<p>I have an interview at Swarthmore on Thursday. Anyone know what I should expect and how I should prepare?</p>
<p>I would expect a friendly conversation. It's really no big deal so just have fun with it.</p>
<p>In preparation, I would:</p>
<p>a) jot down any questions you have about Swarthmore, especially questions that can't easily be answered from website. You can make the whole interview a fact-finding mission FOR YOU.</p>
<p>b) Read through the FAQs and students quotes on the website. Maybe read some of the Meaning of Swarthmore essays.</p>
<p>c) Think about why you and Swarthmore would be a good fit.</p>
<p>If you have a resume of some sort already prepared, or an activity list, bring that and offer it to the interviewer. My S did that and one workplace experience he had led to a long conversation. If you don't have that, don't stress. As already mentioned, this is pretty casual. Just as you are trying to figure out what Swat is about, the interviewer is trying to determine whether Swat would be a good "fit" for you, and may even tell you that at the conclusion of the interview. Have fun and good luck.</p>
<p>A list isn't even necessary; I was given a questionnaire to fill out quickly before my interview. </p>
<p>It was really informal and fun. My interviewer and I had little in common, but he and I chatted mostly about my writing and my martial arts training. I felt little pressure to talk about things I wasn't comfortable with, and he never even asked anything like, "Why should we let you come here?" or anything crazy like, "If you could be an animal, which would you be and why?"</p>
<p>The person who interviewed me was a senior working in the admissions office (I think that's how it usually works.) We ended up chatting by e-mail afterward about Swarthmore-related things I had forgotten to bring up at the interview.</p>
<p>yea my interview was also very informal..it was actually one of my interviewer's first interviews, and HE seemed more nervous than i was...we had some stuff in common and it was a lot like a conversation, but every now and then he would ask me questions that would make me stop and think (prepare for a lot of "whys"..he was like whats your favorite movie? and i would answer and he would be like why? and i would answer and he would say why? it was kind of annoying but it did make me think and i guess he was trying to see whether i would keep my cool after a bunch of questions like that or whether i would just get frustrated and be like "i dont know why!")..good luck!</p>
<p>Agreed that they do give you a questionnaire to fill out quickly just before your interview. My S still had the resume with him so that he could work off of something he was comfortable with. Also, his interview was not as described by tkdgal or LisaSimpson, but was with a "grownup" admissions person. (It was an August interview, too.) Just must be the luck of the draw.</p>
<p>StayGold - I'll be there on Thursday too!!!! But i'm not interviewing yet... 12:00 admissions session, 1:00 tour, then i'm talking with the track coach. Good luck with the interview! It sounds like it'll be fun, though. :)</p>
<p>In my opinion, there isnt much you can do to prepare except make sure you know something about the school and why you want to attend (besides exclusivity). It is much like a job interview in that basic qualifications are assumed and the interviewer is looking primarily for personal attributes such as character, poise, wit, inquisitiveness, etc. All you can really do is take a few deep breaths and be yourself. There is only so much you can control. My S had a so-so phone interview w/ a Columbia alum, a very frustrating crummy interview w/ a rising senior at Yale who made it plain (dont ask) he was only interested in interviewing females, fantastic interviews w/ Harvard and Haverford alums and a killer interview w/ a Swat adcom officer. S was the same guy every time. Some he knocked out; some wrote him off. Trust yourself. If youve got the goods let them shine through. The rest will take care of itself.</p>
<p>Just don't do what I did:</p>
<p>I had a great interview at Hamilton College. During the interview, I specifically did not mention my interest in Swarthmore, so it didn't seem like Hamilton was a bit of a backup. I send the assistant Dean of admissions a thank you email a few days later, with the email coming from my website (like <a href="mailto:xxx@mywebsite.com">xxx@mywebsite.com</a>.) </p>
<p>The dean decided, for some reason, to go to mywebsite.com. It was my blog. I hadn't updated my blog in quite a while, and one of the top few posts was me raving about Swarthmore and Wesleyan. And no mention of Hamilton, anywhere.</p>
<p>He sent me an email saying that he was "bummed out" that I didn't mention Hamilton, and then wished me best of luck in applying to Swarthmore / Wesleyan.</p>
<p>I think that killed my chances for getting into Hamilton. Luckily Swat took me ED...</p>
<p>So I'd suggest for the college process, if you have a blog... don't discuss colleges, and/or make the thing private.</p>
<p>
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He sent me an email saying that he was "bummed out" that I didn't mention Hamilton, and then wished me best of luck in applying to Swarthmore / Wesleyan.
