<p>I was asked by a student to write down some tips about interviews. By far they are not exhaustive and other interviewers are welcome to disagree or add (part of the good thing about the interview process is that no interviewer is the same). But I hope they alleviate some mystique. </p>
<p>Who gets an interview?</p>
<p>Not everyone receives an interview. There are a couple thousand interviewers and some 25,000 applicants. The numbers do not work in the favor of the interviewers to complete all applications.</p>
<p>Interviews at Columbia are meant to have as little bias as possible and are thus it is rather random who will be assigned and when. In the sense that our process does not allow the interviewer before they select candidates or assigned candidates to know who you are, and provides minimal information about you so that they can enter the interview raw and without prejudice. Why is this important? It means you are not meeting with someone that will immediately scoff at you based on some preconception. It also means that some students over other students cannot be selected, thus your selection to be interviewed and someone elses cannot be hypothesized. The system works well to avoid bias in selection.</p>
<p>This means that your chance of being interviewed is difficult to correlate or indeed predict. A few things do matter when did you submit Part 1 of your application starts the chain for you to be interviewed (earlier the more likely), and then also the concentration of alumni in your area could determine your likelihood of receiving an interview.</p>
<p>Can I request an interview?</p>
<p>No. The process is such that it must be without bias. Requesting an interview would necessarily disrupt this process and give a student an unfair advantage. </p>
<p>Who are the interviewers?</p>
<p>Interviewers currently are graduates of Columbia College or Columbia SEAS (any graduates) who live in your local region. Most regions are organized by state, unless you live in a highly populated area and it could be broken down even further. Interviewers could have graduated last May or May 1940. Most come with a very positive experience at Columbia and that is why they chose to be an interviewer. They will certainly share their experiences, stories, etc.</p>
<p>The important thing to note is that each interviewer is different. Some are good and bad. Some are having bad days. Others are just really busy, but want to fit this in, but probably are on the busy end. Overall, the majority of interviewers I have dealt with are very kind individuals. Perhaps not representing Columbias most visible alumni (the White House currently doesnt conduct interviews), but individuals that care a lot about high school education and want to meet students. </p>
<p>Whats the process?</p>
<p>Applicants are assigned or selected in local regions. The interviewer then has a series of applicants they have to interview. They will at their leisure contact and interview as many students as they can, and it is possible they will not finish their list. This year the process began as early as late September, and it looks like interviewing may indeed begin that early in the future.</p>
<p>Students will meet their interviewer for 30-45 minutes, maybe more. It should be at a public space or perhaps the office of the interviewer. The interviewers technique will be different, but many interviewers will ask questions to get to know a student, and then save some time to talk about their experience at Columbia.</p>
<p>Following the interview, they will write a report of their experience, that is more of a summary of what was discussed, what was said, and their overall impression.</p>
<p>What about phone interviews?</p>
<p>Columbia interviewers and also some undergraduates perform some phone interviews throughout the year to reach out to applicants that are perhaps in more sparsely populated areas, or where alumni are few. It is not generally preferred over an in person interview, but seen as a means to conduct an interview for a student that might otherwise not receive one. If you are offered one, please take advantage of this opportunity, however. It is a great way to speak to someone and to make an impression.</p>
<p>What questions will they ask?</p>
<p>Questions will vary based on interviewer. In general you should expect to answer questions about your family and how you relate to your family, your friends, your school life, extracurricular activities and academic interests. You should also expect questions about Columbia how you came to apply to Columbia, what interests you about the school, and what you might want to do if you attend. Some students recently mentioned that they could not write everything they wanted about their activities and what it meant to them. The interview is a great space to explain where your interests come from and what they mean to you.</p>
<p>Not every interview is the same as it is fluid and things you say will lead the interviewer down a different direction. You should not expect to have your interviewer dwell on your grades or your standardized tests, nor will they usually ask you about other schools you have applied to (though a popular question out there what do all the schools you have applied to have in common? is not meant specifically to yield other schools, but try to see if you have thought about what you want from college).</p>
<p>What should I wear? Should I expect to pay for my own coffee/food?</p>
<p>When in doubt, ask. I generally agree with the principle that you should be as dressed up or more dressed up than your interviewer. If it is at an office, where a shirt and tie or a skirt/dress. Never come in a football uniform, shorts or anything that makes it appear as you have not given thought about presenting yourself for the interview.
