An interesting example of this-
For my sarah Lawrence interview, the person asked me what I would do if I had to take a year off before college what you do…and don’t say “travel”, cause everyone says that!
I told him (being completely honest), that the day before I had passed the New Yok trapeze school and that I was inspired and would get a certification to be a trapeze artists because it was adventureous and would incorporate my love for expressing myself.
I told a few people about this response, they all gasped and told me it was the wrong this to say…
I got my acceptance letter last week.
I apologize if this has been covered. Can we discuss politics and religion during an interview? My son is a devout Christian and very conservative in his political views, and we all know 90 % of ivy faculty are liberals.
I had my interview with Western Washington University last two months ago(Not recommended but consider). They asked me couple of questions about my college grades because i took my college 3 years ago and then they asked me why my grades are pretty low. They even asked me about my personal life, work experience, and why did i choose Western. I couldn’t answer the question on “Why Western.” i got my decision last month and then they denied me because of my GPA. That’s it.
The guy I had for Harvard was an older guy, absolutely a sweetheart. He’s exactly what some of the interview books will tell you an older alumnus interviewer will be like: nice, loves his alma mater, wants to tell stories about the good ole college days, genuinely wants to sell you on his school, that kind of thing. Super easy. He asked questions about current events mainly and things I liked to do, nothing really hard or in depth. He did ask me what I planned to major in (economics) and that totally set me up for a question about how we got to our current economic slump which was SUPER hard to answer, especially since I wanted to keep politics out of it, not knowing which side he was on. And that’s such a huge, debatable question, I really freaked! Haha, so if you’re majoring in something like that, be prepared for that question! He had googled me beforehand and asked me some questions about the stuff that popped up, some of which was ANCIENT, like middle school stuff, so it might be a good idea to see what happens when you google your name and be prepared to talk about that. Lasted about 1 hr 15 min. I felt really confident about that one, and I got into Harvard on a likely letter, so I think it did go well.
The other was Princeton, and I HATED my interviewer. Two guys I knew from around my area also interviewed with her and also really didn’t like her. She was young, and completely just wanted to talk about herself and her days at Princeton. Even more so than the sweet nostalgic old man from Harvard! She asked me very few questions about myself and at the end I felt like she didn’t know anything about me. I still got into Princeton though, so it must not have been too bad, but the other two boys didn’t.
Two tips to keep in mind that I didn’t read in any books so they might be helpful:
1.) Dress appropriately for the weather outside, not just for the interview. If it’s cold and snowy (mine was) wear warm clothes, an appropriate jacket, maybe even gloves for good measure! If you don’t, it can seem like you’re irresponsible and reckless. Like those people who wear shorts in all weather. Haha
2.) When driving to your interview, obey all traffic rules to a T! Pretend your interviewer is watching! No speeding, tailgating, anything. Because that car that is going SOOO slowly could be your interviewer and they will not be happy to see the guy who’s been riding their bumper pull in behind them at wherever you’re meeting. Something similar to this happened to my friend!
Oh and one more thing:
After you submit your applications, be kind of aware that an interviewer will likely be calling your house at any time (three days later, like the guy from Harvard did, or a couple months later, like the lady from Princeton). It totally took me by surprise when the Harvard guy called and I know I sounded reallllllllllyyyyyy stupid. And my sister thought I was kidding when I mouthed that it was Harvard and she kept making funny faces at me. Not helpful! Haha, so just have that in the back of your mind so you don’t sound stupid. Haha
Gosh I keep thinking of more stuff! Haha
As far as dress, I was nice-ish casual for both and I kind of matched what my interviewers were wearing, so I think that’s a good sign. I wore a maroon turtleneck, heart-shaped locket, JEANS (thought a skirt wasn’t weather appropriate and dress pants were too nice), and black riding boots. The Harvard guy and I met at a local University and he took me into a building that was named after him (gah!! intimidating much?) and into this private lounge thing with sofas. He was wearing an argyle-ish sweater (I think, it’s been a while) and khakis. The Princeton girl was much more casual (I guess because she was younger and we were meeting in a Starbucks) and was wearing jeans, a pink Northface jacket and some jewelry.
