In the college admissions process, how good are people at doing interviews at top 30 colleges? Does everyone answer sentences smoothy and with a long and complete sentences or do people stumble and take time to think? I’m more of on the stumbling side and I’m not very confident about interviews. Would screwing up a couple times lower my chances at admission?
I find interviews terrifying too, so I know exactly how you feel! I only had one interview, at the school I applied to (and got into) ED, so I don’t exactly have a varied experience.
It does help to be friendly though. My interviewer was really friendly to me as soon as we met, and I felt like she was good at not putting me on the spot; unfortunately that’s not a factor that you can control though. Either way, definitely don’t try to sound too rehearsed. And if a topic comes up that you’re really enthusiastic about, don’t hesitate to show that enthusiasm!
Except for all but a handful of schools which conduct interviews (many don’t. Probably half of your “top 30” list doesn’t), the interviews count for next to nothing. Unless you do something absurd (spew something bigoted, stab them with your water glass) you’ll be fine.
Have a look here:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/admissions-hindsight-lessons-learned/246098-the-thread-for-college-interviews.html
I wouldn’t say they would count for next to nothing. A friend of mine who got into Princeton was allowed to look at his admissions file, and apparently, it was his interview that pushed him into admit status. I’m sure an interview holds some weight, else I wouldn’t understand why they’d be held at all.
Interviewers help put a face to the stats, and in that way can be important for schools that use holistic review.
However, they likely won’t torpedo your application unless it brings up a red flag or you do something awful/say something very racist/sexist, etc.
To practice, do mock interviews with your parents, think of some typical interview questions and how you would answer them, but most of all, relax. Interviewing can be fun- it’s really just a conversation.
I’ve personally probably done over 200 interviews myself for my Ivy alma mater. And the truth is the vast majority of them counted for nothing other than to leave the student feeling good about having spoken to an ambassador from my school.
In the vast, vast majority of cases, a great interview (even a mediocre one) will have no effect. (And again, only a few colleges even CONDUCT interviews, most don’t)
My experience (as a 25+ year interviewer for a school with a tiny admit rate) is this: for most kids, it won’t make ANY difference. The applicants are in three groups: a) shoo-ins (recruited athletes, other “gotta haves” that, barring a felony or something, will receive an offer) – this is only a very small group (~2-3%), b) the vast number who don’t get much traction past the first read. I can imagine ~85%. Then there’s c) that remaining ~10% or so which they need to whittle down by 4/5 — the kids in the grey area. For them, an very good interview MIGHT make a difference.
For group a) and b) who represent the vast bulk of applicants – there is no effect whatsoever.
That being said, I know of students in the “c” category for whom the alumna’s report did tip the scale in the applicant’s favor in the committee’s eyes.
@exwire: Your friend’s app had the positive write up – but it has survivor bias. What you don’t see is the 80% of other glowing write ups but they were affixed to files that got rejected.
Unless you bomb your interview, or have an absolutely spectacular one, it doesn’t make much of a difference. My interview for Brown lasted at most 15 minutes and felt extremely awkward, but I still ended up getting accepted.