<p>I tend to be very clumsy when self conscious.
Also many years ago, when I interviewed for an architectural job, I knocked over a glass of water on the conference table, which at least thankfully didn't spill onto the interviewer, but worse, walked right into a glass plate door as I was shown out of the offices, nearly knocking myself out in the process. I did get the job, but didn't hear the end of that performance.</p>
<p>Tako, I am sorry about your experience, but I was having a soda while reading, and spilled it through my nose, it made me laugh, so so so sorry, don't mean to disrespect your experience, it must be mortifying</p>
<p>I remember one of my first real job interviews during my senior year of college. </p>
<p>The interviewers were representing a large company I really wanted to work for. They had come to our city the day before the interview day, and hosted a "getting to know you" ice breaker event at the local college pizza place for those on the interview schedule the next day. Of course, all the students were pretty stiff, had a piece of pizza, stayed for 1/2 an hour and left, rather than struggle through an awkward social/business thing.</p>
<p>In the interview the next day, my interviewer's opening question was "well, how did you like the party last night?" I was caught completely off guard, because a bunch of us had left the ice breaker and gone out to a nearby bar, had a few beers, danced like crazy people, hey, it was spring, we were graduating....</p>
<p>When he asked the question, I thought he meant he had seen me out "partying" with my friends, and I turned red and said something about how I don't really party all that much, blah blah blah. He looked confused, and I realized he wanted me to thank him/comment on the awkward pizza thing. Ooops. I got the job anyway, and had more than a few beers over the years with that interviewer!</p>
<p>No worries, I live to entertain. Making people laugh outloud makes me :)</p>
<p>Let's see what else I can come up with. My Swarthmore interview was just mortifying, full of all sorts of awkward moments.</p>
<p>This summer I attended TASP, and while the people were absolutely phenomenal, our seminar was less than satisfactory.</p>
<p>So during the interview, she asks me why I want a liberal arts education.</p>
<p>I start off great, talking about the intimate setting, focus on learning rather than rote memorization, taught by professors, etc. Then I say, "Oh yeah, and I took a liberal arts course this summer!"</p>
<p>She was immediately intrigued, of course, and cocked her head and said, "Oh?"</p>
<p>"Yeah!" But then, tragically enough, I remembered that the course sucked. So I quickly added (and I kid not), "Wait no, it sucked."</p>
<p>She (naturally) gave me an exasperated look and replied, "...I see..."</p>
<p>Then I realized what I had just said (why am I so honest? It distresses me), and attempted to save myself. "But the PEOPLE!" I said. "They were all really interested in the idea of a liberal arts education, and I had always been a fan of it, and they were just these quirky people who were amazing, and I want to -" Then I realized she wasn't buying it and my attempts to salvage were failing miserably, so I ended with: "Yeah, I want to learn for the sake of learning."</p>
<p>"Next question please..."</p>
<p>I just remember the most awkward conversation I've ever had . . . at the National Spelling Bee. We were in the Grand Hyatt, and I had left my room to find a good WiFi connection on another floor. When I settled on the little lobby outside the elevators on the 10th floor, I began working, and then saw the Director of the Bee, with whom I had met and had a conversation earlier in the day. I looked up, sort of surprised, and said, "Oh! How are you? What's your room number?" and she gave me the most frightened look I've ever seen. What I had meant to say was, "You're on this floor?" just to make conversation. Don't know if anyone can sympathize with my mentality at that point.</p>
<p>I interviewed last spring for Haverford, and I forgot what my favorite book was (it's Catch-22). I managed to talk about an author I really like, but it was just weird, because I had read some of it, I think, just a few days before.</p>
<p>And I interviewed for Swarthmore yesterday, and I was talking about why I really like AP Music Theory, saying that one thing it was nice to learn was why they write C flat instead of B natural sometimes (which always annoys me terribly as an instrumentalist). She asked me why, and... I couldn't remember any sort of simple explanation. I tried to explain it several ways and finally got it... I rambled a lot. It was awkward. I couldn't shut myself up.</p>
