<p>Hey there, all possible Columbia 2013-ers! I have a question about the interview: isn't an alumni representative supposed to contact you after you submit the 1st part of the application? I submitted part one in mid-November, and haven't heard anything...I don't want to contact admissions and tick them off...is anybody else in the same boat?</p>
<p>If there is an Columbia alumni nearby, who has the time to offer an interview, he or she will email you/ phone you with the opportunity. But like many other colleges, an interview is not required for admission to Columbia. </p>
<p>I actually didn't have one and was accepted. But interestingly, there was an alumni nearby who I had met at a Columbia orientation--but he was a Columbia College alumni...so my friend who applied to the College (and also was accepted) got an interview, but I, who applied to engineering, didn't.</p>
<p>Don't know if this applies to you, but in any event, don't be in any way distraught because you didn't get an interview...it won't hurt you in any way!</p>
<p>Good luck with RD!</p>
<p>I submitted my entire application in early October, and I was deferred from early decision. I just got a call today for an interview.</p>
<p>Good thing or bad thing?</p>
<p>It means nothing....they probably have interviewers available now....</p>
<p>"Good thing or bad thing?"</p>
<p>It's all about alumni availability. I think they interview you if they want to know more about you, given of course that alumni are available. I was a weird applicant, my academics weren't uniformly robust, but i had great ECs and a good essay, I got interviews for all the top colleges i applied to, whereas many of my classmates who applied to the same schools (with perfect academics but less interesting profiles) didn't get interviews, some got in, some didn't. There was little correlation between interview and acceptance. </p>
<p>"It means nothing....they probably have interviewers available now.."</p>
<p>I know for a fact that alumni on this board are already interviewing kids.</p>
<p>I'm going to have an interview in January..so nervouuusss!!
any tips?what kind of questions will be asked?</p>
<p>Don't be nervous about interviews... I haven't had one for Columbia but I did have one for Barnard and one for Reed. Maybe it's different for smaller liberal arts colleges but the questions were usually about things that were easy to answer--your interests, your coursework, what you read or do outside of school, etc. Interviews are usually more a conversation than being pummeled with tough questions. My Barnard interviewer even apologized for "grilling" me on one of my classes--she was just interested in the topic! :)</p>
<p>Nervousness should decrease with every interview you have, so it might help to try to schedule your favorite schools last (it's late for this year, of course).</p>
<p>newayz..it may sound silly, but need to have an answer to this question..
since i'm an international student, what language should i use??my mother tongue or english??the interviewer is also an indonesian..and when he called me, he used indonesian language..makes me confused which language should i use to talk to him..<em>grin</em></p>
<p>vossron : i can't have interviews for all the schools that i applied since i'm applying from indo..only certain schools that have alumni in my area..and unfortunately, only columbia does..so i guess this will be my first and only interview..=)</p>
<p>^that's a little tricky, how well do you know the Indonesian language (Bahasa?)? If you know it well and are comfortable speaking it, then go with the flow and have the interview in that language / a mix English + other. </p>
<p>If you are weak with the native language, I'd speak a little of it at first and then add in English phrases so that the interviewer gets the picture that you are more comfortable with English. I think the interviewer shouldn't really have too much of a problem with English as he has studied at columbia. he esp shouldn't have a problem if he did his undergrad here, if he only came for a masters and doesn't speak decent english at all, then it might be tricky, I wonder if you could contact admissions and tell them that your interview was not viable because of the language barrier.</p>
<p>How should I dress for the interview? A lot of my friends met their interviewers in public places, like bookstores, so they went pretty casual. Although, I'm meeting the guy in his law office downtown. So I feel like I should dress a little nicer...</p>
<p>business casual, formal shirt, dress pants, dress shoes, nothing unkempt. if you're female then then a pant suit would work, i don't think it's overkill for a law office downtown.</p>
<p>Make sure you relax and just give it your best. You also shouldn't think that the interview can hurt you in any way. I know when I was applying that was a major topic of contention, but after my interview, I think I can safely say that there is no possible way for the interview to harm your chances. My interviewer deliberately attempted to trap me with his argumentative politics, and his painfully unsound but belligerent reasoning led him to not-so-subtly stating that I was a Nazi. No joke...trust me, your interview can't be worse than mine.</p>
<p>PS i got in</p>
<p>"My interviewer deliberately attempted to trap me with his argumentative politics, and his painfully unsound but belligerent reasoning led him to not-so-subtly stating that I was a Nazi."</p>
<p>this sounds like a fantastic interview. He knows you're not a nazi (right?), and i think he'd be level-headed enough to not lower points on the basis of a political disagreement (however heated), he might have wanted to know how you handled criticism. He was probably more impressed that you could have a heated political discussion, and hold your own regradless of political affiliation. Everyone knows that columbia seeks and benefits from diversity and thus should / does not discriminate on the basis of political leaning. your interview sounds like it got you accepted.</p>
<p>Whether you get an interview or not doesn't effect your chances, but once you get an interviews it can definitely hurt you as much as it can help you. Your interviewer after all understands the caliber of columbia students and can judge fit pretty well, if you don't meet those criteria then you'll be hurt by the interview. My guess would be that most interviewers highly recommend only one is 1 in 4 or 5 candidates. Which is still better than your 10% chance to start out with.</p>
<p>my native language is bahasa too..but i thought i have to speak english as i'm applying to an ivy..kinda weird as when he emailed me, he used english, but when he called me, he used bahasa...-.-"</p>
<p>actually,how important is the interview??extremely important or optional??my high school grades n recs are excellent..but i havent take ACT n SAT (taking in jan)..and cannot expect much from them..essays are good (the best that i've ever written--but who knows?)..
can an interview increase my chance?</p>
<p>"can an interview increase my chance?"</p>
<p>it can, but it can also hurt you. I think what would probably hurt you though is turning the interview down without a good reason. I would do it as it teaches you about the school and prepares you for other interviews at it's worst. If there's no serious language problem then go ahead.</p>
<p>I sent my part-1 app back in early Nov. and haven't received a call or email yet and neither has the only other person i know who is applying....is it pretty much too late to expect one? You'd think a school like Columbia would have a few alumni in the Detroit area :/</p>
<p>Yeah, I'm worried about this too. Naturally Columbia must have somebody in the Atlanta area, but I haven't heard a thing. The only person I know who's heard anything from them talked to a rowing recruiter and not an alumnus... </p>
<p>If I haven't been contacted even though there are obviously alumni available (and I submitted the week Application I came out), is that a bad sign?</p>
<p>thx confi..</p>
<p>boookwoorm, definitely a good thing. In my opinion, an interview can only help. It gives a face and a personality to the written application. I had my interview last Tuesday. It was a good experience, more conversational than anything. I dressed in a full suit.</p>