Regarding payment. I think you should play it by ear. If the interviewer asks if he/she can purchase something for you, you have a choice to say yes or no. In general I think it is polite to decline and only accept if the interviewer insists. At no point should you expect the interviewer to buy you something, though certainly it is not out of the ordinary if they offer.</p>
<p>Do the interviews matter?</p>
<p>This is the hardest question to answer because to be honest this is very individualized. There are some students that I am sure the interview pushed them over, other students where the interview perhaps was a negative part and may have led to a denial. I cant say for every student this is the case, but the reason you have an interview is because it provides more information for the admission officer to review and judge whether or not you are a good fit for Columbia.</p>
<p>As neither you nor the interviewer know how impactful the interview could be everyone should treat it as if it did matter. Come prepared to talk about yourself and your interest in Columbia. Realize that an interview can go both ways good and bad. Also realize that admission officers can read between the lines and will look for good things in interview reports even if the interviewer isnt all that positive. </p>
<p>In the end, I have noticed that Columbia very much looks forward to students who have been thoughtful about how they have approached life and how they have selected Columbia as a school. Shallow answers that are unsubstantiated are bad impressions. Why are you in Mock Trial? What excites you about college in Morningside Heights? What do you want to do after college? These are questions you may get, and how you answer them does matter in leaving a good impression. It is that information that will be relayed to the admission officer, and the depth of your thinking will aid you in admission process overall.</p>
<p>Whether that leads to an admission is unknowable. But at the least you will have 45 or so minutes to meet with an actual alumnus from Columbia, someone who cares deeply about the school and high school students, and gives you the chance to communicate verbally your thoughts and expand upon what you could not put on paper.</p>
<p>What if I dont receive an interview?</p>
<p>Many students will not receive an interview and as a result Columbia cannot unfairly treat you here or put you under any disadvantage. They do have a lot of information to review your file without the interview, and will adjust their reading accordingly looking more closely at recommendations and how you explain yourself as they do not have an interview report. As I mentioned that interviews can be good and bad, this also means you have more control over how you present yourself without having to worry about it being filtered through an interviewers lens. I like to tell students that do not receive an interview to think about the possible negative aspects, not to explain that you should not take up an interview if offered, but to realize there are always two sides of the coin.</p>
<p>How should I end the interview? Thank you note?
Unless you have somewhere to be (which you should not rush the interview, make sure you have plenty of time after to get to where you need to be), you should let the interviewer end the interview. It sometimes comes to a natural end, other times the interview will stop it abruptly if they have something to attend to. You should be flexible. Further when setting up the interview, do not come to the interviewer with the half a dozen times over the next 6 weeks you are free. Truly open up your schedule and be flexible</p>
<p>A thank you note is always appropriate; a thank you e-mail is also appropriate. I know many interviewers that expect them and react differently to a candidate if they do not receive a thank you note or a later acknowledgement, others like me are not necessarily expecting them. So in general I think it is safe to write a thank you note. If you were especially taken by something you learned in the interview, you should mention. I should caution though that I received a few weeks ago a really bad e-mail that I found truly inappropriate. So do realize you are dealing with someone that can impact your fate through the report. When possible you should in the thank you note be specific and not general if you want it to come across as genuine and not mechanical.</p>
<p>Should I follow-up with the interviewer if I have questions?</p>
<p>Again I think this is about reading the interviewer. Do they seem like someone who would like to receive another email and send a response? Did they explicitly say you should send follow-up questions? Then by all means it makes sense. Even if they do not make it explicit, I dont think it hurts to ask things, but you do want to at all times be worry about coming across as annoying and not curious. If you think your interviewer would not be amenable to questions don't push him/her. And when in doubt turn to Columbias webpage for questions (or even here), and ask specific questions of the interviewer only if you do not think you can solicit the answer. Be very courteous and proper in your questions (do not say - hey, when's the deadline, or something like that).</p>