<p>A few days ago an e-mail was sent to me.
The interview is over - I think that it was great.</p>
<p>Anyway,</p>
<p>I understand that it is probably easy to arrange an interview in the US, but I don’t live in the US(I live in Eastern Europe), so it kind of surprised me a lot. It was a skype-interview, because my interviewer was in Asia.</p>
<p>So,considering how easy it is to be interviewed, have all of you had interviews?..</p>
<p>And my second question is - can an interview ruin/improve my application?</p>
<p>Brown wants to interview 100% of applicants, so in that sense it is "easy" to get interviewed.</p>
<p>A really bad interview can have an impact. Here's an example -- let's say a student says during an interview that s/he has never spent a night away from home, is really scared about living away, and is very shy and quiet during the interview. That would raise a red flag about the student. What Brown might do in that case is call the guidance counselor to learn more. </p>
<p>Most students have really good interviews, which is why it is rare for good interviews to improve the application. But I could see an instance where something comes up in an interview which wasn't explored in-depth in the application, which gets the attention of the admissions officer, which might help the student get admitted.</p>
<p>Oh I didn't know they gave Skype interviews! That gives me hope - I would really like an interview but not sure if any of the schools I've applied to offer (I live in Trinidad). Crossing fingers...</p>
<p>"But I could see an instance where something comes up in an interview which wasn't explored in-depth in the application, which gets the attention of the admissions officer, which might help the student get admitted."</p>
<p>um... but what i've noticed in my last 2 interviews is that interviewers like to talk about a broad range of things and not just 'one thing' ... so how do we explore 'one thing' in details ...or atleast in more detail than in the application. </p>
<p>My Brown interview is coming up....and I'd really appreciate any ideas as to how to make it effective. (effective=stand out)</p>
<p>Every interviewer is different -- some obviously have a list of questions that they stick to. Others are fine if the conversation is more freewheeling, and doesn't go in obvious directions.</p>
<p>I recently had an interview with a student where I hardly got to any of my questions because this student was a brilliant conversationalist, who had had some fascinating life experiences (he studied abroad for a year). He would take a question, and just run with it and take it in many directions, but leaving enough doors open that prompted other questions on that topic. He took control of the interview, and in doing so I could see how smart he was, see how quick his brain worked. He had penetrating insights to share and different perspectives on his experiences. He was not a typical student because of his experiences, what he did with them, and his well-expressed opinions.</p>
<p>Very few interviews stand out. I've done dozens over 3 decades, and most blend together. I remember one student, an actor, who was very expressive about why one particular role meant so much to her. I could tell from her comments how intelligent and reflective she was. I vividly remember another student who came from an incredibly poor family, and was struck dumb by the herculean efforts she made to support them while expanding her own horizons.</p>
<p>The students who stand out do so because they've either done some truly impressive things, or because the quality of their intelligence shines through.</p>
<p>fireandrain, you didn't like what i said when i wrote a short message about my interview before but you didn't answer my question. could you, or someone else who may know, please tell me why an interviewer would focus more on the other colleges a student is applying to rather than brown? because i feel as though mine was a failed interview for this reason and am very distraught by it.</p>
<p>KD128, the ONLY person who knows why your interviewer was so fixated on the other schools you applied to was that interviewer. I haven't the foggiest idea why the person insisted on asking you those questions. If it bothers you so much, complain to admissions. </p>
<p>You expected your interview to "make them forget" weaknesses in your application. An interview won't do that. I'm sorry if that sounds harsh, but it's the truth.</p>
<p>You will have many interviews in your lifetime. Some will go well, and others won't. Learn from the ones that went poorly, so the next one is better. Sometimes there are inexplicable personality conflicts between interviewer and interviewee. As has been said numerous times on these boards, admissions reads the interviews but they don't base a decision solely on them. I know it's tough, but move on.</p>
<p>Had my interview on the 15th in fact. Yes my interviewer also especially asked why I did not bother applying to XXX school and why I applied to the other schools I applied to. THough it was me who brought up what other schools I applied to and did not apply to. Mine was a little over an hour long. Is that a normal timing?</p>
<p>I've heard of interviews lasting 15 minutes and of others lasting 2 hours. Mine typically last from 45 minutes to a little over an hour.</p>
<p>Some interviewers are really interested in the entire admissions process, may have kids who either went through it or are about to, or younger ones may remember vividly what they went through. That might explain the fascination with other schools. I doubt they mention the other schools in their write-ups, and if they do, Brown admissions will ignore it.</p>
<p>Do you know if Brown is giving more interviews? we are almost at the end of the process, and my D is still waiting for Brown,Duke,JHU,Emory, she already had been interviewed for Georgetown, Tufts, UofC, Princeton,Yale, Columbia, and American...</p>
<p>As I've said repeatedly on these boards, Brown's goal is to interview 100% of applicants. It is not "almost at the end of the process" -- for interviewers, the process is near the beginning.</p>
<p>Brown is overwhelmed with applications. Alumni are being asked to do phone interviews for students who live in areas where there aren't a lot of alums. So, we're working on it.</p>
<p>I got an interview request and it stated a specific beginning time and 'an end time'. Apparently the interview is to be only for 0.5 hr. That was a bit disappointing seeing that most of my interviews lasted nearly 1.5 hrs.</p>
<p>Anyway, to the question: Are Brown interviews more an information session than a 'get-to-know-applicant-more' session ?</p>
<p>R-DNA: That depends on your interviewer. However, the interviewer is supposed to do a write-up that gives specific information about the student, so if it ends up being an information session the interviewer won't have much to say.</p>
<p>AAHHH my interview is today and I'm so worried! I'm not too good with interviews and so I'm scared that I'll end up saying something really really stupid :(</p>
<p>This school is one of my top choices, so I hope my interview goes well...</p>
<p>Relax! My D met her interviewer at Panera and the first thing she did was wack her head on the overhead lamp while getting into the booth! She shrugged it off and the interview went great. Just be yourself and have a good conversation.</p>