<p>You probe with some very specific questions: "One of the things I try to do during the interview is ask somewhat detailed follow-up questions. For example, if a student tells me they run the 400m and 800m in track, I will ask their best times (some students say they don't know!). If they tell me they regularly go to a youth group at their church, I will typically ask which church they go to, how many kids are in the youth group, or if they have a lot of friends from their school who attend the same youth group, etc." </p>
<p>What do infer from a kid who doesn't know her best times? [I wouldn't know what a fast time for the 400 or 800 actually would be]. What do you learn by going into detail with respect to the church youth group? Are you learning whether it is a substantial or meaningful activity or just a line on the resume? Or is it something else?</p>
<p>How do you all handle boring interviews? I hate to say it but I had several last yr where the students just had nothing to say! And these were ED applicants to Penn, so presumably they wanted to go there. I wasn't asking odd questions either (none of those -- how many tennis balls can fit inside a jumbo jet...), mostly asking the stuff listed on the outline posted earlier -- why Penn; have you visited; what do you think of philly; what would you like to study; favorite subjects etc.</p>
<p>Every question I asked was met with a one sentence answer, at most, with no attempts to follow up or turn it into a discussion. While I frankly don't care and their disinterest was noted in both of the write-ups, after 15 min I was totally ready to be out of there as it was a waste of my time. I feel like if that happens this yr for RD, I'm going to lose patience and ask if they have questions for me and if not, just end it -- no matter what they or their parents may think... (though I know this is wrong...) Any thoughts?</p>
<p>If a boy says he has been running track for all four years of high school, two hours each day after school, and says that he loves to run, and that his best event has always been the mile, and then tells me that his best time in the mile is 6:00 (as opposed to 4:35 or something), that tells me something about the applicant. If you do not know anything about running times, then you should not ask that type of question. If I am not familar with a particular sport or activity (e.g. rodeo, or girls rugby), I might ask an applicant to explain the rules, how well they think they do compared to others, etc. Somehow I would like to determine if a particularly activity is impressive or not.</p>
<p>When I ask applicants about church activities, some of them will state that they really like to work with eight-year-old kids, or that they like to teach, or that their church includes a fascinating combination of hippies and Amish people, or somehow it will come across that the applicant is really optimistic and positive about other people, or whatever. I am just trying to get them to talk to see some enthusiasm, personality, etc.</p>
<p>soozievt, if you run through all of your questions, how long does that take?</p>
<p>I had one interview that was like pulling teeth. The kid was just painfully shy, I think, or somehow I couldn't connect. He may have been very bright or very interesting but I couldn't tell. I had one that said his mother and his father were chemists and he wanted to be a chemist and did science team and math team and that was about it. But, otherwise, throwing the softballs usually gets them talking a bit. I like soozievt's and pafather's approaches and may try them.</p>
<p>Again, please understand that I KNOW that it doesn't hurt an applicant to be from a humble background. I also understand full well the intent with which interviewers ask the question. I nonetheless feel VERY strongly that is just plain RUDE to ask a kid these sorts of things five minutes after you have met. </p>
<p>If the kid wants to tell me about that background--and many do--I let him/her tell me. However, the information is almost always already in the app because it asks or because a GC or teacher rec says. I really don't think it's the interviewer's job to assess the family's socioeconomic status.</p>
<p>Jonri,
Depending on the college, it can be the interviewer's job (including alumni interviewers' job) to assess the student for suitability for the college. To do so in an accurate way, the interviewer needs to know the students' background in terms of the students' socioeconomic class including the parents' education and employment.</p>
<p>Such info is not included on the info that my alma mater, Harvard, sends to alumni interviewers.</p>
<p>When it comes to inteviews for colleges like Harvard, asking questions about parents' occupations and educational backgrounds is a hallmark of a good interviewer.</p>
<p>Such questions, however, probably wouldn't be appropriate when alums are conducting informational interviews.</p>
<p>I can remember two interviewees in particular who had absolutely nothing to say, although from what I knew of them they were quite brilliant academically. It was really painful to only get monosyllabic responses but I felt weird about letting them go after 15 minutes so I just resorted to babbling at them about the college and the admissions process for the next 15. They both got in. </p>
<p>pafather-that's interesting that the admissions office reviews YOU!!! Does that affect what they think of your kid's application?</p>
<p>I started a thread on this recently called "Alumni Interviews - what to ask". I am too new at this to try and retrieve it, but the responses gave me some good ideas that I used last night.</p>
<p>I know that people usually warn against asking a politics question, but I have told my interviewees this year that there is nothing more exciting than being on a college campus in the last few weeks before a Presidential election...and then I have asked "where do you think you will be in all of that? In the thick of it, on the sidelines just soaking it in like a sponge?" I have gotten great responses to that question so far...most are excited about voting for the first time, and one is disappointed that she will not be 18 until December, but she will still be involved.</p>
<p>Rachacha-that's a great question. I can't believe they wouldn't be excited since it is the first election many of them can vote in and there are so many interesting candidates...unless they're not from this country, an "I'll just soak it in like a sponge" answer hopefully would be unusual.</p>
<p>BO-RING! We need new questions! How about:
Have you ever seen a UFO?