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</p>
<p>Wow. That is a seriously crappy thing to do to a 17-year old college applicant. Maybe an adcom could pull off joking about something like that face-to-face, but not in an e-mail.</p>
<p>In my opinion, adcoms need to understand the ultimate nature of the transaction: they are the car salesmen and the customer has every right to comparision shop.</p>
<hr>
<p>BTW, my hunch is that references to enjoying the Swat freshman's blog from last year or to Prof. Burke's blog would be one of those little "details" that works effectively in a "Why Swat?" essay. I'm guessing that the admissions office wouldn't mind identifying an incoming student to blog again for the admissions office.</p>
<p>mine was laid back but was with assoc dean of admissions... would that be considered a good thing?</p>
<p>Dear god, an adcom reading a blog? The mere fact that he went out of the way just to search for it... 0-o. Boggles my mind.</p>
<p>I'm sure this is a given, but just in case; the interviews with adcom officers tend to be rather serious and more evaluative. No recovery for not acing these. Alumni and student interviews, more laid-back and conversation-like.</p>
<p>id--I will bet you are correct in your hunch about another freshman blog. In fact, speaking of blogs--have you checked out Swarthmore's website lately? Tom Krattenmaker (director of news and information) is keeping a diary of his travels in England with Swat's soccer team -- interesting reading!</p>
<p>Staygold - how was your interview? You didn't happen to take the tour, did you? lol if you did i might have seen you... I was there today too!</p>
<p>Anyway, let me just say that the campus is BEAUTIFUL.</p>
<p>koala - My interview was pretty good. The majority of it was basically a conversation about my hometown and my school and activities, which is supposedly a good thing. But a couple of times I just couldn't get words out. The interviewer asked me how I fit school and all my activities into my schedule without going insane, and I just completely blanked and babbled nonsensically for a couple minutes! Oh well. Did you have an interview? And yes, I took the 12 o'clock tour. My God, the campus was gorgeous! All those plants! And that outdoor stage thing brought me back to my camp days! I loved it.</p>
<p>glad to hear the interview went so well. I was on your tour!!! ...well, maybe. the girl who led my tour was named Christine... does that ring a bell? No, I didn't interview that day. I talked to the track coach afterward, though, and he was the nicest guy ever. He really got me excited about possibly running track there.</p>
<p>Hmm, I don't remember her name...I just know she was wearing jeans and a black shirt, if that helps. Well, I'm glad you loved the school! I did too.</p>
<p>"Wow. That is a seriously crappy thing to do to a 17-year old college applicant. Maybe an adcom could pull off joking about something like that face-to-face, but not in an e-mail.</p>
<p>In my opinion, adcoms need to understand the ultimate nature of the transaction: they are the car salesmen and the customer has every right to comparision shop."</p>
<p>Sure, students have the right to comparison shop. Adcoms, prospective employers, scholarship program directors, etc. also have the right to look at students' blogs and for students' posts on boards like this.</p>
<p>Consequently, it's not wise to post things on the Internet, that you would not be comfortable if adcoms, your parents, your GC, etc. saw the postings. No matter how private one thinks one's postings are, it is very possible that the last people you want to see them will find them.</p>
<p>nope, different tour guide. I did see your tour walk by, though!</p>