<p>whoa, that was some rapid posting succession^^</p>
<p>my interview was at starbucks, wore jeans & a nice casual striped shirt.
talked for an hour and a half.
no matter where you go, please don’t show up in a suit.</p>
<p>Well I’m not sure if it’s at Jamba Juice, but we’re meeting in front of it. And I heard Corey got Jamba Juice…soo…I assumed :D</p>
<p>So jeans it is 
Sucks for me if I underdress! I’m wearing a (kind of nice) shirt, nicer than usual, at least 
</p>
<p>I know I was gone for a while there interview jitters ><</p>
<p>PETER PAN PRIDE</p>
<p>AHHH THE ANTICIPATION AND SCARINESS IS STARTLING TO SETTLE IN</p>
<p>It’s okay; nothing like an hour (or two, or three) of CCing [by the way is that a legitimate gerund?] to calm your nerves. :)</p>
<p>Good luck tako!
And Jason, I have nothing specific to offer regarding dress (since mine was done over the phone) but the general rule seems to be to dress for the location. I think a nice, clean collared shirt paired with classy jeans should be fine if you want a more casual look.</p>
<p>And now I leave for Judgement Day.</p>
<p>hope the gods smile in your favor.</p>
<p>I hope your interviewers smile in your favor. (sorry, razzberry i just don’t believe in a god or gods for that matter.)</p>
<p>“Aida can you clarify what sorts of things constitute a good interview and, inversely, a bad?”</p>
<p>Sureness! If you’re articulate and obviously passionate, that’s a plus. If you tie in things from various essays, that’s cool (like, while we talk about essay no. 1, you incorporate and refer to essay no. 3) because it shows you are capable of thinking about various things at once and putting them together. If you don’t contradict yourself, that’s good, haha, but it’s bound to happen. Thing is, you should REALIZE when you just contradicted yourself. It’s great when you notice, then think about it, and revise your statements. We like watching your thought process and seeing you learn/assimilate info on the spot. ACKNOWLEDGE if you just made a mistake, 'cause we probably noticed it anyway. Thinking on your feet is also important (insert jokes about standing and sitting here). Friendliness and confidence goes a long way, too.</p>
<p>If you ramble on and on without answering the question we’ve posed, that’s bad news. If it’s really hard to make you think about things in a new way or grasp hypothetical situations, that’s also bad. For example, if I present a question about flying marshmallows, don’t waste 10 minutes explaining that marshmallows can’t fly; just go with the idea that they do and answer me! If you seem to not have an opinion on stuff, we’re going to kick you. Figuratively. Mostly, anyway. We need people with ideas and opinions, and the guts and knowledge to back 'em up. If we come out of an interview feeling we didn’t really DISCUSS anything, that’s bad.</p>
<p>It’s awkward when you say you love something but don’t know anything about it. Like, “OH, I love art!” but then have no idea who Da Vinci or Cezanne were. Or, “OH, I love community service!” yet don’t DO any.</p>
<p>P.S. - And if, for some reason, YOU debate circles around the interviewer, I bet they’d be impressed more than threatened. That depends on the person, though, hehe. 
It’s impressive when YOU bring up a point we might have not thought about. It’s fun if you change it up a bit and challenge OUR views as well, while at the same time asserting your position. ^_^</p>
<p>one question guys - do they have the same essay topics easy year?</p>
<p>The essay prompts, I think, have pretty much stayed the same year to year</p>
<p>“It’s awkward when you say you love something but don’t know anything about it.” </p>
<p>hmm, uh oh… i remember listing “behavorial economics” under academic interests on the application, but the extent of my knowledge ends at freakonomics. is it okay if you discuss why you’re interested even if you’re not incredibly well-versed on the subject?</p>
<p>Hmm, according to Aida’s post, my interview was both terrible and good o.O</p>
<p>I mean, I DID ramble at times. Even got lost once and asked for a reiteration of the question (oops)! But then I tied in a whole bunch of essay and non-essay related ideas, which I hope was good. And I felt pretty confident, too. </p>
<p>Hmm, the second half of my interview was definitely MUCH better than the 1st half. Oh well, nothing I can do now but WAIT. Gosh, this is driving me insane!</p>
<p>Good luck to all of you, and congrats to those of you who had <em>amazing</em> interviews :D.</p>
<p>Oh, and to the TASP pros/insiders: Does being international help, hurt, or do absolutely nothing to your TASPlication?</p>
<p>I think being an international student or being a minority in any way helps an application, but not to the extent that people who are not a minority are disadvantaged by it. So…I think (?) it helps a little, probably.</p>
<p>Good / bad interviews: be honest, assertive, thoughtful, yourself. Aida covered a lot.</p>
<p>Ooh I loved Freakonomics!</p>
<p>Yeah, it’s fine, roam. I just meant that it was dumb to list something that you knew NOTHING about, or discuss something and try to act like you knew a lot, when in fact you didn’t. If that made sense.</p>
<p>Haha, kathy, the rambling is not the bad thing. The bad thing is that you ramble without actually SAYING anything. I certainly rambled on during mine and most people do!</p>
<p>For TASP, you’re kind of competing against your own minority, in a way. Since they need the diversity in every seminar, you’ll be compared at least a little bit to others in your own ethnic background, I think.</p>
<p>Also, don’t be fake and don’t suck up. Don’t act holier-than-thou either. Be easygoing but opinionated.</p>
<p>Hmm. Does that spell bad news for Asians? Haha.</p>