Admissions Interviews: Still an Art and a Science

[Sally_Rubenstone]

<p>[Admissions</a> Interviews: Still an Art and a Science](<a href=“http://chronicle.com/article/The-Enduring-Mystery-of-the/65545/?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en]Admissions”>http://chronicle.com/article/The-Enduring-Mystery-of-the/65545/?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en) from The Chronicle of Higher Education offers some thoughts on the pros and cons of college interviews, albeit nothing groundbreaking, in my opinion, except for one thing. I did learn that Stanford U.—long known for NOT interviewing prospective undergrads–is now test-driving an interview option in selected parts of the country. (A final decision on the fate of nationwide Stanford interviews won’t be made until May 2011.)</p>

<p>There is also a smattering of questions throughout the piece that prospective students may encounter along the interview trail (e.g., from Wake Forest: “This year applicants were asked to describe the most intellectually stimulating class they took in high school, what they would say if they had 15 minutes alone with President Obama, and what they would do if they had a “do over” button.”)</p>

<p>Frankly, my favorite part of the “article” was Comment #12 at the end:</p>

<p>

I interviewed at Denison in 1977. I was told by my college counselor that it’s OK to bring index cards with me into the interview to remind me of the questions I’d like to ask. I took the counselor’s advice. During the interview, I accidently dropped the cards on the floor and then had to pick them up and sift through them to see which questions I had not yet asked. When the admissions director asked me my SAT score, I shared the total score with him. My math score was substantially lower than my English score. When he asked for the breakdown of the scores, I shared the individual scores with him. He then pointed out that they did not add up to the total amount of my SAT score. I responded, “That’s why my math score is lower.” I did not get accepted at Denison.

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