<p>In reading past threads on college interviews, I keep seeing reference to "resumes" that some kids bring with them to leave with the interviewer. Are resumes necessary or advisable? If so, what should be included in them?</p>
<p>It's good to bring one but not sit there reading from it. My d's interviewer asked to keep it. He marked it up with his notes during the interview. The resume can have all the usual stuff - hs, GPA, awards, ECs, work experience. At some schools they are told not to ask these questions, but if the numbers are good it can't help having a subliminal effect. ;) Otherwise, bringing along a "visual" is good -- a self-portrait if you're an artist, an article from the local paper, etc.</p>
<p>check out all of these resume links within this thread.....I recall there's a discussion on resumes related to interviews in at least one of them.</p>
<p>Its a good idea because it can remind you of things you have forgotten and they do no harm, just, say, I brought a resume if you would like to have one...they will either say, sure or thats okay. and then you move on</p>
<p>i took a resume to all my interviews. some of em wanted to keep it, some of them looked at it, some of them didn't touch it, and some of them flat out said they weren't gonna look at it. depends on the interviewer's preference. interviews are primarily to gauge personality and passion at a personal level.</p>
<p>(i suppose i interviewed well for the most part, since i got into all but two of the schools i interviewd for, and i got into 9/13 overall.)</p>
<p>My D had 9 interviews and took a rather lengthy "resume" to each. In every case the interviewer reviewed her resume and discussed it. Since the resume covered all the achievements, awards and activities, she did not need to brag about these. </p>
<p>I have some doubts about the value of the interviews. Often interviews are not required. I have heard they represent about 5% of the input for admissions decisions. I suspect the alumni interviews are used mainly to indicate the student's interest in the school. Maybe it is more important if the student is exceptionally weak or strong, but that will probably also be reflected by the rest of the application.</p>
<p>My son took a one and a half page bullet point "resume" to his interviews. It was not a traditional resume but had different sections - academic, athletic, community, awards, etc. It helped my son organize his thinking about how to talk about his background, interests, and desires for the future. If nothing else, by preparing one it shows motivation and drive. I was an executive recruiter for five years; the biggest mistake interviewees make is assuming that they are there to be questioned. An interview is a "selling" opportunity. Walk in knowing what you want to get across - and use the questions asked to communicate what you want to say. A little bit like a Presidential debate - did Bill Clinton ever really answer the questions posed to him?
Most interviews don't matter much - especially alumni interviews. The alumni process, I think, exists more as a marketing tool for schools - and to draw alumni into the fold so that they give money.</p>
<p>BUT, in my son's case, he was interviewing with a number of committees - for Army ROTC scholarships and with Congressional Service Academy committees made up of retired military people. These interviews really did count. I spent time with him doing mock interviews and got my son to think about what he really wanted. Focus should be on medium-term and long-term - not, "I want to get into college X". </p>
<p>A good interview is also a confidence builder for young people. And communications skills will help them the rest of their lives - starting with when they are looking for summer jobs and internships.</p>
<p>The importance of alum interviews depends on the college.</p>
<p>I am an alum interviewer for Harvard. My impression is that with the increasing numbers of excellent applicants that the adcoms have to winnow in order to fill the same number of spaces (only about 1 in 10 students is accepted), the interview is becoming more and more important.</p>
<p>I've had follow-up questions from adcoms about my interview reports, and I know that adcoms have requested second interviews for some candidates (whom I would imagine are probably on the bubble, though adcoms don't say why they want the students reinterviewed).</p>
<p>My guess is that a horrible interview could tip an applicant out and an absolutely excellent interview might tip a strong candidate in. I doubt, though, that an excellent interview would tip in a candidate who seemed mediocre when compared to the other applicants.</p>
<p>My son developed an Activity Sheet..without superfluous stuff on it like memberships in barely functional or productive clubs...just the same Activity Sheet he attached to his Common Apps. He spent a lot of time making it simple and highlighting perhaps four sincerely valid activity areas. He did include his stats, which I believe can only help the interviewer decide if you are viable in the first place, although the interviewer is assessing more interpersonal qualities.<br>
I recommend that you and your child discuss how to respond to the intrusive and unfair question that is asked often: Where is my alma mater on your list in rank of preference, and where else are you applying? People are just flat curious and like to reminisce and compare even if is not kosher to put a teen on the spot like that, so make up your mind what your son or daughter is going to reveal and say re other colleges. For a highly selective school interview, they are going to understand that you can't count on admission and should have a game plan, so be up front. For schools that are used as "safeties" and are not happy to be treated that way often, think about what you can say that is diplomatic and sincere. Like "I could easily see myself living and working at College X very happily. I am so impressed with the access to teachers and then...be specific...about something you gleaned from an actual visit. You may not be able to swear College X is your number one, but you can swear you are impressed and would be honored to attend College X. Like all compliments, they are more sincere when specific. On the flip side, interviews are also good places for a student to address concerns about mismatches and you might want to risk asking about the "atmosphere that is overly competitive" "very unconventional" "frat-dominated" or "grade deflation reputation" issues. Make sure to ask something of the graduate about his views and experiences...how the college has changed, the number one thing that made it shine, what was the hardest aspect..Don't let the interview be all about you. On the other hand..some alum use the entire interview to reminisce, so do make up your mind to get across three or four things about yourself very clearly and repeat them until you think they are heard.</p>
