<p>I think the vibe at the interview can depend on the individual college and individual interviewer, but all of my son’s were relaxed and friendly. His first one (Goucher) didn’t go that well - she didn’t seem to be in love with him, but to be honest, he hadn’t like the school at all on the tour (I thought it was cool), and so he probably wasn’t very energetic at the interview. Another (George Washington) didn’t go very well, although he was accepted with a scholarship. He scheduled an interview with a rep who was in our city for high school visits. The rep didn’t drive the conversation, and neither did my son. It was short and actually concluded with the guy asking my son why he had requested an interview. I don’t know what he said, but the real answer was “because my mom read somewhere that GWU likes applicants to interview so I thought I should.” All others (Clark, Beloit, U of Rochester) were friendly and conversational, and he actually enjoyed them.</p>
<p>They were both intimidating and friendly! It’s hard for a kid not to be intimidated. Just remind your son that the interview (again, I don’t have any experience with Ivies) is all about them seeing if the student has some life energy! Shake hands, eye contact, body language, be able to have a conversation, seem interested and/or excited about something, have some questions. </p>
<p>Prep - have answers to “what do you like to do for fun” or “what do you do in your spare time”. Have in mind the 3 or 4 things you hope come up in conversation so that you can easily mention them when a good opening comes up. Also, have some questions in mind - things that can’t be found easily on the website. </p>
<p>Search out this thread: Favourite Awkward Interview Moments (I don’t know how to link it). I actually cut and pasted my favorites into a word doc and printed it out. When we were road-tripping to the East Coast for his first interview, I had that in the car and read some out loud while he drove. It had us both cracking up! I think it helped ease the tension and put it all in perspective. “OK, so as long as I don’t run over the guy’s dog, I’m doing OK”</p>
<p>Good luck! My son was nervous about interviews and they ended up not being bad at all. The interviewers are generally very friendly and adept at helping the conversation along.</p>