This Thursday my son is going on the optional interview. As luck would have it, he is set for 8:15 AM which means we are ?leaving at 4:30 am. Wonderful!! LOL Anyway, I was just wondering if anyone has gone on the interview? I have done my due diligence and I have a pretty good idea of what they may ask my son. Why Lehigh? What can you bring to the school? etc, but I was wondering if there were any other questions that my son should be prepared for?
I told him that they are not there to trick him or make him feel uncomfortable, but it is always nice to have an idea ahead of time what they may ask.
I also realize that this interview really does not have any significant impact on the admissions decision. The main things are gpa, standardized test scores,essays and extracurricular activities. However, we felt that it could not hurt to show more interest. We did visit the campus, and he met with the admission counselor when she visited his high school. I just felt that at the end of the day, we can say that we did everything in our power to show interest. The way I look at it is that you only go through this process once in your life, so why not make the most of it?
@euve69 Hey! I applied ED1 for Lehigh this year and hope to get a decision in about 3 weeks. I’m an international student and I had a Skype interview, but I imagine that they will ask your son similar questions. Here’s what I can remember from it (it was at the beginning of September, so I don’t remember much):
What's your intended major and why?
How did Lehigh end up on your list (this might have been the first one they asked)?
What would you bring to our community (as you mentioned)?
Tell us about your school, your favorite teacher etc.
What is your favorite extracurricular activity and why?
Goals for the future (I can't remember the exact question but I know we discussed it)
If you had to send only one part of the application to the committee (eg. test scores, GPA, extracurriculars, essay), what would it be and why?
These are the ones I can remember.
I would also give you one suggestion: do not underestimate the importance of the interview. I’ve looked at the common data set for Lehigh, and they mark demonstrated interest on the same level as they mark SAT scores. I’ve also read a bunch of threads about Lehigh and it seems like they’re one of the schools that value demonstrated interest more than others. I would tell your son to try to show his love for the school - I did that and received a very positive follow up email from my admission counselor. It can definitely improve his chances of getting accepted, and can almost act as a ‘ticket’ if he has the right GPA and the right test scores.
Feel free to message me if you have any further questions I can also get in touch with your son if you feel like that might be more helpful.
The interview should be straight forward and this sentence should be instead of I have - he has - ( I have done my due diligence and I have a pretty good idea of what they may ask my son) - and then he should be good to go
Thank you so much for your feedback. This is a big help!! I agree with you 20000% that Lehigh places a decent amount of weight on demonstrated interest. I cannot tell you how many times I have read on a Leigh thread how a student with a 34 ACT, great essay, great gpa like 3;9 ,10 AP’S got waitlisted or denied. Then you find out that they never visited the university. Really? Did that student ever research Lehigh and know that they do not want to play second fiddle to Cornell, or Brown? Leigh is very sensitive to that. They want to protect that yield baby!!
The funny thing is that Lehigh is honest about this to a degree. They hint at the open house how they want students to visit the campus and get a feel for the student body; so a student with unbelievable stats should not be surprised if they are denied due to the fact that they never showed interest. Lehigh can sniff out the folks using them as a safety from miles away. Do not get me wrong, they cannot tell if every student will attend, but there are some students that they can see from a mile away that will never attend.
These questions are a big help. The interview in person lasts approximately 45 minutes. I am not sure if a current student or someone from admissions will be conducting the interview but my son will go in prepared.
Just curious, how long was the Skype session? Also, who conducted it? and was it laid back?
Sorry, I meant to ask you what some of your questions were for the interviewer. My son has some questions prepared, but I was curious what you had asked. Thanks!!
I applied ED1 and did an optional interview with an admissions officer. I was super nervous going into it. The way mine was formatted was with the first 10 minutes consisting of interview type questions (why lehigh?, what is your biggest influence in picking a college? etc.) One question that I was not ready for was if you could have dinner with anyone dead or alive who would it be and why? After those questions she asked if I had any questions in mind for her. I strongly suggest having some basic questions ready, ones that can lead to a conversational discussion. Also I definitely get there a few minutes early. I walked in 5 minutes early and she was reading a book and waiting for me.
Also just like Lana426 said, Lehigh really values demonstrating interest, so the interview can end up helping you a good bit.
My daughter had an interview on campus in summer 2016 (she’s a freshman now)-- I recall she was asked to imagine it was the first day of school and to explain where she would be on campus and what she would be doing. I remember liking that question, and we still talk about it sometimes when I ask her the same thing! After the interview, they invited the parents in to speak to the interviewers (one student and one admissions professional) and they offered to answer parent questions. I also recall the admissions counselor explained that they can tell whether or not an applicant is “ice cream” on the common application but they use the interview to understand what kind of ice cream and what kind of toppings may also be on the sundae. I recall that was funny-- basically they just are using questions to find out more about the kid that may not come through from the paper application. Its not stressful. Good luck!
Thanks so much for the feedback. We are from Long Island and my son’s appt is set for 8:15 so we will leaving like 4:30am. The one question about having dinner with one person dead or alive was interesting!!
Just emphasize to your son to be himself. I know that’s cliche but they really do want to get a feel for who he is. I recall my son telling me in just about every interview (including Lehigh) it was really more of a conversation, not a twenty question drill. He may want to think about his accomplishments and challenges (things like that) just so he’s comfortable explaining in a casual way.
They certainly do care about your interest in Lehigh. In your essays (and even the interview), pick some things that demonstrate you’ve been doing your research.
Thought I’d add our experience for future candidates.
My son interviewed in So. Cal with an admissions rep several weeks ago. She was really friendly and seemed to refer to a set list of questions on her computer because she was entering notes during the interview. I thought it was nice that she asked me and my husband to join them after the student portion was over. I assumed that was because we are out-of-state, but it sounds like they do that for the on-campus interviews as well. My son’s other interviews excluded us, and kind of made me wonder if we made our son look weak just by showing up with him. Lehigh seemed genuinely interested in answering our questions though.
I second the advice above of bringing your questions. They are definitely gauging your level of interest.
I can also get in touch with your son if you feel like that might be more helpful.