I’ll start this off with a bit of background. I’m a current applicant who has been interviewed by 5 schools (Harvard, Columbia, Cornell, Brown, Penn, and Georgetown), and has two more interviews scheduled (Princeton, Dartmouth).
I am not going to claim that I am some sort of interview wizard, but I can say without a doubt that having had 6 interviews (with two more on the way) I can say I’ve learned a thing or two, and put into action various approaches and realized what works and what doesn’t.
I want to make an attempt to disprove and confirm at least some of the rumors surrounding the Alumni Interviewing Process, so go ahead and ask me anything.
MODERATOR’S NOTE: Anyone is free to ask or answer questions in this thread.
I’m done with interviews. My only question is how you were able to edit your post over 45 minutes after you posted it? I thought edit time was 15 minutes after the initial post
@ds0501 I have some questions! How did you handle answering a question you weren’t sure about? How did you prepare for the interview? What are some common questions? What did you change after your first interview?
In regards to the “why ___” it comes down to simply connecting your interests to that specific school. I try to bring up something unique that maybe they don’t even know about, so you have something to expand upon. @minminminmin
When I come across a question I’m not prepared for, I take a quick pause, nod, reiterate the question and improvise. You should come to the interview prepared to answer questions you aren’t prepared for, so try to think of general topics that you can fit into any question
After so many interviews, I really only prepare for the why ___ question. Other than that, I have a whole load of info I plan on getting out into the interview so I plan on how to do that. Some interviewers didn’t even ask me why I applied to their school. Interviewers usually have their own plan when it comes to questions so it’s hard to predict. You should always be prepared for the outside of school interests, favorite/worst class, why ___ school questions.
Honestly, I had a pretty legitimate plan from the get go so I didn’t change anything drastically from the first interview. The only thing that changed is how I handled my nerves haha.
@ds0501
I think @minminminmin was asking how you respond to the “what can you bring to this university” question, not “why this university” question. I’m also interested in the answer.
@Woandering I answered his question on the way to another interview (in the car) haha, must of misunderstood. So basically this is my take on that sort of question. I only experienced it one time (my first interview), and I tied it in with my “focus” for the interview (political activism).
If you’re asked this type of question it is best to just try to be natural, and actually talk about what you would/will bring to the university. Whether it is an idea for a new club or what ever, it’s best to tie it in with what ever you want the interview to focus on.