fantastic P'ton interview!

<p>I just had my Princeton interview this afternoon and it was fantastic! Of all the schools that I have applied to I was feeling the most uneasy about Princeton. I'm from a rural and fairly unsophisticated area and I was thinking that Princeton is a little too rich and polished for me. Then I talked with my interviewer. . .she comes from a similar background and we share a lot of common experiences. We talked for over two hours. She got me so excited about Princeton! So now go ahead fellow ccers, tell me how alumni interviews count for almost nothing, and how even an "outstanding" rating won't help you. I came away so elated that I guess it is time to deflate.</p>

<p>I don't know..I always thought that the interview was a pretty important part of the admissions process.</p>

<p>Well, at least consider this:
Your "numbers" (SAT, GPA, rank etc) won't necessarily GET you in. They just "qualify" you..in a sense. </p>

<p>The more subjective stuff like your essays, recommendations, ECs, and your interviews get you in.</p>

<p>That's at least how I think of it.</p>

<p>Anyway, congrats on your interview! I have mine tomorrow...</p>

<p>Don’t want to deflate you, but the interviews are like the pole vault. You need to clear the bar, but clearing it by a lot or a little doesn’t really matter.</p>

<p>masamune, best of luck tomorrow on your interview. I hope it goes well for you, coldcomfort</p>

<p>yea i had a kickass Princeton interview too.</p>

<p>tell me what you guys think of this - </p>

<p>i have a friend who applied to princeton with a 1440 sat. he contacted the dean of admissions and the dean told him "a 2100 is equvilant to a 2300. it doesnt make a big difference to us at all. we just dont like anything below a 2100" i have to say i believe because he isnt the kind of of guy to say a load of bs. this somewhat also ties in with what masamune said about the subjective stuff being really what counts. we have also seen countless times the fact that people with near perfect academic stats dont get in while people with mediocre (but stillstrong) academic stats and also great subjective stuff get in.</p>

<p>justa thought. i was thinking about calling and seeing if they told me the same thing....have any of you heard of a similar admissions process?</p>

<p>I believe it is true that the 2100 student with great hooks has a better chance than the 2300 with no special hooks. Of course, the 2300 students with great hooks is in an even better position.</p>

<p>yeah that makes sense. i just think they really dont care if you have a 2300 or a 2100. it is a matter of 4 questions between the two</p>

<p>does getting a 2070 count-i mean taking the cue from jjjjj,"we just dont like anything below a 2100"!!??? i mean i have respectable ecs and recos et al but does that 2070 put me in an inferior position? oh also considering im an international student</p>

<p>i dont know. like i said, it was my friend who said that. i mean, all schools have cut offs, but a 2070 is still really good. i wouldnt fret too much. ill ask him about it tomorrow for you. you are also an international so you should have some room especially if you are from a unique place.</p>

<p>since we are (or were) on the topic of interviews, i have some questions...first, how many interviewers at a time? I was just contacted and they said there will be 2 interviewers for me over a 90 minute period... Is this the same with everyone?? I find it weird because I normally have 1 interviewer for the other colleges...
and plus, how are princeton interviews? are they known to be quite serious or colloquail??</p>

<p>2 interviewers? i've never heard of that before</p>

<p>and the difference between a 2100 and a 2300 is alot more than 4 questions. i do agree though that high scores aren't the only thing needed to get in</p>

<p>you are right, but it is more than 10. point is that simple luck when guessing can lead to a 2300 instead of a 2100. colleges know this</p>

<p>haha listen man i didnt get a 2300, but i really dont agree that random guessing gets you 200 points, especially the upper 200 pts.</p>

<p>my interview was only one guy...for about 40 minutes</p>

<p>ok if you are 50/50 on 10 questions and you happen to guess those 10 questions right, it IS a 200 margin, especially in math.</p>

<p>i am not taking anything away from people who got a 2300, but in some way it is lucky...</p>

<p>anyone with me? :(</p>

<p>ok...about interview...
when replying to questions like "why princeton?", if I talk about all the good things about princeton, won't it sound like I'm trying to batter up the interviewer? (haha...i know it's a stupid question)</p>

<p>My Princeton interview lasted for an hour and went really well. The alumnus told me that he thought that this and this and this would look good to the admissions committee and that he was very impressed with me and then told me, "but don't get your hopes up because the Princeton admissions numbers are absolutely terrifying". I liked him a lot, though. Hopefully things will work out.</p>

<p>My interview was so-so.
It was sort of odd. My interviewer appeared to be very nervous and kept forgetting what he was going to say. I ended up talking a lot, while he added awkward commentary. When awkward pauses ensued, I just came up with questions for him about Princeton. I was really trying hard to have a good interview, but he just didn't seem to be all that receptive. I hope he doesn't perceive our interview to have been sucky..oh well..</p>