Interview

Applying to College
1

<p>Hi, I'm sure there is a thread buried around here somewhere about interviews, but I think this may be quicker and it might be nice just to bring the topic up again?</p>

<p>Two things:</p>

<p>So in December, I was sent a letter from a man, asking me to contact so and so to schedule an interview for admissions at Duke. I did so, reaching the lady's nurse (she's a neurosurgeon so I imagine she has quite a busy schedule) who promised to call back after break. So break comes and goes and she calls while I'm at school and my parents are at work. I have practice right after school until 5 Mondays through Thursday and therefore can't call during regular business hours on those days. </p>

<p>So I call on a Friday afternoon (even though the surgeon is only in her office on Mondays and Thursdays) hoping to reach her secretary. It's around 3:30 and I can't even reach the nurse. I leave a message, asking that she calls back with the best time to call. My plan was to have my parents call for me. But two weeks have passed and I have yet to receive a return call. Should I just give it up? Honestly, Duke is a possibility, but I don't think I would absolutely DIE if I didn't get in. You get?? This process has been quite the turn-off...</p>

<p>See, my Harvard interviewee called me one evening at home and I was able to schedule a meeting in one phone call. No phone tag necessary. I much appreciate the effort he put in as compared to the neurosurgeon with whom I have yet to speak. Anyway...this leads to the next point:</p>

<p>What can I expect? We're meeting at Panera and he says it'll take about half an hour, and it'll be informal. Will we talk about me? About Harvard? Or about random intellectual topics? He asked me to bring a resume, transcript, and copy of my SAT/ACT scores because he hasn't seen them?? I've never had an interview (except a really informal job interview at the YMCA) so I have no idea what to expect.</p>

<p>Any thoughts?
Sorry this was long...</p>

2

<p>I'm not sure what to do about Duke, except perhaps try to contact the interviewer one more time.</p>

<p>As for what to expect from the Harvard interview, you will be talking about your self, why you want to go to Harvard, what interests you (both in general and about Harvard), etc. There are some really good interview threads floating around CC, so you can probably find some good advice there. Also, try checking out the Harvard thread. I very much doubt that the interviewer will ask you about "random intellectual topics". This isn't an oral exam or anything. The purpose of the interview is to put a face/personality to a stack of papers. Someone on another thread about interviews suggested turning it into a conversation rather than an interview. If you can go in with a question or two or three about Harvard, showing you've really thought about it, etc, that will really help, since they usually ask you if you have any questions.</p>

<p>With that in mind, even though it is informal, you'll probably want to look nice (though not dressy!), and be very polite. </p>

<p>Good luck!</p>