Brown interview FAQ and answers

Colleges and Universities A-Z Brown University
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<p>Summernight: There are two ways to look at this. Since you are applying to a school where English is the primary language, where you won’t get to speak Turkish, where your ability to speak and understand English is crucial to your success – I would think that having an interview in English is the way to go. On the other hand, if it’s in your native tongue you might present yourself better and have a better interview. </p>

<p>Since I’m not a mind reader, I can’t tell you what your interviewer’s thoughts on this would be. I can only tell you my thoughts.</p>

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<p>fireandrain: you’re thread is incredibly helpful. I so appreciate the time you put into this…</p>

<p>A quick question for you: You mentioned that there is an electronic form which you complete after an interview. On this form, does Brown ask the interviewer for a numerical rating of each candidate?</p>

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<p>No. I say upthread what the the four questions are.</p>

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<p>Thank you!!</p>

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<p>I revised this to make this more generally applicable and useful to this thread…and eliminate the snark.</p>

<p>As far as etiquette, I understand how people pop up from time-to-time asking the desperate already-asked-and-answered question. It happens. But after receiving one personalized response that includes a signpost to where in this thread all the key questions are already answered (at the beginning), I’m not sure how much latitude should be allowed for those coming back for seconds and expecting more time to be given revisiting old material that is well-mapped.</p>

<p>I’d like to see the valued resources here dedicating their time and energy to the new and different questions that come up instead of having them rehash the old stuff. The material that was already posted here helped my son in advance of his interview and the alums helped me afterward with a specific concern. I like that this is a growing resource and not a redundant one. Thanks much to those who have the direct knowledge desired for sharing it.</p>

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<p>@ summerknight: Do you know if your interviewer speaks Turkish? S/he may not be a native speaker and feel more comfortable with English and, since you’ll need to be proficient in English at Brown, it seems reasonable to hold the interview in English. </p>

<p>Practically speaking, I find that I rarely have meetings that are exclusively in one language when the participants have a decent knowledge of more than one. Even when a specific language is agreed upon up front. Inevitably, there comes a point where someone needs to express a subtle point in their native tongue so that it is accurately conveyed. During your interview, when those occasions arise, ask if you may use Turkish to express your point and if it’s okay, do so and then return to English – preferably before ending what you were saying.</p>

<p>For example, you may say something like this:</p>

<p>*“There are so many reasons Brown appeals to me. The open curriculum is a big reason. If I may, I’d like to explain this in Turkish… [wait for an indication of approval and then explain why this is so appealing to you as a Turk and specifically as an individual how it fits your style of learning]. [Then return to English before the interviewer speaks.] Now that’s not the only thing I like about Brown. But it’s the main thing. I think I’d really like Providence, too…” *</p>

<p>Of course this suggestion depends on the interviewer being able to understand what you’re saying! Obviously, it does not help for you to make a nuanced point in Turkish if the interviewer doesn’t understand Turkish.</p>

<p>I’ve observed that conversations among multi-lingual people from different countries often start as a sort of battle for each person to speak in their non-native language – with one person speaking in one language and the other speaking in the other – and they tend to end up with both people speaking in the native language of the person who is least comfortable in their non-native language. I am sure there are many reasons for this (common courtesy being one), but I think part of it is sort of a competitive spirit. I feel kind of bad when I speak with someone from another country who ends up in an all-English language conversation with me. Conversely I feel great when I finish a conversation with both of us speaking in French (the only language where that would happen with me). If you can pull off this interview in English, particularly with an Anglophone interviewer, I can promise you that you’re going to feel terrific! Plus you will have made a compelling case that you will be able to handle academics in English, so this interview may give you more of a boost than the interviews typically give applicants.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

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<p>I read at the beginning of this thread the list of info the interviewer has. What purpose does it serve to know the ethnicity?</p>

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<p>bluegrassgrl - maybe it helps the interviewer pick the student out in a crowded coffeeshop?? I know S said that was the only thing that made him nervous about his interview - how they’d recognize each other. </p>

