Is it possible to have a "bad" interview?

Applying to College
21

<p>The MIT ECs are fantastic but each year I have heard horror stories of
mega-left sided kids interacting (or not) with the interviewer. The best
one was posted on CC a while ago- a kid who brought his teddy bear
to talk to the interviewer (would not answer any question directly).</p>

<p>I had a somewhat bad interview with another top school
(at the interviewers home with screaming kids running around).
Though I was admitted I think it left enough minimal residual memory
to figure in my decision not to attend later.</p>

22

<p>MIT interview = stiff, 45 minutes to the dot</p>

<p>H interview = relaxed, cut off after 90 minutes (due to a parking meter violation -___-), a mutual disdain for the Dallas Cowboys and the Matrix Revolutions</p>

<p>Depends on the interviewer really, but while I'd say both of the above "went well", the H interview went MUCH better.</p>

23

<p>Eh, I would say a mediocre/neutral interview usually won't hurt unless the school specifically uses the interview as an important admissions factor. An interview that is negative or bad would certainly hurt though.</p>

24

<p>prism123: I had a negative writeup after meeting one student that was eventually offered admission. It wasn't TERRIBLE but he really left me cold and didn't display much at all. Oh well. Goes to show that I don't see everything. He turned us down. LOL</p>

<p>I'm a HYP interviewer.</p>

25

<p>Hmm, do Interviewers actually have impact on the application of a student, or are interviewers simply there to answer your questions?</p>

26

<p>My daughter, who is currently entering her third year at the U of Chicago, had an alumnus interview a few years ago for Oberlin, her second choice college. She had applied EA to Chicago and was deferred at the time. The interviewer for Oberlin, a graduate student at a local university, asked her if Oberlin was her first choice. She answered honestly and told her that she loved the school, but was hoping to get accepted regular decision at Chicago and if not would love to attend Oberlin. The interviewer was incensed and told her that Oberlin was not interested in being someone's second choice. Anyway, she ended up getting accepted at Chicago and rejected at Oberlin. Obviously not a good interview for Oberlin.</p>

27

<p>zester: it depends on the individual school. My alma mater uses our reports as a confirming source of info. They can point to red flags or occasionally, provide extra detail and context that is missed in the rest of the file. I would surmise that our greatest role is to serve as ambassadors and provide info to applicants but it's clearly communicated to us that the reports are the slimmest portion of the overall evaluation by the adcom.</p>

<p>Regarding the Oberlin interviewer -- I find the anger to be sheer hubris and reflects poorly on the school.</p>

28

<p>so far it sounds like MIT is trying to have crappy interviews so that they would know how students would respond to it and try to turn it in their favor. I never had an interview before but I don't see how I can talk about my life for 90 minutes. What kind of questions do they ask you?</p>

<p>lol and this think occurred to me. If interviews are about leaving good impressions, does physical appearance play a factor too? By that I mean you show up in a gorgeous dress or a tux as oppose to a normal t-shirt. To me, that would score much more points. what do you think?</p>

29

<p>Regarding Post #28: No. MIT Education Counselors (the people who are
the interviewers) are typically MIT alumni. They tend to be very laid back
and intense fun to talk to and interact. MITs reputation attracts some
intensely introverted applicants (most of these get rejected eventually).</p>

<p>Dressing informally to MIT interviews is highly recommended given the usual
informal setting and the down to earth ECs. I wore a nerdy T-shirt that
was home made that we ended talking about for some time.</p>

<p>Unlike a job, a college is where you go to be who you are. One step above
informal is fine but I would advise against formal unless the setting warrants it.
Then again there are a few applicants who actually love to be dressed formally?</p>

30

<p>"I'm an HYP interviewer and I've never heard of such a thing as a "priority interview". We get contact info once the student finishes his/her app. We contact them, interview,and submit a report by a deadline. "'</p>

<p>There are priority interviews for H, though I have never heard them called that, and most students who get them wouldn't realize they got such an interview. Such an interview occurs when the admissions officer for the region calls the head of the regional alum committee and asks that person to make sure that a certain student is interviewed ASAP. The admissions officer doesn't say why the interview is needed, and emphasizes that such interviewers are no promise that the student will be accepted. However, common sense would indicate that interviews are only expedited that way when H is very interested in a student.</p>

