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<p>For whatever it’s worth, I don’t ask these questions. The exception is for someone who says English is s/her favorite class, or who says they love to read.</p>
<p>Interviewers used to be told to contact denied applicants. This goes back a couple decades. I don’t recall being told specifically NOT to contact them. I usually tell my students that I won’t contact them – I feel they need to move on. I will contact waitlisted students who I really, really like. </p>
<p>mgcsinc, I’ve a friend who arranges interviews in an area that includes inner-city high schools. He went above and beyond trying to reach these students for interviews – I was amazed, because I usually figure if they don’t respond to two phonecalls and an email, I’m done. But he said that in this student population, they don’t always understand what an alumni interview is, and have to be pursued. He’s called their high schools to leave messages, talked to guidance counselors, etc. I was very impressed.</p>
<p>Is their any rhyme or reason as to whom Brown decides it wants to interview? If you do not get an interview, is that a sign your application is in trouble?</p>
<p>@fireandrain: </p>
<p>I’m actually a sucker for asking about reading habits. Most of the people I know (friends and foe alike) from Brown and other top/peer schools are exceptionally curious people, whether or not they’re former, current, or potential English majors. That curiosity often manifests itself through reading–books, blogs, mags, or whatever. </p>
<p>I’m skeptical of the intellectual curiosity of someone who doesn’t seek out knowledge outside of what is required in school. If you’re a senior who is struggling to come up with the name of a single book read for pleasure, that raises a red flag for me about suitability at the top colleges. You will drown there. </p>
<p>[It doesn’t have to be books obviously. Someone who spends time tinkering with electronics, or writing albums and albums worth of songs, or collecting specimens of leaves from his/her neighborhood and categorizing them…these can all serve as proxies for ‘curiosity’. But I haven’t met too many people who do these things who also aren’t also voracious readers.]</p>
<p>@muckdogs07: Many posts re this in other threads, but brief answer: No.
your application is not in trouble if not contacted re an interview. Brown tries to offer all applicants an interview. (so getting one is not an indicator of preference either.) However, the number of interviewers in an area to students, geography, and sometimes unfortunately the procrastination of someone in the process (be it alumnus/a or the scheduler)means they never contact all their list.
If you have not been contacted it does not count against you in any way. However, you may want to 1. check your e-mail spam box to make sure communications not landing there. 2. double check the contact info Brown has listed. (I’ve run into assigned students where no form of contact got a reply. I finally did a search and an international long distance call to the student, but most interviewers would give up before that. Most would give up after just a couple of e-mails.) 3. If you really want the interview (maybe you can’t visit, don’t know anyone there and just want to see if you can get a better feel for the school) then it’s worth a contact to admissions to see if you fell through the cracks.</p>
<p>I believe the following text use to be “communicating with denied/deferred applicants” because I distinctly remember that I initially wanted to contact my ED interviewee. I found it in the alumni interviewing handbook under the section “following up”</p>
<p>Communicating with denied applicants
This can be a delicate situation. While we ultimately leave it to your discretion, we usually recommend that you hold off on communicating with denied applicants unless they reach out to you.</p>
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<p>What if the last book you read willingly was The Cat in the Hat? ;)</p>
<p>Maybe the question should be “Which Spark Notes did you particularly enjoy?”</p>
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<p>You could discuss Seuss’s political concerns in the 1950s, or the literary devices used in the book haha!</p>
<p>Or the irony that Geisel ( Seuss) who never had any children himself is responsible for so many being educated and learning how to read.</p>
<p>It wouldn’t hurtle bring up Suess if you’re interviewing for Dartmouth.</p>