I know there are lots of interview posts on here so please bear with me! Just wondering what criteria interviewers are asked to look for. I know the interview is informal and that they are looking for someone who is a good fit for the school but what are they asked to comment on when they report back to the universities? Or is it just a general recommendation like the ones teachers send in? I imagine it varies with different universities but thought this might maybe help me a little.
So I do not know much about most of the Ivy League admissions.
But I did have lengthy conversations with my Harvard interviewer about this.
He explained that they are given a list of people to interview, with a few names highlighted for people that they should pay special attention to. They then send admissions a general impression of each student, paying special attention to the highlighted ones.
They all look for general ability to communicate well and fit into university, but what they specifically look for will definitely vary from person to person. My interviewer was looking for calm, casually dressed, but still thinks carefully before answering and is willing to keep in touch after the interview.
With that said, he really didn’t have a lot of influence. He explained to me that he worked in the admissions department before, and understands that with such a small acceptance rate, there are a lot of factors that go into admission. He told me a story of how at one point, the band director called them and said that he needed a new tuba player. So they went into the files (this was a few decades ago), combed through any applications that mentioned playing tuba, and picked one application with this girl who wrote her entire essay about how playing tuba was her life.
Interviews are minor things that are mostly formalities.
This was actually super useful @julianstanley. Thanks! Any advice from your own experience on how to deal with the interview? I live abroad and was told by most universities not to expect an interview but I’ll be getting one for Princeton so was wondering if there was anything in particular that I should know. Should I bring a resume?
May I ask if you ended up getting in? I’m still waiting for my Harvard reply and am pretty anxious!
Advice is hard because it’s a little bit different for everyone. But relaxing is pretty universal. Stress before an interview can be good - some increased bloodflow to help you think - so try not to freak out about it. Try to stay relaxed & don’t be afraid to pause for a few seconds before answering hard questions.
For both my Harvard and MIT interviews, I didn’t bring a resume. I would search around CC to make sure, but I’m pretty sure that you’re not expected to bring one.
I did not get in - I was wait-listed (if you’re not familiar, they wait-list basically the same amount that they accept, and then if accepted people decide to go elsewhere, they pop a waitlister in their place). My interviewer really liked me, and said that he could probably pull a few strings and get me in if I was really serious about it (not sure how much credibility it had, but he was a middle-aged man who worked both in the admissions department and in public policy in DC), but I already had a good scholarship offer lined up with Northeastern University and wasn’t sure how I’d pay for Harvard, so I told him not to bother.
I definitely know that feeling of anxiousness! Fingers crossed for you!
Thanks again @julianstanley. Will have a look around CC and online and maybe think up a few answers to possible questions. I’ll try to be relaxed about it and hopefully it will go well Hope all is going well for you at Northeastern (if that’s where you ended up going, that is!). Really nice of you to take the time to help out a stressed-out highschooler!
I’m a Penn alum that has been doing interviews for last 4 years now. The point of the interview is to find out if you are someone the interviewer would have liked to work with as a classmate, activities that interest you, and your overall enthusiasm for the school. Naturally, this is exactly what goes into the report.
Hope all is going well for you at Northeastern (if that’s where you ended up going, that is!). Really nice of you to take the time to help out a stressed-out highschooler!