<p>Summerknight, re talking in Turkish. I have conducted international interviews for a peer university and the handbook for international interviewers specifically calls for an evaluation of a non native speaker’s command of English. We are asked to judge, eg. the candidate’s ability to understand rapidly spoken English and very idiomatic English. So I would suggest reverting to Turkish might throw up danger signals. It certainly would for my own university.</p>

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<p>I can’t give a definitive answer. I don’t work in an official capacity for Brown.</p>

<p>My two guesses:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>In some cities/states, there are minority recruitment efforts which involve alumni. This coding could help the area chairs identify minority applicants to include them in these efforts.</p></li>
<li><p>It could be a computer thing – that one part of the form you fill out is transferred to the eBASC databank, and this one data point just happens to be in this part of the form.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>I am, however, 99.9% sure that it is not the reason that samuck suggested.</p>

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<p>No, I knew that was a bit far fetched! Yet oddly, it was the reason the interviewer was able to spot S so quickly the other day. (I would have just asked him to carry a rose between his teeth…)</p>

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<p>"What purpose does it serve to know the ethnicity? "</p>

<p>I’m not speaking about Brown in particular, but many colleges allow alums to indicate preferences as to the kind of students they want to interview. So, it’s possible that there are African-American alums who interview who have expressed an interest in interviewing African-American candidates. There may be alumnae (the plural of female alumna) who are engineers who would say that they would like to interview prospective female engineering majors. </p>

<p>Based on fireandrain’s posts in the parents’ forum, I know that Brown’s alumni office handles this aspect of the application process. I suspect that at Brown, as at many colleges, volunteer alums “match” the applicants with alum interviewers. That information would be on there to help them make the match. </p>

<p>In other words, if the area chair has an alumna interview who is African-American who has expressed an interest in interviewing African-American candidates, then the “match maker” has to know which applicants ARE African-American to honor that preference. </p>

<p>Personally, in doing interviews for my own college, I always express an interest in applicants who participate in a particular EC. I do because I did that EC, my kid did that EC, I know a lot about that EC and I really love talking to kids who do it. The VAST majority of the applicants I’ve interviewed have not done this EC. However, I suspect that the vast majority of applicants on the list of my “match maker” who do that EC have been interviewed by yours truly. That’s because when the interview “match maker” for my college goes down the list and sees that I like interviewing students who do that EC, she assigns them to me. </p>

<p>Colleges that do this do it for a variety of reasons. I suspect the most important one is as an inducement to get alumni to volunteer to interview. </p>

<p>I finished college a LONG time ago, so to many current applicants I may seem hopelessly out ot date. However, when I do get a kid who is “into” my old EC, (s)he usually lights up when (s)he realizes that I actually DO understand this activity. </p>

<p>So, I suspect the info is on the form just to help match up interviewers and applicants. Just as I enjoy talking to kids who participate in a particular EC or women engineers like talking to young women who are interested in engineering, I think there are probably African-American alums who particularly enjoy talking to African-American applicants or Latino alums who like interviewing Latinos, etc.</p>

<p>The info on the "match maker’s " form is not deleted when the form is passed on to the interviewer. So, when the African-American alum who wants to interview African-American applicants gets the form, he knows that he has been assigned an African-American, the female engineer knows she’s been assigned a student who has applied to the school of engineering, the former varsity baseball player knows he has been assigned a kid who plays baseball. Most of the time, the applicants will NOT match the interviewer’s preferences.</p>

<p>Again, I am just assuming that’s why Brown does it that way…it’s the way a number of colleges do it.</p>

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<p>Just an interesting question:</p>

<p>I had my interview 3 days ago and it was stellar. The interviewer said he really enjoyed our conversation and out of the (10) applicants he’s interviewed thus far this year, he believed I was the best fit and the most eloquent/poised. I was ecstatic, of course (I’m in love with Brown) and thanked him politely. Unfortunately, our interview ended up getting cut off at 45 minutes because the next interviewee showed up and “had to be somewhere” later. We didn’t really finish talking.</p>

<p>Today, the interviewer emailed me and asked for a “summary of my activities and feelings about Brown” so he “could better convey my standpoint to the admissions office.” I checked with some other applicants, who didn’t receive this email.</p>

