<p>I'm having my first college interview in a few weeks and had questions about a few things. Should I show up with a condensed resume or something so that my interviewer will have something more than just her notes? She is also my regional admissions counselor and the one reading my app later on. </p>
<p>Would just a thank you note afterwards be appropriate or would a small gift be a nicer gesture (but not too over the top, I'm trying to buy my way in type thing)?</p>
<p>I would suggest bringing a resume -- it gives the interviewer some topics to discuss with you. Don't bother with test score info -- that will be available in your application. Always follow up with a thank you note (just good manners :)) but I'd skip the gift. You wouldn't want it to look like a bribe!</p>
<p>Agree with sjmom and you should have some questions about the school that you want to ask the interviewer. Shows interest....keeps the conversation flowing.</p>
<p>I agree with sjmom - bring a resume so the interviewer will have some sense of what you're about - your profile as a student and your interests. Remember that the interview is a two-way process: the college wants to get acquainted with you and vice versa. Be thinking about specific questions that you'd like to ask.</p>
<p>When you write a thank-you note, mention something specific that you two discussed. It will help the interviewer remember who you are.</p>
<p>A gift is neither necessary or advisable. However, if you feel like sending me a nice batch of homemade cookies or some other token of appreciation for my advice...hehe.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.collegeboard.com/student/apply/the-application/135.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.collegeboard.com/student/apply/the-application/135.html</a>
<a href="http://www.ufrsd.net/AHS/AcadDept/Guidance/intervw.HTM%5B/url%5D">http://www.ufrsd.net/AHS/AcadDept/Guidance/intervw.HTM</a>
<a href="http://www.benjaminschool.com/upper/CollegeCounseling/InterviewQuestions.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.benjaminschool.com/upper/CollegeCounseling/InterviewQuestions.htm</a>
<a href="http://www.actingforbusiness.com/interview/JobInterviewtips/college/collegeinterviewtips.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.actingforbusiness.com/interview/JobInterviewtips/college/collegeinterviewtips.htm</a>
<a href="http://www.ptsd.k12.pa.us/pths/PTHS_guidance_seniors_college_interviews.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.ptsd.k12.pa.us/pths/PTHS_guidance_seniors_college_interviews.htm</a>
<a href="http://www.gmahs.com/Counseling/college_interview.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.gmahs.com/Counseling/college_interview.htm</a>
<a href="http://www.collegeaccesscenter.org/interviews.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.collegeaccesscenter.org/interviews.html</a>
<a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8974504/%5B/url%5D">http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8974504/</a></p>
<p>...you get the idea...</p>
<p>Make sure that you examine the college's web site before the interview so that you can be as informed about the college as possible and ask questions that aren't on the web site.</p>
<p>The question my daughter liked to ask was: "why do you like this school so much that you (run tours/interview) for it?" </p>
<p>Incidentally, when (a million years ago) I asked my Radcliffe interviewer (back in the days when it wasn't Harvard) this question, she said "I don't know, I just loved it at Radcliffe!" in a very perky tone. </p>
<p>Which is how I ended up at MIT.</p>
<p>A thank you note is absolutely essential. I think e-mail is okay for this purpose but many people stand by the old paper and pen dictum. The good thing about e-mail is that it makes it easy to reply and there's a possibility of starting an ongoing relationship with your interviewer which is very useful if s/he is a member of the adcom. To that end you could ask another pertinent question in the body of your thank you.</p>
<p>Forget the gift -- definitely inappropriate. (Maybe after you matriculate.)</p>
<p>My son always brought a brief (one page) resume. Sometimes the interviewer referred to it; sometimes not. </p>
<p>The interviewers that you'll get on campus are skilled at finding out what they want to know about you. Often this means indirect observation -- not so much what you say, but how you say it and how you present yourself. Most questions will be general and open-ended. It's up to you to seize the opportunity to fashion the answers to reveal what you want to stress about yourself.</p>
<p>Questions are important but try to elevate them above information that is readily available in the school's viewbook or website. (Don't, for example, ask about the meal plan.) Good questions involve academics, teaching style, philosophy of education, comparison with other schools. </p>
<p>I think it's okay to refer to notes as long as you're not shuffling papers. Spend a minute before going into the room getting yourself ready. Resume in hand -- but not the one you're going to shake hands with. Notes on a clipboard or in a notebook. You'll be nervous (it's natural) and you don't want to trip over your props.</p>
<p>Good luck and let us know how it goes!</p>
<p>dmd77, Very funny! I have a whole repertoire of wacky things that people have said to me in interviews. My favorite is the guy when asked "Why do you think you're the right person for this job?" replied "Because I'm a Pisces."
Considering some of the losers I've hired, maybe he had a point. :)</p>
<p>Outside of the people who lied during interviews, the most memorable thing that has said when I inteviewed them for Harvard was in the following exchange.</p>
<p>Me: "As you probably know, typically, Harvard accepts only 1 in about 10 applicants, and most students who apply are very qualified for admission. Please make your case for why Harvard should accept you."</p>
<p>Student, "I don't know. You tell me."</p>
<p>Thanks for the help!</p>
<p>Bethel...chocolate chip...or chocolate chip? ;)</p>
<p>As an alum interviewer...
1. Thank-you notes would be wonderful, but I would be creeped out if stalked to get my address. Communication is done via phone and email, so email thank-yous are fine. :)
2. Don't send a gift unless you continue to have an on-going relationship and are helped by the interviewer beyond normal bounds - i.e. advice choosing between colleges, financial aid, talking to parents, etc.
3. I love to hear from my former interviewees.
4. I would advise against the resume. I get a list of activities, and, from there, I ask questions. I don't want a resume - I want to get stuff out of you that you can't show via your resume, essay, LORs, etc.<br>
4. Bring things that help SHOW things about you - abstract from a scientific paper, some art, an article that you wrote for the town paper. </p>
<p>I can't start a conversation from a resume that helps me to determine if the student has drive and guts. My best recs go to kids that really want to do what they are doing - whose lives would be less complete without volunteering in the ER or running cross country or doing Habitat for Humanity. Resumes don't give me that feeling. </p>
<p>If you MUST bring something, an activity sheet is a good thing. You don't want to twiddle your thumbs for five minutes while your interviewer reads about your 200-yard butterfly 3d place win. That's great for a job, but not for a college interview. </p>
<p>Interviews are where you determine fit, not capabilities. I'm not equipped to determine if a student can succeed at my alma mater, but I can determine if he will contribute and if he will fit with the students there.</p>
<p>
Everyone I've talked to seems to have a different opinion about this. I'm considering bringing some of my black and white photography, because it's one of my major ECs and something that I'm passionate about (I take courses outside of school 3 hours per week in addition to my independent work, was featured in a local exhibition of student photographers two years in a row, and am the photography editor of my school's newspaper). I'm also submitting a portfolio as a supplement to my application. Does bringing a few samples to the interview seem like a good idea, or would it be over the top?</p>
<p>^Same question, would it be too much to bring a portfolio, or even a few selected works?</p>
<p>It's fine to bring a portfolio. Depending on their own background, the interviewer may or may not be interested in it. Better to bring it, however, just in case....</p>
<p>camellia - I think I've seen some of your work? If I were you, I would definitely bring it. I think most interviewers would really enjoy seeing it. And I think it is a real trump card for you.</p>
<p>I would think portfolios, resumes, activities sheets, etc., should be offered, but not thrust forward. For example, say, "I've brought my photography portfolio if you'd like to look at it." The interviewer can then take a look right away, say "Maybe later if we have time," or whatever works best in his/her plan for the interview.</p>