<p>So I recently had my Georgetown interview and it lasted over 2 hours which I felt was a fairly long time. I know that interviews are generally not the major factors in admissions decisions, but if it went extremely well (and the interviewer writes a fantastic recommendation) do you think that this might have any appreciable affect on me getting accepted to Georgetown?</p>
<p>from what I’ve heard, you can bomb the interview and it would have no effect on your admissions decision. There was an article in newsweek a few months ago written by a brown alumni interviewer who acknowledges the fact that his report has no weight whatsoever. but hey what do I know</p>
<p>I just got back from my interview - it was only 25 minutes, but my interviewer said i had “absolutely nothing to worry about”. My interviewer really emphasized when I first contacted him that it was very informal (he told me not to dress up, but I still did) and that the he wasn’t going to ask me much - it was an opportunity for me to ask him questions. And from what my interviewer said, an interview does not make or break an applicant. Basically, if the interview was OK or better then it has little effect and if the interview was bad, then it might taint your app slightly, but it will in no way ruin your chances.</p>
<p>My interviewer only asked me a handful of questions, mainly:
- What activity/hobby are you most passionate about?
- a few more specific questions about the activity
- Short family background
- Where will you be in 10 years?
- How do you like your current high school?</p>
<p>And then after the first 15 minutes he just asked me for questions which took about another 10 minutes for me to ask and him to answer.</p>
<p>I also gave him a 2-page resume bc he started writing notes and I figured it would help him out when he writes the interview report - he was very happy with that 
and I think it will give him a better picture of everything I’ve done when he goes to write the report.</p>
<p>Any tips on what to wear to this “informal interview”?</p>
<p>Check with your interviewer to make sure they say that it is informal.</p>
<p>For my interview, I just wore my HS’s uniform - dress shirt, tie, slacks, dress shoes, and a nice sweater bc it was chilly today :)</p>
<p>It depends on the atmosphere of the interview, but you probably can’t go wrong with business casual. </p>
<p>If you are going to somebody’s office (like I did) then shirt/tie [assuming you’re a guy] would be best.</p>
<p>Do all students need an interview and what is the cutoff for early action? I am still filling out the application.</p>
<p>I see most of the interviews I’ve seen on here have been in offices. But my D is not available until after 5pm on ANY day. </p>
<p>So…I’ve also heard of interviews in a coffee house, etc. If that is the case…who pays? I feel my D should offer to pay, but that’s uncomfortable for kids your age, right? I’m sure the interviewer, not even really “working” for the school should not pay. But, I’m guessing they do still insist. What’s the scoop on that? Anyone with experience?</p>
<p>R124687, our daughter had her interview in a coffee shop. We advised her to arrive early, thereby killing two birds with one stone. In addition to guaranteeing that she would be on time, this allowed her to buy her own drink while waiting for the interviewer to arrive.</p>
<p>Both my partner and I perform alumni interviews for Princeton. We’re basically told to make sure the student has their “head screwed on straight”. As long as the student can be professional in appearance and speak properly the alumni interview has been successful. The Ivy’s want someone to “lay eyes on” before acceptances go out.</p>
<p>In my experience the alumni interview doesn’t add much to the admission chances, but you don’t want to “screw it up” either!</p>
<p>I feel Georgetown may be different from many other schools in the interview field because they require interviews, which many schools don’t - maybe the interview counts a little bit? However this is simply speculation, it would be great if anyone could confirm/deny this!</p>
<p>As a parent, I have done quite a bit research on this subject. Most people are right that the college interviews are nothing but a sanity check for the colleges. Sometimes, it is even a selling event for the college. Thus, they normally select their most successful and loyal alumni to interview and “entice” the top students. Among the ivy leagues, only Harvard and Yale put some weight on the interview. Others colleges just want nothing but to make sure the student is not a total bookworm or brainless jock. However, Georgetown is different. Georgetown chose not to use common app because it wants its own kind of student - high achievers who are passionate leaders in their field. While Harvard collects unique top talents, Yale for the connections, Princeton for its intellects, Stanford for its Olympians and Sport stars, Brown for the sons/daughter of celebrities, MIT for the brains, Georgetown goes for the leaders.<br>
Thus, Georgetown does take the interview much more seriously. Students are actually ranked by the interviewers from, I believe, a scale of 1 to 10, 10 for the super exceptional student. To get into Georgetown, you should have a 3.8 to 4.0 GPA, 2100+ on SAT. Yet, 4.0/2400 doesn’t have that much of an advantage over a 3.9/2200. The interview and essays then became major differentiators. If you get a 9 or 10 on the interview, and your essays are equally impressive, even a 3.5 and 2000 SAT can get you into Georgetown. However, if you are a perfect 4.0/2400 student but your arrogance just ticked the interviewer off, you probably will not get in.<br>
Georgetown wants their students to really want Georgetown as their number one choice. And if Georgetown accepts you, they want to know that you will highly likely go there. If you are one of those perfect students who is applying to Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Yale, etc but would like to use Georgetown as a back up/safety, well, don’t bother. If you have never been to Georgetown and know nothing about Georgetown, don’t bother applying.</p>
<p>I REALLY hope your post is true @yaujar! It makes perfect sense.</p>