<p>I am an international applicant. So, about a week ago (insert song here), I had my interview with my EC. Actually, he was a very nice person. Nicer than I ever thought he would be. But, I somehow messed up my interview! He asked me to talk about myself, my background, my interests and my extracurriculars. But I felt like I was paralyzed! The interview that I had dreamed of for almost a year didn't even come close to my dreams! The person there was not me!
HELP ME!!!!! Do I even stand a chance of getting accepted now?</p>
<p>Sure. I find that students do not always understand how well or poorly they did on their interview. As an interviewer, I am used to students being tongue tied, and we broadly speaking know how to cope with that. There are, of course, levels beyond which this is harder. If for example a student throws up or literally cannot speak at all, it can be tricky for the EC (and of course for the student). But I have many students who did just fine, but left the interview nervous, and a few who were convinced that they crushed it, but truly did not. </p>
<p>I recently spoke to an acquaintance who is an interviewer at a different very selective university. He said that they expect students to be shy and not have all the answers. So long as they don’t say anything nasty, such as racist or otherwise obnoxious remarks, students are cut a lot of slack in interviews.</p>
<p>“I find that students do not always understand how well or poorly they did on their interview.”</p>
<p>Agreed. Some students are nervous, and that’s just part of who they are. No point in either of us fretting about that. Where I think there are problems are where the student thinks his job is to bombard the interviewer with all sorts of facts about why MIT should admit him rather than one of his classmates, and doesn’t let the interviewer get a word in edgewise. And while it’s not my job to judge - it’s my job to convey information - I can’t imagine that such a student did themselves any favors in this case.</p>
<p>@mikalye @MITPhysicsAlum @green678 Thank you very much! I am not freaking out anymore ^.^ The thing is, MIT accepts so few students from my country each year (maybe one, maybe none) that we are basically all applying almost convinced that we will not get in. But we have hope and it is always worth a try. I only thought what sets me apart is that I am so enthusiastic about physics. My counselor says that being a middle eastern girl who loves physics this much would be my advantage. But I was sad that I couldn’t show that enthusiasm during the interview.
Anyway, it’s nice to know that I still have a chance ^.^</p>
<p>Truthfully @bademsi, as an international, that is the nature of this particular beast. I am an international EC and each year I meet brilliant, talented, wonderful students who do not get in. Indeed, I have met students who have awed me with their accomplishments who do not get in. That does not mean that those students are any less brilliant, talented or wonderful.</p>