<p>I have my Cornell interview with an alumnus on Saturday (right after my last SAT II!) and I’m reallllyyy nervous because the only other interview I’ve had (with WashU) was really informal. I know there have been a bunch of similar threads, but if you don’t mind, could you answer any or all of the following questions based on your knowledge/ experience? </p>
<li><p>What should I wear? (i’m a girl) Should I wear nice clothes to my SAT II?</p></li>
<li><p>What types of questions do they ask? I literally talked with my WashU interviewer for about 5 minutes about the weather. Is it more “Where do you see yourself in 10 years” types of questions?</p></li>
<li><p>How long does the whole interview last? If you had one, how long was yours?</p></li>
<li><p>We’re meeting at Starbucks… what drink should I order? (I should order a drink, right?) Should I offer to pay for him on my Starbucks card? hahaha…</p></li>
<li><p>What are some good questions to ask?</p></li>
<li><p>Can the interview significantly hurt your chances of being accepted? Significantly help? </p></li>
<li><p>Anything else you think I should know about Cornell alumni interviews?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>THANK YOU GUYS! You are incredible… haha seriously i don’t know what i would do without youuu… :)</p>
<p>I had an interview at Starbucks too. I got there early and got myself a drink to avoid the awkwardness of whether he was treating, or I was treating, or the act of us waiting on line together. It saved me a lot of social anxiety.</p>
<p>that's a really good idea bongoboy... he's having us meet at a really awkward starbucks with barely any seating so that should be interesting... it's kind of dumb b/c there's a starbucks 2 blocks away that is MUCH nicer. oh well... i'm also worried i won't be able to get there very early b/c of my SAT II... can you answer any of the other questions? like what to wear/questions/length? thanks...</p>
<p>From what my interviewer told me, the point of the interview is just "to see if you would fit in with the other students at Cornell and take advantage of the opporunities at the university." My interview lasted about an hour (not sure if that's long or short.) The questions I was asked were like: why did you pick Cornell, what do you like most about Cornell, what other schools did you apply to, and (you might want to think about this one) what can you say about yourself that you didn't include in your essays. (None of those crazy questions like how many quarters stacked up do you think would take to reach the top of the empire state building, if you could be any vegetable what would it be, and what do you see outside the window.) I would say just wear something that isn't a t-shirt+jeans (semi-formal, then again I don't think it really matters as much as people say as long as you make a pretty good impression while talking with he/she) Some good questions to ask might be about his or her experience at Cornell. (that's a lot of material right there and somewhat useful for you to know) The last thing you probably should know is that to make the best impression that you could possibly make, just relax. The interview definately can only help you; my interviewer actually told me that the only time she had a bad interview was when a kid acted cocky and pretentious. Definately the best thing you could possibly do is just act yourself and be a little friendly with them. (Btw don't worry if she/he writes down things while you're talking-- this is what a few people I know, including myself, went through. My interviewer told me that the reason why they write down things is so that they can say some good things about you when reporting to Cornell.) Hope this helps, GL :)</p>
<p>thanks sooo much ACornellA :) that is really helpful and definitely made me less nervous!</p>
<p>maybe my MIT interview that i had before my ED decision can help...</p>
<p>it was with Vikram Kirloskar, a MEGA busineess tycoon in India...so \, but obviously on my entry into his office it took me abt 5mins to stop gapping at YO technical gadgets
so, we then began talkin about our shared love for gadgets...and believe or not he showed me some very nice and cool games he likes
then we talked about MIT...i guess i surprided him by LARGE number of q's i asked...hahaha...1 q reallly stumped him, "sir, why do u think MIT's good...i mean its nothin special...universities like Cornell and Calteh too have cool gizmos and research experience...+, i hear rumors that under-graduates are taught by post-graduates, is that true???"...a q like that puts the interviewer on the defence and u dominate the convo...
then we discussed abt the Insect Simulation Modeli made that got me Intel Sciene Fair...he was very knowledgable on the subject and we had a VERY good time talkin abt it
Then he asks me..."so u like science an all...lets c u solvin these problem" and he shows me a q from a job app for IBM that needs u to solve this brain teaser along with ur app...took mne some time, but i cracked the prtoblem
Then we realize that aparty from science we like history and start talkin abt British Oppression in India
Lastly, some TASTY coookies...short discussion iof frats and we shake hands and off we leave</p>
<p>TOTAL TIME: 1hr 20mins</p>
<p>thou interviews like that, where u and the interviewer REALLY share a lotta interests is not common...thought it might help u...</p>
<p>alll the best</p>
<p>omg your interview sounds incredible! I bet you got into MIT, right? congrats on the successful interview-- I doubt mine will go like that as it's at starbucks but I hope I'm not too nervous and everything! Thanks for your advice and sharing your experience haha :)</p>
<p>
[quote]
sir, why do u think MIT's good...i mean its nothin special...universities like Cornell and Calteh too have cool gizmos and research experience...
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Did you really say that Arjun?</p>
<p>surprisingly yes...i did...</p>
<p>haha i just got back from the interview... okay it was so funny/retarded... i got out of my SAT II sooo late but i managed to get home in time, change in 2 minutes, and run out the door and get to starbucks w/ 10 minutes to spare. i got a drink and sat at a table right next to the door pretending to read my ap english book and looking at each person that walked in... after being there for 30 minutes i asked a few random people there if they were him and they weren't, so i decided to call him... and hes like "im sorry, i had to go... i waited for half an hour" and i was like "wait are you serious? i've been here for half an hour..." hahha so he like came back and he's like "oh you were there the whole time i'm sorry i should have asked you" so he met me back and i ended up walking down w/ him to 59th street where he had to go and we talked as we walked haha so i had a walking interview! oh and he was really hot too... i was expecting an older man but he was like 25ish. Also, he said it was completely informational, and didn't ask ONE question. he just kept being like "so what other questions do you have?" which was kind of bad b/c i was prepared to ask 2 questions or so not 50... but I made up a lot on the spot, some retarded oh well haha... and he was really nice and that is the story of my cornell interview!</p>
<p>mine was with this old timer at his house. The interview was pretty good and he seemed to like me. He kept talking to me as though I was already admitted, "If your parents want to come and visit you make sure they make reservations early".</p>
<p>sorry if this is a stupid question. but do they contact you for interview?? i live in canada btw.. i thoguth only the hotel school has interview?! ><</p>
<p>the guy called me and scheduled the interview. I applied to college of arts and science.</p>
<p>iwantivy: i believe the hotel school is the only school whose interviews are not solely informational, but evaluative. my interviewer (for arts & sciences) told me that he wanted to interview me b/c he lived in the same neighborhood and went to a very similar school, so he figured he'd be able to answer any questions (and he was right)... so i'm pretty sure that if there is someone near you, they will contact you, but because you're in canada, most likely not...</p>
<p>OMG how cna u ask "what's so good about MIT?" isn't that kinda bad???</p>
<p>Isn't that what the interviewer should be asking you? "Why did you choose MIT?"</p>