<p>I'm a recent alum of Georgetown and I'm holding my first interview this weekend for an applicant. I can remember when I was applying to college that there were certain things that interviewers did that I hated: asking canned questions like 'why do you want to go to ---?" and acting very arrogant. </p>
<p>What are some of the things that current applicants can suggest to a 'green' interviewer? Anything that really ticks you guys off? </p>
<p>Thanks for any suggestions--I'm sure the person that I'm interviewing thanks you too.</p>
<p>i don't think you should be worried about annoying us! :) we are much more worried about doing something wrong! Is there any advice can you give to an interviewee about how to impress you guys?</p>
<p>I had the interview today and I was actually disappointed in the applicant. If anyone who is applying to a school that requires an interview reads this, one of the most important things you can do is to find interesting facts about the school to which you're applying and then insert them into your answers. Even if you've gotten a perfect SAT and have a 4.0 GPA, your interviewer will still give you a bad report if you don't sound genuinely interested in the school to which you're applying.</p>
<p>For example, with Gtown, it would have been nice if the applicant had read the Hoya and found out about the recent theft of the clock hands on Healy. Just a basic current events story would have made me give him a rating several points higher than the applicant got.</p>
<p>I had my interview for Georgetown last week and I was surprised that my alumni interviewer asked me two questions tops regarding Georgetown. He never asked me "Why Georgetown?" Instead, he asked about my family and school and my dream job and favorite classes. I made sure to reference Georgetown in my answers, but I think the basic theme of what I was saying made it pretty clear why I love Georgetown. He didn't ask me anything about whether I had read the Georgetown newspaper or about the recent theft. I think he could glean from what I said that I'm really passionate about his school.</p>
<p>My interviewer said that he thought it was his job to help me in this process. He wasn't going to write anything negative about me, only good things. All of his reports are in a positive light, some better than others though. I like his approach, it took a lot of pressure off during the interview. I didn't feel like i had to brag about myself, just talk about myself. All he wanted was to tell GU about the kind of person I am and why he thinks I would be great at GU.</p>
<p>Your post was very helpful snaxa, and thank you for that. The reason for my reply to this, however, is that I've applied EA and have still not yet received any information regarding my interview. I submitted Part I of my application in early September and have called the admissions office about five times. Their answer is always the same, putting me through to a counselor who is of a "higher position" than the receptionist, who then assures me that he/she is on top of my case and will call me back in a matter of days. I think it's hard to get an interview for me in particular because I live in semi-upstate New York, in a very small town. But I do want an interview, and any suggestions as to where I should go from here would be very helpful. Thanks!</p>
<p>actually hoyasnaxa, I don't think sounding informed is -always- a good thing. I don't mean to sound ignorant or offensive, but if the interviewee knows everything about the school (ie. like thefts??), I think it makes the interviewee sounds like he did -excessive- homework. I didn't actually do much research before hand, but when I said I was really interested in taking classes by some professors, he lifted an eyebrow and said "You've really done your homework." Made me feel a bit squirmish..</p>
<p>Then again, I'm an international so maybe my perceptions are different.</p>
<p>Yeah, I think giving him a negative review because he didn't read the school newspaper is pretty excessive. Seniors have so many things to do this time of year. I'd be happier knowing that my interviewee was spending his time with his ECs than memorizing every fact about a school. An interview isn't just for the alumni to give his opinion of a student, it's also for the student to learn more about the school and decide if its a good fit. My interview was just like a conversation and I left more excited about Georgetown.</p>
<p>My interview with GU lasted 1 hour 40 minutes! I only spoke for about 50 minutes and all I was asked about was school stuff that is already on my app.</p>