<p>I've applied for Princeton RD and i got a call from the Princeton alumni association here in South Africa about my interview. Anyway, can some of you guys tell me what are some of the questions that interviewer might ask? I've also heard that Princeton interviews don't hold that much weight, does this then mean that they place a lot of emphasis on academic (in that case my future is bleak, I got 1420 for SAT) and sport? I'm normally quite a laid-back, relaxed person, I hope this will help.</p>
<p>The single, most important question they ask is: Why Princeton?</p>
<p>Be ready for it.</p>
<p>Other than that, my interview was more of a conversation about Princeton than anything else. My interviewer also echoed the fact that the interview doesn't mean much. He said even if he hated me and wrote the worst stuff down about me that he could, the admissions office would probably look at it and go, "hey, this seems like an interesting guy..."</p>
<p>So basically, know why you want to go to Princeton and be relaxed throughout the whole process.</p>
<p>My advice would just be to be natural. Just pretend it's a friend and you're going out for coffee. My interview basically consisted of me telling stories for 2 hours, and it was absolutely wonderful. Don't be worried about your answers - be more worried about showing them who you actually are.</p>
<p>And, for the record, my answer to "Why Princeton?" was, "In all honesty, it's the pizza."</p>
<p>Not all interviewers ask the "Why Princeton?" question. Mine sure didn't. Mine was a very casual interview, very friendly. Throughout the interview, I got the sense that he was trying to help me, not testing me and my answers to his questions. He was trying to figure out what made me special from all the other applicants, and so it was really relaxed. He had lots of opinions on eating clubs.. haha so I learned a lot about them during the interview.</p>
<p>If you are a good person, humble while intelligent at the same time, you should do a great job. The only preparation necessary is to be ready for a question like "why princeton" or "what will you bring to princeton." But there's no need to fuss over it -- the ad com's don't really weigh the interview too heavily when making decissions. Basically the only way it can hurt your chances of getting in is if you appear to be arrogant or say deliberately offensive things. Good luck, and I'm sure you'll do fine!</p>
<p>No worries, I think the interview is very casual and it's really a chance for you to ask interviewers his or her experience at Princeton. My interviewer seemed really self-absorbed in talking about her own experience at Princeton. My only suggestions would be to be polite, natural, and be yourself, and maybe have a few questions ready to ask the interviewer.......And with that, you will definitely have a fine interview.....
And Lol I had a terrible cold with incessant running nose and coughing DURING the interview, and apparently that was not a big deal at all, and I was still accepted to Princeton.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot, guys. I don't normally get nervous so the interview should be pretty smooth. I hope that my interviewer is quite inexperienced (like my Columbia interviewer who was nice and informative throughout the process). But then again, if the interview doesn't mean much then I can't really rely on it to get me into Princeton, and as I've said my stats aren't that great.</p>
<p>Be honest. Don't try to give the "right" answer. Give your answer. And like most have said, just relax. It's okay to wing a few questions. It makes for...interesting conversation :)</p>
<p>Typical questions I got at every interview last year:
What's your greatest strength?
What's your greatest weakness?
Why this school?
What kind of activities did you do in high school, which activities would you be interested in doing in college?
What's your most memorable experience?
What connections do you have to the school?</p>
<p>Typical stuff, nothing completely out of the blue, but you might want to give it a bit of thought before you go. I had to think for a while on my weaknesses at my Duke interview and my interviewer criticized me for not knowing, but he was also kinda mean. My Princeton interviewer was great and we spent the majority of the time just chatting about the school. Like everybody else said, the interview doesn't play that big of a part in admissions, it's more for helping you get a feel for the school and what it's like from the perspective of someone who went there. You'll get more information from the alums than you'll ever get from all the brochures they send you.</p>
<p>Liza and I are planning a trip to the Bahamas currently, but her class schedule for next semester (and this little thing I have called the rest of senior year) is getting in the way. We're planning on adopting a Vietnamese baby. I'm stoked!</p>