<p>Would you consider this a good thing or a bad thing… I mean, did he forget about what I said in the interview?</p>

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<p>Hi! Thank you to fireandrain and everyone else who has contributed to this thread - it’s been so helpful! Anyway, I received my likely letter at the beginning of last week and have my interview in a couple of days… would my interview be updated about this? Or would they even know that I am in receipt of one? Sorry if this is repeating a question… I know you stated that they know legacy, ec’s, etc - just wondering if this was included! </p>

<p>Thank you again :)</p>

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<p>As far as I know, no interviewer has ever been updated with this type of information. But thanks for letting us know that likely letters went out!</p>

<p>Napster: Maybe he’s lazy, and just wants to cut and paste your answer into his report. I don’t think it’s a good thing or a bad thing, it is what it is. I’m glad you had a positive interview, but unfortunately even a stellar interview report does not assure acceptance.</p>

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<p>fireandrain - My LL is athletic, not academic. Sorry if there was confusion there! But thank you so much for answering my question about if the interviewer knows or not - very helpful :)</p>

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<p>Actually, if it is athletic there is a possibility that your interviewer will know. I’ve always ignored the athletic recruiting system and how it affects interviews because it’s never been an issue where I live, but I know that in the past there were guidelines for how it’s handled and that in some cases the interviewers might be aware of the situation. But I really don’t know how it works now.</p>

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<p>Thanks, fireandrain. I hope it’s not too big of a deal. I don’t think he was lazy - he was incredibly enthusiastic with the interview… but perhaps he wanted to make sure he got the right vibe from the 40 min we had.</p>

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<p>Hello fireandrain,
I am from argentina and I had my interview yesterday via skype (perfect connection and quality), and to tell the truth, I felt I had solid eloquent answers. But It still felt like a really crappy interview; its just that i didnt get much FROM my interviewer (~50 yrs old). All he asked was: What do you want to get out of brown? and then why brown? which i feel are almost the same, and then just resorted to “do you have any other questions?” after like only 15 min of talking!, i said yes, we talked, and then he said the same thing, I said yes again but by the third time, my interview was pretty much over… after 25 min! My harvard interview last week lasted like 45 min, and i really had a good time, talking about ECs, aspirations, and my interviewer’s experiences… I felt like I really showed who I am… my brown interview however, was more of an opportunity to ask questions to a random alumn… I read somewhere that brown interviews in general are more like this, less personal… but ive seen many people have also had a good time, feeling a good vibe. Should I be worried? Interviewers must obviously report back to brown, and they probably have a form to fill and send. taking into account that you’ve already seen and used this form, do you think my chances will be harmed by my interviewer’s lack of initiative? Thanks!</p>

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<p>college32, if you’ve read this thread, then you know that there are good interviewers and bad interviewers, that some applicants have wonderful interviews and others don’t. It most definitely is not true that Brown interviews are “less personal” than Harvard’s – it really depends on your interviewer, and since there are thousands of interviewers, there are thousands of interview styles. </p>

<p>If you read this thread, then you know that I and others already answered your question about “chances.”</p>

<p>An interview does not increase or decrease your chance of acceptance. A bad interview won’t decrease your chance and a good interview won’t increase your chance. </p>

<p>I’m really sorry that you didn’t have a wonderful interview, but I wouldn’t dwell on it.</p>

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<p>Hello fireandrain,
Thank you very much for clarifying, I really appreciate your time and effort. I’m sorry If I sounded a bit over-worried, its just that I know some schools ask their interviewers to send feedback on the student’s “genuine” interest in the college, so I was just a bit worried. I’m sorry about the way I sounded on how “personal” brown interviews are, Im not sure I expressed myself correctly. I am sure Brown interviews would be just as personal with a different interviewer, what I really meant is that maybe Brown interviews are a bit more centered on the student acquiring information on the college, rather than the interviewer getting information on the student. I do realize this may still be misguided, considering I am only comparing two individual interviews. However I have read other parts of the thread, and it seems as if several users have also felt the same way. I believe this must be true, considering you said interviews cannot absolutely help or hurt you. All that is left is to just inform the student. Or what purpose do they serve?</p>