<p>Hello everybody. </p>
<p>Just wondering if anyone had their interview already. I was wondering if they’re really formal or informal . . . or somewhere in between. Or does it depend on who you get?</p>
<p>I applied ED to Brown (got deferred), and that interview was pretty informal. I just wanted a reference. Thanks!!</p>
<p>Happy early new year! </p>
<p>-Grace</p>
<p>P.S. Sorry if you’ve seen this elsewhere, I know I also asked this in the Bowdoin board.</p>
<p>While I have not had an interview with Brandeis, I do know people who have and they all tell me that most interviewers try to make the meeting as informal and comfortable as possible while still trying to maintain a feeling of professionalism. That is, you wouldn't go in wearing a t shirt and shorts. While most interviews are pretty informal, you never know if you might get an interviewer that takes it a little more seriously. My advice would be to prepare for either scenario although I can almost guarantee that the interview would be pretty informal and laidback. By the way, Grace, where in New Jersey do you live because I live in Jersey too.</p>
<p>I live in Carteret [and in case you've never heard of it like 95% of the people I know . . . it's about 20 minutes away from Edison]. In fact, I try to attend a meditation meeting every Sunday in Edison, so I'm usually over there.</p>
<p>Hey! I was born and raised a Devils fan! So kudos to you and to your CC name! :)</p>
<p>Thanks for the interview insight. I just really have two college-interview experiences to go by. One via Brown (really informal, 15 minutes get-to-know-me session, then we really branched off for a while and talked about philosophy for like an hour, then another 45 minutes on Brown) and one via my friend (who got accepted ED) and did a Columbia interview (more on the formal side, but I guess since it was at the alumni's work place, it was bound to be that way).</p>
<p>-Grace</p>
<p>my interview was pretty informal, we met at a Starbucks. The questions asked however, did give it a stuctured feel.</p>
<p>We talked about my high school a lot, my ECs, study abroad, stuff like that.</p>
<p>hope this helps and good luck :)</p>
<p>Thanks that helps a lot. :)</p>
<p>structured feel, huh? Did it start off with the infamous "Tell me a little about yourself..." b/c that's the worst question ever. </p>
<p>Anyway, it sounds a lot like Brown's interview. Thanks again!</p>
<p>hehe i didn't get the "tell me a little about yourself".. but she did throw questions around during most of the interview.</p>
<p>"What do you like/dislike about your high school?"
"What's your favorite/least favorite book?"
"Have you ever been abroad? Would you like to?"
"What do you plan to do the summer of senior year (before college)?"</p>
<p>just a few i remember off the top of my head. but don't get too stressed out, the questions were asked amidst the conversation so it felt like we were just talking.. just a little more formal than say a conversation with a friend you already know. </p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>good, no "tell me a little about yourself" line . . . the Brown interview started off this way and i was basically like "I...uh..yeah...I've always hated this question...I mean, do you ever really know youself? I can tell you what I've done in the past, but I don't know who I'll be within the next minute" I really thought I had blown it with the abstract-ness, but luckily my alumni smiled and agreed, and it just became a comfortable conversation.</p>
<p>thanks for the heads-up on the questions. I appreciate it. :) </p>
<p>Good luck with all your colleges!</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>and u got out of that Brown question unscathed.. awesome. ;)</p>
<p>My Brandeis interview took place in my home and although there were formal questions being asked, the interviewer was not at all intimidating. It flowed more like a dialouge. I heard that the interviews <em>at</em> Brandeis are very hard because they ask you very abstract questions. However, my interview was almost all about myself and Brandeis. She asked the questions you would expect:
Why do you think Brandeis is a good match?
What did you do during your summers?
What are your favorite classes?
What was your most meaningful assignment in high school?
Also, she was quite impressed with the fact that I had lots of questions about the academics. (Someone told me to ask, "Tell me about your library." And, she was so pleased because she said, "I never heard that before. It shows where your priorities are."
I felt it went very well and I am a member of Brandeis Class of 2009!</p>
<p>I think some congratulations are in order. Congrats! That's awesome!</p>
<p>Thank you so much for all the sample questions ... I get nervous when I know I shouldn't. But I'm a believer that things happen for a reason (even my deferral at Brown has lead me to some great schools!)</p>
<p>and ... How are their libraries? haha, I'm a book person myself. :)</p>
<p>again, congratulations! -Grace</p>
<p>congrats comin from here as well, sulsk! way to go!</p>
<p>I had my Brandeis interview last week. It was relatively informal. She asked me what kind of classes I took and who my favorite teachers were, wanted to know my board scores - things like that. We also discussed books and movies and some fun stuff too :). It was my first college interview so I don't have two much else to base it on, but she did tell me she was going to recommend me because she thought I would be a great fit for Brandeis, so that definitely made me happy.</p>
<p>whitneybee, can you tell us what makes you a good fit for Brandeis?</p>
<p>I guess since everyone is saying really good things about their interview that it's pretty cool. Thanks everyone for all your input!! Congrats to those who got in and a lot of luck to those applying RD ... :)</p>
<p>-Grace</p>
<p>Pyewacket - To be perfectly honest, the interviewer didn't say what made me a good match for Brandeis, but throughout the interview she did seem to like my involvement in my extracurricular activities and the way I've "taken initiative" (her words) to get experience in journalism.</p>
<p>Are we supposed to sign up for an interview?</p>
<p>Or do they contact us?</p>
<p>You're supposed to go sign up for an interview. </p>
<p>just go there and fill out the nifty form (heh, sorry, i'm a little dorky). the deadline is jan 15. much luck! :)</p>
<p>Thank You So Much!</p>
<p>Yea i also found the interview really informal. Mine wasn't even that structured. Basically, he asked if I had any questions and spent the hour trying to sell the university to me. I'll admidt he didn't do too bad of a job. This whole going to bus school vs getting a liberal arts education....</p>
<p>My interview was at a book store. The lady was pretty scary-- the old "I pretty much know who's good and who's not" line. She did, in fact, ask "tell me something about yourself". Which is indeed the suckiest question ever. My advice: Just blither. Talk about bubbles or circuses or something. </p>
<p>Here's my problem: I never wrote her a thank you. Do you guys think that that may seal my doom?</p>