It’s indeed very laidback, but this really depends on your interviewer, but for most of the time, it is, so just be prepared to talk about yourself, your interests etc
I have an interview at a coffee shop. How should I dress and should I order anything?
^Casual, and only if you’re really hungry/thirsty. I met my interviewer at Starbucks, and he wore a Duke t-shirt, short shorts, sandals, and an windbreaker. Neither of us ordered anything until the interview was over.
I just got done with my Duke interview. Overall, I’d say it went fairly well. It was indeed very relaxed and informal (he was wearing short shorts), albeit a tad formulaic, which was probably due to his methodology of interviewing more than anything else. It lasted about 40 minutes, and it was essentially a question-to-question interview, but flowed like a normal conversation. He asked me how school was going, which classes I was taking; the usual. The most difficult question he had for me was what aspect of myself not mentioned in my application I thought might distinguish me from all of the other applicants, but I had an answer for that already. After that, I asked him some specific questions I had about the school, which he answered in pretty thorough detail. It didn’t seem that he was particularly impressed with me, but at the same time I don’t think there was anything I did that would make him think I was unfit to go to Duke.
One thing I will say that caught me off-guard: I’m Hispanic, and listed so on my application. For some reason, Duke disclosed this information to my interviewer, and he asked me about my ethnicity. Namely, whether I was fluent in Spanish. It wasn’t a difficult question, but I found it odd and unexpected.
Now the wait for April 1st.
Just had my Brown interview. I prepared answers to the typical questions I assumed would be asked (“Tell me about yourself”, “Why do you want to go to Brown?”). My interviewer didn’t really ask the first question at all, we just dove in. It ended up being 2 hours of a conversation and I wasn’t nervous at all! And we also ended up talking mostly not about Brown but about my interests and where decisions in life can take a person. It was really enlightening and I’m so glad we steered away from a ‘formulaic’ interview.
Also another note, I’m pretty sure Brown takes extra effort to make sure your interviewer has a lot in common with you. Mine was a writer and a psychiatrist, majored in Literature, and went through the Brown PLME program, all of which I’d expressed interest in on my application, so I think that’s another reason the interview went so smoothly!
I had my Brown interview last week, and my Yale interview yesterday.
Brown-- The interview was very much like a conversation. My interviewer had a lot in common with me–he was very interested in literature, was related to the cardiology field, and actually knew the neighborhood I was coming from, as the city in question had been his first workplace. It made for a very interesting hour and half of conversation. The traditional questions such as: “What made you apply to Brown?” or “What are your interests?” “What is your favorite subject in school?” were asked, but by the time such questions were asked, I was so comfortable that the answers were very genuine. We did talk a lot about Brown itself, and his own experiences, how those experiences may apply to me if I was accepted, etc. It was at a coffee shop, and we both ordered something, so we were both sipping on something throughout the interview. (He offered to buy a drink first, and so I just assumed it was okay to drink something?) It was more casual and comfortable than I thought it’d be.
Yale-- It was definitely more formal and structured than my Brown interview. There were more traditional questions that were asked, and the entirety of the interview wasn’t so much a conversation, but rather a question-and-answer format. We did talk about my high school, and other schools in the area, and how they affected my academic experience. I note this because my interviewer also has children that are around my age, so he was very interested in that area. It was held at his home, just about five minutes from where I live, so we talked mostly about local schools. One question that did stump me was, “What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment?” I’m not sure if I answered that the way I should have.. We did talk about Yale itself, and his personal experiences at Yale. Overall it was what I had expected a college interview would be like.
I think it is really important to have thoughtful questions to ask the interviewer.
So, I live in North Georgia, and a snow apocalypse has hit us. No, it’s not an apocalypse, but unless the Weather Channel is lying, there is a pretty good possibility the roads will freeze on Saturday. That’s the day a friend and I have our Princeton interviews. We can’t drive 1.5 hours to Atlanta if the roads are frozen. Should I email Princeton’s GA Alumni Association now?
Got contacted today about an interview 
tomorrow at noon over skype, I am so psyched
@ lulinatalk:
Definitely mail them as soon as possible! Maybe you can reschedule, or have a phone / skype interview.
So, I’m probably going to end up interviewing with Tufts, Brown, Middlebury and Colby. I mentioned on my application that I want to combine my interest in International Relations and Visual arts (photography specifically)- Do you think it would be fine if I bring along some of my photographs to the interview?
I was thinking that I would bring some questions written down and maybe some prints just in case we talk about my passion for photography. Is this a good idea?
I can’t imagine it would be a detriment.
I’d bring the photos along in case the interviewer is interested in your photography, but don’t take them out unless he/she really shows interest,
btw: had my interview with Tufts yesterday, went really well
Right- Sounds good.
I had an interview yesterday and it went on for about an hour and a half instead of the 30 minutes specified in the email they sent me. I felt like I said a lot of weird stuff but my interviewer wouldn’t have kept me for that long if it was bad, right?
I would definitely bring the photos. And they must be alumni interviews right? I believe those schools do not do on-campus anymore. And I don’t know about the written questions…
I had interviews at-
Syracuse University (I don’t think it went all that great. I thought of stuff afterwards that I wish I said)
Univeristy of Scranton (went really well. Said she will advocate for me to get accepted : ) )
How do i post a new thread:((
My Son got invited to an interview. Does it mean that his application was already reviewed and this is a sign that they are interested, or do all applicants get an interview, regardless of whether the application will move further along the process?
@danielledepo - Did you do an in person (one on one) alumni interview or a phone interview with Syracuse?
When I requested an interview from admissions I was under the assumption that an alumni from the area would come and meet me- it was only until the end of our conversation did I realize that I was signing up for a phone interview (which is what I ended up doing).
My friend had this happen too sometimes a school does not require an interview but would like to see one so when they start reviewing an application and notice your son has not have one they may call and ask for one. At least that the reason my Brown University called up my friend.
Super GT- I live in the Syracuse area so my interview was on campus with an admissions counselor.
So I have an interview with Harvard which is being held at a a university; this means formal attire? I was thinking a suit, correct? Thanks.