My interview experience

Colleges and Universities A-Z Columbia University
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<p>Had my interview today by an alumnus who graduated from CC in the 90s. It was a very good experience - we talked for about 45 minutes and got a very good conversation going. We met in his office as he worked downtown at a clinic. He was extremely gracious, very intelligent, and overall just a great guy who was very understanding. </p>

<p>I noticed he had a little one page spec sheet sent to him by Columbia which I believe only contained bits of info from Application Part I. The three interests I had put down (Political Activism, Student Government, Cycling) were on there, so a large part of our conversation centered around those three topics. I brought him a resume but he didn't refer to it during the conversation.</p>

<p>He asked me the "Why Columbia" question right off the bat. Expect some follow-up questions - when I was done with my response he said something like "surely that can't be the only reason why you want to come to Columbia" (I had talked about how I had been impressed by how the school handled Ahmadinejad's visit) and so I elaborated on some broader themes. </p>

<p>After that, we talked a lot about my goals, my involvement in my ECs, and how specifically I was hoping Columbia could help me accomplish my dreams. The theme basically was "All right, we know Columbia's a great school and all, but what makes you think that Columbia will be able to help you along your path in a way no other school can?" So be ready.</p>

<p>It's good to have a bunch of stories you are more or less familiar with that you can fall back on at any time and discuss with ease. I prepared the week prior to the interview by recording myself answering common interview questions, over and over again until I was able to flow naturally. I’m not saying you should memorize word-for-word answers (that’d be bad), but get familiar with things you want to talk about so that you’re not caught stumbling. </p>

<p>At the end he asked if I had any questions. I asked him to compare himself when he was applying to Columbia to himself when he had graduated. This got us on the topic of how Columbia had helped him see the world differently by providing a diverse student body, and it was very interesting to listen to his first-hand account. This time, you should be prepared to ask smart follow-up questions that show that you’re actively processing what the interviewer is saying.</p>

<p>Get sleep before your interview, prepare answers to common questions, and know why you want to go to Columbia. Those are my three main pieces of advice for you as you go into your interview. Good luck!</p>

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It's good to have a bunch of stories you are more or less familiar with that you can fall back on at any time and discuss with ease.

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<p>This is great interview advice. It's also great advice for being a good conversationalist in general -- whether at cocktail party, stuck next to a boring colleague on a cross-country flight, etc.</p>

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<p>I’m going to be a 2009 ED’er-- I can tell this post is going to be amazingly helpful in a few months.</p>

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<p>"At the end he asked if I had any questions. "</p>

<p>Definitely remember to prepare questions of your own. The interview is a two-way exchange.</p>

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<p>“I noticed he had a little one page spec sheet sent to him by Columbia which I believe only contained bits of info from Application Part I.”</p>

<p>That sheet also contains some questions that he is required to ask. I think one was along the lines of “What book that you’ve read has seriously changed your outlook on life?”</p>

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<p>There’s no required-to-ask questions whatsoever. The adcoms put on the ARC website a list for newbie interviewers to get ideas on some potential questions to ask. But certainly no interviewer is required to ask about books you’ve read.</p>

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<p>That could be true. When I got my interview, it was my interviewer’s first year, so he had the list of questions and wrote down answers to them on the sheet as I spoke.</p>