Alright, now that we’ve all submitted the app itself, phew, how do you get an interview from Columbia? From the website, it sounds like you get directly contacted from the interviewer yourself? Or do you say something along the lines of “yes, I’m interested in having an interview” and then get assigned?
Thanks y’all!
You should be directly contacted by phone or email by the interviewer if you’re in an area with an alumnus/alumna (or sometimes current student volunteer) that’s willing to interview you.
It’s covered in the FAQ on the Admissions site
@evanian15 How should we prepare for the interview?
@KenziEccleston
Prep probably depends on the kind of interview you have. My interview was informational with a current student, so my preparation consisted of really just having some basic questions and answers ready so that a nice conversation could develop, along with going to the university’s website (as well as the college’s) to make sure that questions I had wouldn’t be easily answered just by going online, and to brush up on the things I already knew about being a student (for example, the Core). I also made pre-set goals to give and get as much high quality info as possible.
I’d suggest to prepare in whichever way is best for you, and there’s tons of other suggestions on how to prepare on here and other websites as well (Collegewise, College Board, Princeton Review, etc). I can’t really think of anything to say except “Be ready.” Hope this helps!
Ivies know that applicants outstrip interviewers. Mine has a goal of interviewing 2/3 – still random and without pre-sorting. Still to not disadvantage those w/o interviews.