<p>I interview for an HYPMS, and when I ask what attracted someone to my school, I want to see if they’ve done any research at all on what that school offers in their areas of reported interest. That means checking out if there are any special programs in their areas of interest, checking out the course catalog to see if there are classes that really interested them, or if they notice that faculty member x has published a book or done research in their area of interest. Really, I’m just looking for anything that says they have enough passion about their interests and enough interest in the school that they are actively looking for a good fit. If all they can say is ‘I feel a connection’ or something equally generic, I don’t make them feel awkward about it, but it tells me their interest in the school - or in their ‘passions’ - doesn’t run very deep.</p>
<p>By the way, I never want a student to walk out of an interview feeling bad. I want them to leave the interview with a positive feeling about both the school and their interview experience-even if they know they didn’t do a great job answering the questions. The interview is just one data point from a stranger, not reflective of 4 years of hard work and no one should feel like it was a ‘make or break’ experience. If someone is clearly fumbling, I will switch directions. It’s perfectly clear to both of us that they didn’t know what to say or handled a question badly and I don’t have to rub it in. </p>
<p>The school already has the academic records, essays and rec letters. What I am looking for is something that may not have come across. Unusual poise and insight, exceptional maturity, grace under pressure, a real excitement about a subject, or a personal situation that was too embarrassing perhaps for a student to put in an application but reflects on their ‘distance traveled.’</p>
<p>funnyman: when I said “weeding process” I was hypothetically referring to an alum who, insidiously, will harm an applicant he/she doesn’t personally like. Chauvinism, bigotry, whatever.</p>
<p>I don’t assume it never happens but I’ve got to assume that the colleges steer students away from these alum volunteers. I’ve never run across a volunteer interviewer who didn’t express the most importance into his/her duties to the college and then the student.</p>
<p>harvard interview was forgettable… formal… in a hospital… guy didnt seem interested in what i had to say even though i wanted to become a doctor… he was old though so… iono</p>