<p>i agree with northstarmom, for at least HYPM (S does not interview), because for these schools, there are more people with amazing stats than there are spots for. hence, the interview is incredibly important for these schools. i definitely feel my princeton interview went incredibly well, my harvard interview was mediocre, i bombed my yale interview, and i just blew off my MIT interview cuz i didnt want to got there anyway (blew off meaning i didnt arrange one, not that i blew off an appointment). for these schools, you can't really say that one school is easier to get into and would accept lower stats, so i really felt my princeton interview was the difference when it came to getting in there, and not the other places.</p>
<p>I didn't bring one to any of my interviews - GTown, Harvard, Duke, and UVA Jefferson, and I was accepted to the schools (didn't get the scholarship).</p>
<p>*I didn't bring a resume to the UVA Jefferson interview b/c they had my full scholarship app.</p>
<p>D brought a detailed activity sheet (gleened from the knowledge of wonderful cc parents) to every interview - and we're at 12 and counting.</p>
<p>Every interviewer referred to the activity resume and two even told her that based on what they read, she was eligible for merit money. </p>
<p>I think having the activity sheet took a lot of pressure off D, she didn't have to start the interview at square 1 and the interviewers were able to focus on the activities which appealed to them.</p>
<p>I do know that some schools specify NOT to bring resumes, so best to check.</p>
<p>well, wishingandhoping, we'll find out tomorrow. My D has 3 interviews in the next week and has her first at Brandeis tomorrow. She did put together a 3 page resume of Honors & Awards, Leadership, EC's, and Community Service in that order. She did not include any test scores/GPA/Class rank and wondered if she should have since none of these have received applications yet. It's too late now, since she printed them out last night before we flew to Boston today, but what do you think?</p>
<p>My D did put an unofficial transcript at the back of the activity resume, but I don't think anyone particularly cared about it! We didn't have any class rank or junior year GPA. We did NOT put test scores since D's SAT was only fair. She found out her ACT while we were gone and did mention it to a few schools. (It's the score she will report.)</p>
<p>The interviews are very pleasant; and Brandeis goes out of their way to make the students comfortable. </p>
<p>We're done with all that now. D is back at school. Here in the South summer is over. Lots of good luck with the interviews!</p>
<p>Just a contrarian position (what else is new?:)) Neither of my kids ever had a resume for school, either for applications or interviews. Their position--if they wanted them, they'd tell you. Both are at their first place schools. And incidentally, echoing NSM, both feel that their interviews played a large part. In fact, S's interviewer made several follow-up phone calls to get more information for his report. He made it clear that he was extensively campaigning for S.</p>
<p>I didn't bring a resume to any of my interviews, and I was never asked for one. I don't think it's necessary, and it might even distract you or your interviewer if you're tempted to look at it the whole time.
I also don't think it's even the interviewer's business to know your GPA, and it's much better to talk about ECs than to list them.</p>
<p>My S brought a one page resume to both his interviews, and both interviewers looked at it and both picked up on one or two things he'd listed (one was a hobby). They took note of the fact that he was taking classes in college and asked how it affected his ECs (a short list). But much of the rest of the interview was about college life (housing, advising, etc...) They both kep the copy of the resume.</p>
<p>My son had a bunch of alumni interviews for highly ranked colleges and brought his resume to them. It included his class rank, GPA, SATs, activities, and awards. At that point in his life, he was very comfortable talking to the interviewers, but he would have hesitated to volunteer some of this information about his achievements in conversation, as it would have been considered "bragging" in his high school circles. It was good he could hand them the resume and then they could pick up on any aspect they were interested in to ask him about further.</p>
<p>My daughter only had one interview, which was with a senior student working in the admissions office of what was to become her ED school. She hit it off fantastically with the interviewer and the interview was great. She brought her resume but forgot to give it to the interviewer, but it didn't matter in the end, as she was admitted with a scholarship.</p>
<p>As an alum interviewer, I can't emphasize more how helpful it is when students provide me with a resume or activity list. It means that I don't have to write as much, so can concentrate more on what they're saying. </p>
<p>It also gives me an easy way to get a quick overview about their background that virtually ensures that the student won't leave the interview suddenly realizing that they have forgotten to let the interviewer know about an important accomplishment or pursuit.</p>
<p>Son found that the resume helped when he was interviewed with new interviewers. He also didn't worry about forgetting something important. He adjusted the resume when he went job hunting this summer. Employer was impressed, guess they don't see too many resumes at the local movie theater:)</p>