Awkward Interview..

Parents Forum
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<p>So I went into Borders Cafe… and well, ordered a cup to drink… and my interviewer came about 7 minutes late, which was fine… I was in uniform and all… </p>

<p>Had my briefcase so all the files I needed was there, including resume, the curriculum for the AP courses I helped develop at my school…</p>

<p>Interviewer didn’t ask a single question except “Tell me about yourself…” the rest was just free exchange of thoughts…</p>

<p>The awkward part was there some guy (a vagabond, if you will) and stared at me in the face. He asked for change, I told him I didn’t have any. Then he started cursing, swearing, and told me he was going to keep an eye on me and kill me. </p>

<p>I just shrugged it off, and he left, staring at me. My interviewer just shrugged and was like oooookay… So we took a ten minute break, got some more coffee, and then resumed the interview.</p>

<p>It all went fine… (this was for Georgetown by the way)… I wasn’t shaken or anything, but ehh…</p>

<p>I’ll rant a little bit more later… :D</p>

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<p>Tlaktan:</p>

<p>The interviewer will remember you! :slight_smile: Between the uniform and the incident with the vagrant, how could he not? He’ll make allowances for your being thrown off your stride, if indeed you were.</p>

<p>“Tell me about yourself” is a familiar conversational gambit. As long as you and he did not run out of things to say, there was no reason to bring out the resume. So it looks like it was not needed. Pat yourself on the back and relax. If only you could use this episode for a college essay! :)</p>

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<p>Tlaktan, If I was that interviewer, I would say to myself “What a self-assured young person.” Sounds like it went well…and the experience will serve you well in the future on other, less nerve-wracking interviews.</p>

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<p>Sounds like you had a great interview. Don’t worry! :)</p>

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<p>oh just curious…</p>

<p>what did you say when an interviewer ask you “tell me about yourself”??</p>

<p>if anyone have some knowledge on this, how should one approach such a general question??</p>

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<p>“what did you say when an interviewer ask you ‘tell me about yourself’??”</p>

<p>I am concise :)</p>

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<p>Years ago in Alaska I was interviewing a girl for MIT. We were having a “pleasant conversation” in my living room when we experienced an earthquake. I knew she was right for MIT when she looked at her watch to evaluate the periodicity of the tremors!!</p>

<p>Whatever you have to “tell about yourself”, make sure it is something you can express with enthusiasm and insight.</p>

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<p>I started talking about what I did, in general… gave a little insight into my background… :D</p>

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<p>The interviewer was a she, by the way. She graduated from GU in '00. I was her first SFS candidate to interview.</p>

<p>Poor her though, she came in with 2 pieces of paper and left with the 30 I gave her to give her some insight as to what I do… :smiley: :evilgrin:</p>

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<p>Sounds like you very well. Shows you are very interested in GU. Good luck! :)</p>

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<p>The guy who disturbed us kinda scared me a little, but I didn’t show it… Just kept it hidden til I went home and cried in my room (… not really, heh)… I just ignored him til he just got plain ol’ annoying.</p>

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<p>Don’t mean for this to come off as elitist or anything but next time go to a cafe where you won’t be bothered by vagabonds…although one wouldn’t expect it from a Border’s cafe (Border’s the bookstore?) either. How about a regular cafe than a bookstore cafe?</p>

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<p>Robyrm, great story!
Tliktan, as an interviewer I only use formal questions as “prompts” to jump-start the conversation or encourage a student to reveal him or herself when it isn’t happening. Sounds as though you and the interviewer connected in a natural way, aside from the fact that she’s not experienced at it; I wouldn’t worry. Good luck to you.</p>

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<p>I really had no say in the location… she wanted somewhere in close proximity to her, so … well… :(…</p>

<p>Yes, it was the cafe area of the Borders bookstore… we moved tables later on, … </p>

<p>Now that I think about it, the incident makes me want to laugh more and more.</p>

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<p>Marite: in response to what you said earlier… that would be nice wouldnt it (a college essay)</p>

<p>I could see the intro now:</p>

<p>While I was interviewing for XYX university, a stranger walked in on the conversation.</p>

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<p>It IS a pretty funny story Tlaktan. Glad you’re starting to see the humor in it.</p>

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<p>tlaktan:</p>

<p>You could stretch things a bit. “In the middle of my first important interview, a stranger walked up to me and threatened to kill me.” That would retain anyone’s attention. :)</p>

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<p>The one little problem I see with that is that it would show that Tlaktan is interested in another university. In these days of deadly college admissions, do you want your adcom to know you interviewed and are interested in some other college? Ok, of course it is normal, and students should apply to multiple places for commonsense reasons but the adcom would think if you interviewed for Yale why would you be interested in say Swarthmore? We have to go on the assumption that colleges are not humane.</p>

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<p>At least my feeling from last year’s admissions cycle was colleges have the upper hand in everything especially for less than stellar students. Only when a student gets admitted to multiple stellar colleges do students for a brief period of time hold the upper hand. This is not a buyer’s market. I wish it were, though.</p>

<p>(I am not implying that you are a less than stellar student…)</p>

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<p>I don’t think it’s important to conceal your interest in other colleges unless you’re an ED candidate. I wouldn’t name the college or even hint about it. But, a heathly reaspect for the competitive atmosphere and the selectivity at your top choice should be understood.</p>