What do you think the "pompatus of love" is?
Who's your favorite Beatle?
Betty or Veronica? Ginger or Mary Ann?
Do you notice anything strange about my face?</p>
<p>Hunt - those sound like great essay questions!!!! Would discourage boring people from applying.</p>
<p>I interviewed someone about ten years ago whose passion was collecting Beatles memorabilia. I thought that showed respect for the culture of an elder generation. She didn't get in.</p>
<p>Wow, this is a really timely thread for me! I just did my first interview as an alum rep. My college offered some sample questions for me to start with and the one that intrigued me was "What would you do with more time?" I asked my prospy in three parts - What would you do with an extra day; extra month; extra year? It seems like a line of questions that can really open up areas to chat about and give the kid a context for letting you know where their interests lie.</p>
<p>Jonri, I respectfully disagree with you about the interview questions about family background. I certainly am not trying to assess "socioeconomic status" of applicants. A comfortable place to start an interview, first of all, is with basic background about the student's family and where they grew up, siblings, etc. The answers are easy. But also it provides a context for other aspects of the student. How much they know about colleges may be affected. Opportunities they have had may be connected. Influences about certain careers may be affected. Academic expectations might be connected. And so on. If a sibling goes to to college, it is interesting to hear where and get a sense. Sometimes a parent is in a field the student is interested in and has been an influence. The student's exposure to certain activities often differs given the family context. Sometimes a student has had certain struggles or challenges connected to family background. Some have shared about difficult divorces and many changes in the family structure and living arrangements. Having the family background is a context, that's all. </p>
<p>I recently interviewed a student who said his father is from Nicaragua and came to the US for political asylum to go to grad school on a Fullbright at a small school in our state, where he met his American mom. He also has had a chance to visit Nicaragua. He is also interested in politics. He also spoke a bunch about the opportunities his parents provided and living up to them. I think some of his parents' values were apparent in certain activities he has done. I think providing the background gave me the bigger picture of the rest of the things that he shared. Also, the college may not know any of this because the app just has you fill out your parents' jobs and college degrees. Not sure how they'd know his dad came from Nicaragua seeking political asylum on a Fullbright, unless he wrote about it. </p>
<p>A first generation student also would be good to know and gives a context for the other stuff. As well, the family's knowledge of colleges may differ from a family who has college and grad degrees. Learning about siblings and their colleges just provides a sense of background in which to put the rest. Colleges ask such questions for a reason. The interviewer has not seen the application and so likewise, seeks some context for the body of questions that will be asked. I also find students very comfortable in talking about their family as a starting point as there is no wrong answer. Many open up way beyond what I ask (details of divorce impact, etc.). </p>
<p>shawbridge, you asked me how long the interview takes. Usually the interviews I conduct take a minimum of one hour. I don't need more than that but some turn into more than that if the student is communicative and expounds on things or when I give an opportunity to ask me about the college and they actually have real questions to ask. I would say most of my interviews have been between one to one and a half hours long depending on the student. Some students simply answer a question and some use it as an opportunity to really talk about things. Some applicants interview way better than others do, that's for sure.</p>
<p>As a point of interest: Asking about parental occupations is on the list of forbidden questions in the Yale alumni interviewer guide. During local interviewer training, asking about parents' educational backgrounds was also discouraged. It makes me wonder how different the flavor and purpose of alumni interviews are for different colleges. </p>
<p>Alumni interviewers: What kind of information did you get from your college before you began interviewing?</p>
<p>"My son was asked by his Harvard interviewer last year why he hadn't apply early action. It was a somewhat uncomfortable question, though my son didn't hesitate to answer because it was "single choice" and he thought it made more sense to apply to a couple of the tech schools that had regular EA. It actually gave both interviewer and my son an opportunity to talk about what science and math were like at Harvard and why one might want to go there. It didn't seem to hurt my son that he made it pretty clear he was not at all sure Harvard should be his first choice. (And he did ultimately turn it down.)"</p>
<p>Interesting. I'm not sure why the interviewer asked the question, but I can imagine asking the question out of curiousity if an applicant was extraordinarily strong and to me seemed like the type of very rare applicant who would have gotten an EA acceptance. Given the results of your S's application, it's possible that's the reason the interviewer asked the question.</p>
