Harvard Alumni Interview Tomorrow!

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
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<p>I do realize I'm VERY late!!!</p>

<p>its almost midnight and I'm posting this thread saying that I have interview tomorrow... <em>sigh</em>
Anywayz, I have been trying to read almost everything that people said about the interview(tips, etc...) but I need some more advice...</p>

<p>I'm not native English speaker and I know I'll stutter and say things like "um.. like... uh..." I'm not necessarily a person who's really good at speaking either. I'm rather sorta slow, and I usually think more than speak. (Especially when I'm with someone who's much older than me... I don't have problems with people my age or anything though...)</p>

<p>So... any advice? I know that I should keep my eye contact(which is kinda hard since I wear contacts and makes my eyes either too dry or watery if I focus on one thing for too long.. lol) and I know that I should be confident and everything... but FREAKING OUT here!!?? so PLZ HELP!!</p>

<p>Also... is formal business wear toooo formal for alumni interview?
I'm having the interview in his office, so I figured it should be somewhat formal.</p>

2

<p>
[quote]
I do realize I'm VERY late!!!

[/quote]

Sort of. Don't worry about it.

[quote]

I'm not native English speaker and I know I'll stutter and say things like "um.. like... uh..." I'm not necessarily a person who's really good at speaking either. I'm rather sorta slow, and I usually think more than speak. (Especially when I'm with someone who's much older than me... I don't have problems with people my age or anything though...)

[/quote]

You'd be surprised at what comes out under pressure. I thought my interview would be horrid because I was to speak with an experienced, (of course) older, lawyer across a fine table in a fine room. Turns out, he was very friendly and I spoke fine, although I am a native English speaker. If it is evident that you are foreign, he/she is not going to expect you to be completely fluent, anyway. Another thing, if he/she asks a question and you don't have a great response automatically, do NOT insert pauses, fill up the empty space with random conjunctions, etc, something to get it going, otherwise you look like a complete idiot.</p>

<p>
[quote]
I know that I should keep my eye contact(which is kinda hard since I wear contacts and makes my eyes either too dry or watery if I focus on one thing for too long.. lol) and I know that I should be confident and everything

[/quote]

Try to blink every once in a while. I have contacts and that tends to work. Plus, if I were an interviewer I'd be scared if someone stared me down the whole time. Act like a human :P. Keeping eye contact doesn't mean staring, it means holding your head up and not staring at some random piece of furniture in the room (or doing that whole shifty-eye thing that neurotics do).</p>

<p>
[quote]

Also... is formal business wear toooo formal for alumni interview?
I'm having the interview in his office, so I figured it should be somewhat formal.

[/quote]

Definitely formal. Suit and tie. Even if you are overdressed, which is highly, highly unlikely considering your interview takes place in a personal office, it shows you know proper etiquette. Still, it's not that big of a deal.</p>

<p>Last thing, get some damn sleep. Hopefully you live in a PST region...if not, God be with you (provided he really does exist).</p>

3

<p>omg thank you SOOOOOO much!!</p>

<p>I live in Los Angeles, so... it's still bit over twelve here!(I'm definitely a nocturnal person lol)</p>

<p>anyways, thank you so much for your reply, and just seeing your reply kinda relieved me a little bit..(I was all hyped up w/ excitement(?)..)</p>

<p>I'll be formal tomorrow and try my best to act like a human-being...haha</p>

<p>AND finally, I'm gonna go get some sleeeeeep now....</p>

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<p>No problem, and good luck!</p>

<p>
[quote]
I'm definitely a nocturnal person

[/quote]

It's almost 4:00 AM here...I'm an east coaster. I'll follow your advice in turn, and get some sleep. I seriously don't know what the hell I'm doing up this late. Peace.</p>

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<p>Wear light blue :)</p>

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<p>Haha, I'm actually going to do that tomorrow! It's my nicest dress shirt. =) I'm afraid i lack any Crimson ones.</p>

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<p>I insterted a pause in my interview...I think if a question takes you offguard, it is okay to pause. Pausing shows you that you are thoughtful, etc. and I would rather pause and think about something than say something completely stupid.</p>

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<p>thanks you guyz!
You guyz are the best...</p>

<p>and good luck to all of you too in everything...(:</p>

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<p>let us know how it went</p>

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<p>you applied RD? Or EA?</p>

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<p>Hope it went well!</p>

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<p>yeah, how did it go?!</p>

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<p>I have my interview tomorrow, with an alumna from 2004. I'll let you know how it goes. I'm bringing in my resume and my research paper! Regrettably, the interview is not at Starbucks, but at a Dean & Deluca's.</p>

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<p>haha yeah mine was with a class of '05 alumni.</p>

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<p>How'd yours go cookie monster?</p>

16

<p>very good</p>

<p>i mean i can't think of anything that could have made it better. we really 'clicked' and he said that just from my personality and interests that i sound like a great match for harvard and that he could see me as a student there. eh, i don't know, i do think that his report will add a lot to my app.</p>

<p>how did yours go?</p>

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<p>Excellent. Pretty much the same thing. She was very impressed with my zeal, knowledge and interest in politics. She was, quite bizzarely, shocked that I'm taking Multi-variable Calculus.</p>

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<p>mine was okay, but not great.</p>

<p>this was unfortunately my first interview... so... I kinda had no idea how it was gonna be like... but oh well.. it's already done.</p>

<p>I got home, and I was like "----, I didn't talk about this, this, and that!"</p>

<p>but... whatever...</p>

<p>oh by the way, mine was with a class of '00 alumni, and we did it in this conference room of his company. it had a very nice view and everything.</p>

<p>He was really nice, but he asked me some "penetrating" questions... I had to psychoanalyze myself! Sometimes I didn't even know what I was talking about.. haha....</p>

<p>I hate this bitter feeling that remains in my mouth thou...
It's like I just ate some kind of medicine//</p>