And the other thing I thought of was something that EVERY single person I’ve talked to has said happened, so I figured I should prepare you! Haha
Naturally, you show up to the interview early and get there before your interviewer. I expected this because I was like 25 minutes early (I was freaking there would be a traffic jam - I get a little paranoid, okay? Haha) but this all happened to friends of mine who were only there like ten minutes early. All of a sudden it gets to like 15 minutes beforehand and I’m like “OH GOSH WHERE IS HE WHAT IF I"M AT THE WRONG PLACE MAYBE HES ALREADY HERE AND I DIDNT SEE HIM IM AT THE WRONG PLACE I DONT EVEN HAVE HIS NUMBER OH MY GOD IM AT THE WRONG PLACE WHERE THE HECK IS HE IS HE ALREADY HERE HOW WILL I RECOGNIZE HIM WHAT IF HES WAITING FOR ME SOMEWHERE ELSE OHHHHH MYYYYY GODDD” Then I think, relax, I’m still fifteen minutes early, he’s probably not here yet. I’m sure this is the right place. Two minutes go by and it alllll starts again. Haha and this went on the whole time until he got there about two minutes before we were supposed to meet. Same thing with my other interview. I’m not even a nervous person and this happened! I wasn’t even nervous about the interview, just that I was at the wrong spot. Haha, and it’s not just me either! So my advice is:
1.) Check, double-check, and triple-check that you know EXACTLY where you’re meeting and how to get there. Even if you know EXACTLY where it is (I did) it will make you feel better once you’re there and help keep those second thoughts away.
2.) Get your interviewer’s number! My second interview was set up mainly by email, and she had mine, so I didn’t think to get hers. But you will feel sooo much better knowing you can call and figure things out, without waiting on them to call.
3.) Facebook stalk them. You never know if they have a Facebook. And having even the slightest idea what they look like will make a big difference.
4.) Go into it knowing that you will probably wonder where the heck your interviewer is. Then when it happens, the sane part of you can laugh at the freaking out part of you. Haha
I was reading on here a bunch of people asking about what to bring, like transcripts, resume, and stuff. I read in all of the books to do this, but I just thought it felt too weird, so I asked a guy I know who had interviewed and gotten in everywhere and he said he didn’t do it, so I didn’t either. I don’t think it hurt me at all, because the interview isn’t supposed to be about your scores and such, that’s what the application is for. The interview is more for personality, spark, motivation, etc. Like who you really are. That’s what I would think anyway. Although, for my Princeton one, I was the third person in a row she’d done that day, so maybe having something like that to take home with her might have helped me to stand out in her mind, keep me from blurring and getting confused with the others? So maybe in that case you should take one.
“Although, for my Princeton one, I was the third person in a row she’d done that day, so maybe having something like that to take home with her might have helped me to stand out in her mind, keep me from blurring and getting confused with the others? So maybe in that case you should take one.”
I used to be an alum interviewer for Harvard. I asked sutdents to bring their resume and transcript because Harvard asked me to find out their scores, gpa, senior year courses, and getting those on paper meant that I didn’t have to waste valuable interview time getting that info and writing down their answers.
Hi, i am a rising senior, and i recently received an email from Yale saying they had a limited number of summer interviews available, so i signed up for one, figuring it was a great opportunity. then i just realized my first college interview is with yale.
I had an interview at William and Mary a few days ago! It went very well, I got along with the interviewer (a senior at W&M) and he seemed impressed by my answers. The questions were interesting and fun to answer, my personal favorite being “If you are in a painting, and you are in the foreground, what is in the background?” To prepare, I didn’t memorize answers or accomplishments, rather, I mentally created a list of my values, accomplishments, ans reasons for wanting to attend W&M (there are many!) It was a great interview, I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. I have no regrets, and I hope I get in! Good luck to those with upcoming interviews.
This is going to sound really tacky. I am all science and math but in my spare time I compose orchestral music with a software program. I would love to compile them on a CD and give it away as a gift. Bad idea?
The CD might be a nice gift for your recommenders, people who know you well and may be interested in your music. I doubt that your interviewers will listen to it. An interviewee gave me one of his CDs, and I never listened to it. He was an amazing young man whom I gave a strong recommendation to, and who got into Harvard EA back when Harvard had EA, but I never took the time to listen to his music. His gift actually seemed like more work for me, not a real gift, since I presumed he wanted me to be able to comment on his music for the recommendation.
No gifts are necessary for interviewers. A thank-you note, however, after the interview is the courteous thing to do.
Is it easier to get accepted into the undergrad business school or the liberal arts school? Im looking to apply to BC,BU, Villanova, University of Rochester, and Notre Dame.
Meh.. I don’t really know about the weight interviews carry on your application..
In the schools that I was a match for, my interviews for those schools were all nearly perfect, and the interviewer themselves said they genuinely thought I would easily get in, and were shocked to find out that I was rejected every time.
I ended going to the school which could not interview only 2 people in my state who requested an interview.. one of those 2 was me =/
i recently had an interview for a prestigious school, and I felt completely unprepared. It seemed I had completely misjudged the purpose of the interview.
So, now, I need advise for everything - from outfit to answers - for when I reapply.
Also, what kind of questions are suitable to ask your interviewer? It seems as though you could just find all the info on the website … what are some examples of questions you’ve asked during college interviews?
You never know if they have a Facebook. And having even the slightest idea what they look like will make a big difference.