<p>With the country's highest yield, Harvard doesn't care about demonstrated interest, and specifically tells alum interviewers not to consider that when assessing applicants, so no surprise that your S's answer didn't prevent his acceptance.</p>
<p>"How do you all handle boring interviews? I hate to say it but I had several last yr where the students just had nothing to say! And these were ED applicants to Penn, so presumably they wanted to go there. I wasn't asking odd questions either (none of those -- how many tennis balls can fit inside a jumbo jet...), mostly asking the stuff listed on the outline posted earlier -- why Penn; have you visited; what do you think of philly; what would you like to study; favorite subjects etc.</p>
<p>Every question I asked was met with a one sentence answer, at most,"</p>
<p>When I first started interviewing for Harvard, I used to think that when a student acted like you describe, it was my responsibility to help them open up, and I'd extend the interview to as long as an hour and a half (my interviews usually take an hour) while I tried different questions in vain efforts to get the students to talk.</p>
<p>Now I realize that when what you describe happens, it reflects the student and either their passive personalities or their disinterest in attending Harvard (amazing how many students apply because their parents make them apply).</p>
<p>If they are too shy or passive to handle a Harvard interview, they are too shy or passive to handle being a Harvard student. And, of course, if they are being passive-aggressive in the interview because they don't want to go to Harvard, they wouldn't be a happy camper there in the unlikely event that they get accepted.</p>
<p>So, your job is to be a good interviewer (meaning being fair in that you give them the same chance that you give other applicants) and to write an assessment that accurately and fairly reflects their interview.</p>
<p>Northstarmom- One of my boring ones wanted to be a doctor, and was monosyllabic to the point of being rude. I emphasized in my writeup that I hoped I never had a doctor like her...REJECT! REJECT! But she got in; she had won a whole bunch of national science awards and was a URM; might have been worth it to the school to let her in and let her accomplish brilliant things that didn't necessitate people skills. I called her to congratulate her and she sneered at me that she wasn't going to Ivy U as she had a full scholarship to State U. Hopefully she's one of those doctors who works in the morgue at night.</p>
<p>And again, I VEHEMENTLY disagree with post #33. We are just going to have to agree to disagree. </p>
<p>A LOT of kids I interview are extremely touchy about where their siblings go to college. In many cases, the younger kids, who came to the US at a younger age, picked up English more readily and did much better in school. Or sometimes the parents' degree of sophistication about the options open to their children has grown considerably from the time child #1 applied to college. In one culture, it is common for the family to pick one family member to educate and the others are expected to contribute to his or her support--and do not get to go to college at all. Many of the "chosen" are uncomfortable with this--but really do not want to get into a discussion about it with someone outside their culture. There are kids who have retarded siblings or siblings who are in prison. </p>
<p>Asking about parents can also be touchy. I know a wonderful young man in high school, the grandson of a good friend, who does not KNOW who his father is (and neither does his mom--she went through a pretty wild time when she was young, but chose not to have an abortion when she got pregnant.) If anyone asked him about his dad, I think he would storm out of the interview. </p>
<p>One of my D's closest friends in high school has a father who is insane. He is in a mental institution and has been since she was a toddler. I think if she were asked about her dad by a stranger, she'd lie and say he is dead. </p>
<p>There are also occupations which are "touchy." My kid went to high school with the child of one of the leaders of "Jews for Jesus." He is a full time employee of that organization--or at least was back then. Now, you might think that could make for a fascinating conversation--but know what? She might not want to have that conversation during a college interview. </p>
<p>This information is in the file. The college already knows it. If a young person chooses to share it with me, (s)he can. If I ask what sort of career do you think you might be interested in, the kid can tell me X and when I asked why, tell me that his mom or dad is a doctor or a lawyer, etc. But I would NEVER ask a kid these questions. </p>
<p>I think it is VERY wrong to do so. </p>
<p>My college chooses not to share this sort of information with interviewers. I applaud that choice.</p>
<p>Certainly there are ways to "open the door" to the topic of parents during an interview. I would never ask point-blank, "What do your parents do?", but the subject always comes up one way or another. This is an <em>interview</em> after all! Such topics surely will certainly come up again throughout the student's life as he/she interviews for internships, grad school, jobs, etc.</p>
<p>Our college wants us to ask questions that go beyond the classroom - we are not supposed to ask about SAT scores or GPAs.</p>