevant information about yourself that would help me prepare for
our meeting."

so based on that what exactly should I send him?
thanks

AdmissionsAddict · 01-22-2007, 05:14 PM

How quickly an interview happens after the initial contact depends on the interviewer and interviewee's schedules.

Your resume should include extracurricular activities, jobs, academic interests, etc. Interviewers are not supposed to have your GPA and SAT, but not all interviewers know this rule, so it's hard to know whether you should include those.

kryptonsa36 · 01-22-2007, 06:18 PM

Another question about having an interview at Starbucks:

Is it better to buy something to drink or eat there even if getting a Starbucks fix isn't part of your normal schedule or if you're not particularly thirsty or hungry? Or, alternatively, is it better to not get anything even when hungry/thirsty or starting to suffer from Starbucks-withdrawal?

And how would the interviewer fit into all this? Should you buy something depending on whether she has or whether she has offered to buy you something? (Under which, I would probably politely decline.)

AdmissionsAddict · 01-22-2007, 06:24 PM

I am usually at the Starbucks first to ensure there's a place to sit, so I already have my drink. I always offer to buy the interviewee a drink, 75% decline. About half buy their own drink after declining, the other half don't have anything. Either is fine by me. So is letting me buy you a drink. I think only one person has had something to eat and it was kind of awkward b/c I had to wait for her to finish chewing before she could answer.

kryptonsa36 · 01-23-2007, 12:37 PM

Hehe, thanks AA! I feel as if it might also be awkward to be in a place like Starbucks and -not- have at least something to drink, though.

kaka22 · 01-24-2007, 01:46 AM

Thanks for all the great advice AA!

My interviewer told me that interviews usually last only 30 minutes and the longest she's ever done has been 45 minutes. Is this normal? I have a whole long list of things I would like to talk about and I don't know if it be covered in 30 minutes! I do understand that I'm not supposed to dictate the interview, but I figured that if conversation flowed well, the interview would probably go over 30 (and 45) minutes. On the Yale 2011 Facebook group, several of the early acceptances stated that their interviews ran from 1.5-2 hours! I'm just worried that my interviewer's report to Yale may not be as complete/enthusiastic as it could have been had I been assigned to an interviewer more inclined to talk.

Oh, and AA, great reference to Heart of Darkness there! I finished reading it a while ago and it was such a great novel!

rNadOm · 01-24-2007, 06:20 AM

thanks for the advice. i basically sent him what you suggested without grades and stuff and he seemed happy with it. I guess he was experienced coz he didn't touch grades at all during the interview. And to kaka22 if it helps, my interview was just over half an hour.

Visirale · 01-24-2007, 01:47 PM

I have my interview later today... I hope it goes well. My interview for another ivy-league school went very well (1.5 hours), but from the emails so far I'm expecting this one to be more brief.

Hah, it's in a professor's office at a local university... this is new to me.

edwinksl · 01-27-2007, 10:28 AM

Quote:

I have my interview later today... I hope it goes well. My interview for another ivy-league school went very well (1.5 hours), but from the emails so far I'm expecting this one to be more brief.

Hah, it's in a professor's office at a local university... this is new to me.

Haha, I am having my interview this coming monday at a prof's office in my local university as well. Good luck to you!

collegelyfe4me · 01-27-2007, 01:35 PM

i had my interview today--it was so much fun! i love the interview process. its like, talking about yourself for half and hour and then how awesome you are so how you should get in the place.

btw harvard and other big name places came up, and i was all 'psha, harvard. yale is so much cooler'

nct3 · 01-27-2007, 05:57 PM

haha similar thing happened in my interview. My interviewer asked where else I applied (a question I don't really like that much but I've kind of gotten used to as it has been asked in every one of my interviews). After I answered he asked why I didn't apply to Harvard. I said I didn't like it and he said something along the lines of "good, I like you more now."

backfire · 01-29-2007, 03:29 PM

bah typed out my interview twice and it dissapeared when i accidentally hit some button lol.

Anyways, my interview was great in terms of the experience I gained. The guy practically sold me on yale by going into great detail and relating personal anecdotes. I wasnt afraid to ask, and it probably helped me so much. It helped me understand what kind of university yale is and what kind of people are there. Most colleges are the same at this level in terms of academics and the people make or break this difference. He made me really want to attend, eventhough i dont really have that great of a chance. He was really cool and you could tell he was from yale when he spoke, but he looked like just a regular person, and was very supportive even though i forgot to talk about some things. Bad thing was though, we didnt have a place to sit haha, all 40+ tables were full. And, talking while standing up isnt really that great haha.

It was the usual questions
Tell me about yourself
Favorite class?
Where do you see yourself 4 years from now?
these were probably the only generic questions he asked. and the others were based on my previous answers so he was trying to get to know me.

During the interview, i realized from his anecdotes that yale is probably looking for a great person to be around at yale, not just a great student who will thrive, but one who will be enjoyable to others around him and be willing to help others. He emphasized that the friends he made at Yale had the biggest impact on his life, not so much the classes and experiences he learned.

Probably would have done another interview first, since i was totally unprepared for the questions, but he said he would write a positive report so I'm happy about it. But, not happy since yale has become my #1 choice.

aroundmyway · 01-29-2007, 08:36 PM

Harvard is better than yale, for the record...

nct3 · 01-29-2007, 09:40 PM

I won't argue that with you. I just don't think it is a great match for me personally. When I said I didn't like it I didn't mean that it is a bad school or anything like that. I just chose not to apply there.