<p>Wait to clarify, interviews are given out based on alumni availability. This has been confirmed by interviewer's for all different schools. For example my application is not even complete for some schools and I received an interview. And even for some schools like MIT you have to initiate the scheduling of an interview (I know that this is Princeton forum but yea, Princeton gives out interviews based on alumni-availability). And for those who don't have interviews yet, just wait some of you might even have them in early march.</p>
<p>I've done three in-person interviews (two at Starbucks and one in a surgeon's office). I was recently contacted for a phone interview (I live over 2 hours away). I'm not really sure what to expect. I feel much more comfortable talking in person and I'm afraid a phone conversation will be weird. My interviewer is a recent alumni (2007, I believe) so hopefully we'll have plenty in common to talk about. Any tips for a phone interview? Have any of you done one? Even though I'm worried about it, at least I don't have to 1. find the place 2. get there early 3. dress up</p>
<p>^^ Same here!</p>
<p>I just came on to post about this right now, and was pretty surprised to see someone else who's currently dealing with the same issue. </p>
<p>I've also done several in-person interviews, but I got an email from a Princeton interviewer who wants to do it over the phone.</p>
<p>I'm freaking out!! He assured me that he has done plenty phone interviews and they go fine, but I guess I'm the type who relies on the way I relate to people in person (body language, smiles, eye contact, etc.) </p>
<p>Does anyone have any personal experiences on this or maybe some helpful tips?</p>
<p>My interview is tomorrow (Friday) at 11am. AAahh!</p>
<p>how do you do an interview during school?</p>
<p>we've got break</p>
<p>That makes sense. Good luck :D</p>
<p>Mine is tomorrow after school and band practice.</p>
<p>Thanks, and same to you!</p>
<p>Is yours also over the phone? If it's not.. you're lucky! </p>
<p>You know, I offered to drive the distance to meet him!! But he kind of brushed it off and said phone interviews were fine. Sigh. Maybe he doesn't want to meet me... :(</p>
<p>Mine's over the phone, which is why I'm on here trying to see if anyone has any advice. I've never done a phone interview before. I think a lot of the interviewers are really busy and it takes longer for them to do one in person so it's just easier for them to do phone.</p>
<p>Whoops, duh! I didn't notice you were the author of the original post I had responded to. Sorry :)</p>
<p>Yeah, you're probably right about interviewers preferring to interview over the phone because it's easier and less time consuming.</p>
<p>But don't you think it detracts from the overall impact of the interview? I honestly feel like I cannot make as good an impression on the phone as I could in person. A phone call to me seems so... impersonal. I know interviewers have lives and all that, but I can't help but feel I'm being a little shortchanged in my ability to make an excellent impression, as opposed to just a good one.</p>
<p>How do you feel about it? I guess I'm also just surprised because I had never heard of a phone interview before, and because someone from my school was just interviewed for Princeton and he met with the man in person. </p>
<p>Hm... :/</p>
<p>I agree, if you actually meet with someone you are a lot more likely to remember them and be able to write a better "review" of them. I think that if you actually meet somewhere with someone it forces them to sit down with you and just talk to you. You're able to get your point across without them focusing on anything else. If it's a phone interview, they could be focused on other things while they're talking to you. I'm really grateful I get an interview at all though, so I probably shouldn't be complaining. The fact that someone's willing to take time to talk to me is fantastic, even if it's not in person.</p>
<p>Yes, I also feel very fortunate to have been offered an interview at all, considering how late it is. A phone interview is better than no interview. </p>
<p>I'm just so nervous! I really feel like it's not gonna go well. I mean, it might not go bad, but I just think I'm gonna hang up the phone feeling as though I didn't made any sort of lasting impression. </p>
<p>I guess, like you said, it has its upsides though. We don't have to get all dolled up and deal with finding the place! I fully plan on being in my PJs in bed! Kinda nice, in a way. lol</p>
<p>^ You know what, just tell yourself that you've alr had the Yale acceptance in your pocket so there's nothing to kill yourself over :P</p>
<p>I personally think phone interviews aren't the most ideal situation (except the PJs in bed part - high 5!). I always prefer talking to people face to face. My phone interview wasn't the best (sigh).</p>
<p>Mine's in an hour.</p>
<p>I just got off the phone with my interviewer. It went pretty well I think, although at the very beginning of the interview she told me that she has pretty much no affect on whether or not I get in. We talked about the college and I asked some questions about what it's like there. She's a graduate student at another University I applied to, so she was able to tell me about the differences between the two, which helped a lot. I was, for some reason, expecting the interview to go badly, but I'm really glad it didn't. Has anyone else's interviewer told them whether or not the interview matters? I always assumed that they counted at least a little bit.</p>
<p>my interviewer simply said that he has been doing them for years but has no idea what kind of effect they have on admissions.</p>
<p>Yeah, I had mine this morning at 11:02 am. It only lasted 24 minutes (lol I know the exact times because cell phones keep track :)). Much shorter than any that I've done in person... I guess because there's not the obligation to make it long, since neither party took the time to drive out to a meeting place or anything. We kinda just cut straight to business, no time for small talk ("do you want a coffee?" "the roads were terrible!" etc)</p>
<p>It went pretty much how I expected. The guy was friendly, he asked me a few questions, I asked him a few questions, he gave me some statistics (% of kids accepted from my state compared to national average) and then we hung up.</p>
<p>I basically just had the feeling I thought I would... it went fine (not great, not bad), and I hung up not feeling particularly enlightened or pumped about Princeton (as opposed to my Yale interview). I feel like if we had met in person, it would have gone better. He seemed very nice, and I think we would have connected a little better face to face. Maybe got into a conversation.. on the phone, you just feel pressured not to waste time with chatter (literature, movies, etc). Don't know how to explain it (it might have to do with the fact that he was at work, and clearly busy. He put me on hold once to deal with some issue. If we had met at a bookstore or something, there wouldn't have been the same distractions.) </p>
<p>I emailed him soon after to thank him.. I am still thankful I got an interview at all. And he was really nice.</p>