<p>So my person for yale asked me, what in a college do you look at. Without thinking, I said dorm atmosphere and financial aid. Since I EA yale, he said i though yale was your first choice. I answered yes it is. then akward silence. <em>chirp chirp</em></p>
<p>My daughter was deferred from Columbia, then applied to 10 other schools. At her Harvard interview (why not, right?), the interviewer asked, "So, where did you apply ED/EA?" My daughter (without missing a beat) said, "Rutgers," without further explaination (she was upset that the interviewer even asked). She did apply there and it was a rolling admission. She said the interviewer's look was priceless. She laughed so hard when she go into her car. It was one interview that mattered, but she knew it was a long shot and she didn't really have any aspiration to go there (it was us).</p>
<p>A friend of daughter applied to Duke ED, did her interview and was deferred. She then applied to other schools. She got contacted for an interview for one of those schools. She saw it had the same home address as her Duker interviewer. It was his wife who was doing the interview for the other school. Awkward.</p>
<p>I thought according to a person who interviews for Harvard they are not supposed to ask that kind of question. It goes to show there are nosy alumni even at Harvard. :)Flame away!</p>
<p>"I thought according to a person who interviews for Harvard they are not supposed to ask that kind of question. It goes to show there are nosy alumni even at Harvard."</p>
<p>You are right on both counts. In addition, there are Harvard alum who don't read Harvard's interviewing handbook.</p>
<p>During my Yale interview, my interviewer was talking about his residential college, which was the same one I had stayed at over the summer. I was immediately made more confident by this nice piece of common ground. We were talking about the masters of each college, and myinterviewer mentioned the master of his college during his Yale days, Mr. T. I misinterpreted and thought he was talking about the Master's Teas, so I went off on an excited tangent about what a great opportunity that was. He just looked at me like I was being totally rude, and then changed the subject. </p>
<p>Also, he said his name so fast at the beginning of the interview that I quickly forgot it. For the rest of the interview (an hour and 15 minutes!) I had no idea what to refer to him as... wow, big mistake on my part.</p>
<p>Other than that, the interview went great!</p>
<p>I accidentally told my MIT interviewer that I disliked one of my major ECs. Oops.</p>
<p>ahahaha this thread amuses me :)</p>
<p>i don't really have any embarrassing stories, but for my MIT interview, we met at a beaners coffee shop and i showed up a little early and had no idea what my interviewer would look like so i stared suspiciously at everyone that walked in for about 10 minutes lol</p>
<p>Haha I shall lurk around this thread for a while. The image of what you described, pwafflessprinkles, made me lol because I remember doing something that for my first interview. It was at a hotel, so I went to the front desk to ask if my interviewer had reserved a room or something, but it turns out that the interview was just in the lounge. I felt so silly, expecting the interview to be in a conference room or something.</p>
<p>I have another interview tomorrow. Hopefully I won't have too much to share!</p>
<p>I love this thread. I never felt awkward going into an interview, but...I went to my Wellesley interview right from this art program, and the DC metro was delayed so I got there about 10 minutes late. (I called, though!) And when my interviewer moved to shake my hand, I drew back awkwardly and said "I don't really want to shake your hand because my hands are covered with paint!" She gave me a sheepish look and laughed awkwardly. I cringed a little inside. XD </p>
<p>She did end up shaking my hand when the interview was over!</p>
<p>What a coincidence! I'm having my Wellesley interview tomorrow. :) I'll be sure to have clean hands, lol.</p>
<p>hehe! Good luck! Otherwise my interview went well and made me love Wellesley even more. Unlike the one for Scripps--the interviewer was ditzy and totally unprepared. She was like, "I hope you don't mind, but I haven't read any of the interview materials or anything!" -facepalm-</p>
<p>what is akward is when u dont know what ur interviewer looks like. makes me look retarded</p>
<p>LOL I am also probably going to interview for Scripps, too. (I am now assuming that you are female, lol.)</p>
<p>Actually, I heard about this guy who wanted to apply to Wesleyan (or something like that) but accidentally applied to Wellesley! They sent him a paper saying "I'm sorry, but Wellesley is, in fact, an all-girls school, and you are a male. Please inform us when your circumstances change."</p>
<p>I know, not an interview thing, but still funny. :)</p>