<p>H does try to interview all applicants, but whether students get interviewed depends mainly on the availability of alum volunteers. It's possible for a student to get into H if there are no volunteers available to interview such a student such as if there are no interviewers within hundreds of miles. I don't think it's likely a student would get in if the student lives in an area where there are plenty of alum volunteers because if H was very interested in the student, H would ask the volunteers to prioritize interviewing that student.</p>

<p>Now to the OP's question: Yes it is possible to have a horrible interview, though most interviewers are too tactful to let you know your interview is horrible.</p>

<p>Things that students have done that have caused their interview to be horrible from my perspective:
1. Came to my house 30 mins. early while I was still in my bathrobe. ( I had to run and put on clothes when I saw the student approaching the door). During the interview, the students' nose started running, and the student let the snot drip down his face.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Another student was totally passive during the interview. Answered questions as briefly as possible, had no questions to ask, showed no affect.</p></li>
<li><p>Another student when I asked, "Considering that H gets a large number of applicants for a relatively small number of spaces, what do you feel you have to offer that should make you among those accepted" said, "I don't know. You tell me."</p></li>
<li><p>Another student greatly exaggerated their ECs, including claiming major involvement in a citywide organization that my son (whom the student said she had never heard of) was president of and that I volunteered with.</p></li>
<li><p>When I asked another student the name of their favorite book, the student named a relatively obscure book that happened to be one of my favorites, and that I could quickly tell the student hadn't read.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>And in case students think they can't blow an interview with a current college student, a college student who helped interview students for merit aid at his school told me that some students blew their interviews by asking him how they could get fake IDs. The school had a bit of a party school rep, and apparently they thought he would be impressed by their "coolness." They didn't realize that he was a straight arrow (and one of the most respected students in the school) who had been an RA who would turn in students caught illegally drinking.</p>

31

<p>I have always considered the interview to be a nothing to gain, something to lose proposition.</p>

<p>The applicant can lose by: </p>

<p>1) Rude behavior (tardiness, socially offensive language, antisocial commentary)
2) Having disgusting grooming
3) Showing apathy toward the university -- in body language, tone, and as described in point 3. above</p>

<p>However, the MAJOR risk in the interview is for the interviewer to conclude that the person(s) who wrote the essays is NOT the person in front of them. At this point the entire application becomes suspect, including ECs.</p>

<p>As more applicants than ever are depending upon parents, counselors, professional editors and writers to review their application essays, the disparity between the quality of the written essay and the oral interview skills is bound to become common.</p>

32

<p>"However, to me the MAJOR risk in the interview is for the interviewer to conclude that the person who wrote the essays is NOT the person in front of them. That the interviewer would conclude the applicantion is not the product of the interviewee."</p>

<p>I've also been able to do that. An applicant also brought me their college essay. During the interview, I noticed that the applicant's language and insights were nothing like the beautiful essay that the applicant showed me.
For instance, when asked their favorite book, the applicant said, "Oedipus Rex", and when I asked what the person liked about it, the applicant simply told me the entire story -- every detail. </p>

<p>Meanwhile, the applicant's essay reflected a very sophisticated knowledge and understanding of literature.</p>

<p>In my narrative about the interview, I did not accuse the applicant of having someone else write their essay, but I did provide quotes about what the applicant said about "Oedipus Rex", and I said that those insights were very different from how the applicant wrote in their essay.</p>

<p>The applicant was not accepted.</p>

<p>I assume, too, that my interview report may have clarified to the admissions officers why the applicant's CR score was mediocre while their essay was exemplary.</p>

33

<p>
[quote]
prism123: I had a negative writeup after meeting one student that was eventually offered admission. It wasn't TERRIBLE but he really left me cold and didn't display much at all. Oh well. Goes to show that I don't see everything. He turned us down. LOL

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I said it hurts I didn't say it was an auto deny >_></p>