Hello CCers! I just got contacted for Interviews with Princeton and uPenn. And I am a nervous wreck! I have no idea what to expect. I have done a ton of research on interviews and have a few questions I need help with.
What should I wear? Both interviews are at Starbucks and coffee bean.
What do I bring?
What kind of questions can I ask the interviewer?
What drink is appropriate to order and who pays?
I think just be prepared for the main questions like “Why School”. It might not be good to prepare for every possible question as you do not want your answers to look too rehearsed.
Thanks so much for the help!!! I really appreciate it!
Mostly the same suggestions as above:
–If you google college interview questions you can get some ideas of typical questions… Don’t over- prepare because you don’t want to sound robotic.
–Agree about business casual. I’d say for guys wearing a sportscoat or sweater are optional – khakis and a button down shirt are generally considered to be appropriate. If you wear topsiders instead of dress shoes that is fine as well. For a woman I’d say dress pants (or a skirt if you prefer) and a blouse with nice shoes or boots – no shirts cut too low or skirts too high.
–Bringing a resume is a good idea as it can be used as a jumping point for conversations. Be sure you can speak about your academic and EC accomplishments comfortably.
–Try to get there 10 minutes or so early. Don’t cut it too close. Agree that it is fine to buy yourself a drink, not the interviewer (don’t want any appearance of bribery).
–If you are interviewing with alumni remember that they are not professional interviewers.
–Know why you want to go there (other than prestige)/why you think you’d be a good fit for the school
—Have a couple of questions that can’t be answered on the website. You should feel free to ask the interviewer about his/her experiences at the school (nothing too personal).
–Thank him/her for spending time speaking with you and write a brief than you email.
Not sure if you’re a boy or girl but I’m a girl and for most of my interviews I wore a black skirt and a white collared shirt.
I would bring a resume just in case they ask for it but honestly I think my interviews where I didn’t give them a resume went better. This might just be based on the people interviewing me, but I felt like the two interviews where I sent a resume ahead of time were too focused on all the facts. Almost like they were so focused on everything that was on the paper that I didn’t have much of a chance to talk about other things. For my last three interviews, rather than email a resume ahead of time, I have brought a resume in case they ask but have not brought it up myself. I felt like in these interviews I had a better connection with the alums because they weren’t fixated on a piece of paper the whole time and I was able to show more of my personality. Others may not agree with me, but that’s just my two cents 
Some questions that I have asked are what made them choose that particular school, whether they felt prepared when they entered the job market/grad school, whether professors where as accessible as the website claims they are, etc. etc. Just make sure your questions aren’t things you could find on the website.
All of my interviews have been at coffee shops too, so I usually try to get there 20 minutes early so I can be there first and avoid any awkwardness of whether they buy me a drink. So I usually get there first, choose a good table, get my drink, and sit waiting. However, one of my interviews was right after school so I was not able to get there first. For that one she introduced herself to me, asked if I wanted to grab a quick drink, and I said yes and paid for my own drink then sat down.
I wanted to give really detailed answers because I was SO nervous before my first interview, but for me, the interviews where I was relaxed and not stressed out about every detail were the best! Good luck