How to define a glowing/horrible interview

T26E4
Sun, 30 Jan 2011 21:28:19 +0000

1) I would consider a 4 hour interview to be extremely weird. Sorry but my “parent” radar would say: “What are you talking to my kid for four hours about, stranger?”

2) What’s a glowing interview? From whose perspective? My alma mater would consider any interview great that could glean more information about the student – positive or negative. Remember, the interview serves the college, not the applicant. If YOU are a poor candidate, the college wants to know it. If YOU are a solid candidate and can express that in an interview, the college wants to know it.

I don’t want anyone to be paranoid but the fact is, not everyone presents themselves as super impressive. So far this season, I’ve interviewed six students for my alma mater, a Princeton peer school. Two were unimpressive (got rejected already), three were average (average for the general applicant pool – not average compared to the normal HS student) and one was really memorable. However, he withdrew b/c of a ED decision at another college. But I spoke w/my regional rep and she concurred that this guy was very impressive. I think he would have gotten in.

As for a “horrible” interview, I would say that the two rejected students left me feeling the interview had gone well. Indeed they did – but the fact was I judged them as below average – because that’s how they presented themselves – not because they were poor interviewees.

But, ALL six interviews went according to plan, in my opinion.