<p>I was emailed to submit a request for a phone interview. I would much rather have a face-to-face interview though. Would it be ok for me to contact Columbia and ask if it might be possible for me to go to a nearby city and get interviewed?</p>
<p>jr - where do you live? </p>
<p>as an alumni interviewer - we try to do everything we can to reach out to students in our area, but unfortunately there are lot more of you than there are us. we are also arranged into regions, and do our best to interview folks in our respective regions. further i must make mention</p>
<p>columbia offers phone interviews to parts of the country where alumni presence is minimal. and thus it aims to offer students an opportunity to have an interview and speak with a columbia ugrad. they sent you the request precisely because they feared they would not be able to interview you face to face.</p>
<p>further, you are not able to request an interview. columbia explicitly states this on its website and application. it is done on a volunteer basis by local alumni, we aim to reach as many students as possible, but do not guarantee any student will receive an interview, further we explicitly aim to remove as much bias in the selection process in order to avoid the perception that only competitive students receive interviews. it is for that reason that many students that are not interviewed are admitted. i would, however, encourage you to take this opportunity. the students who conduct the interviews are great people and great columbians.</p>
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<p>It wouldn’t hurt you to avoid writing in the first person plural given that there are thousands of alumni interviewers.</p>
<p>sorry for speaking with authority on a subject in which i have some. and yes ‘we’ as an alumni interviewing body have policies and indeed common goals. i don’t know where i offended your sensibility, but i will continue to speak about alumni interviewing as i choose in order to convey my understanding to these students.</p>
<p>some people in the world are altruistic, i hope you learn that one day.</p>
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<p>Nobody is questioning your knowledge or the basis for your knowledge. Your insistence on using “we” is inferior writing, for one. Also, it indicates insecurity and immaturity on your part.</p>
<p>This:</p>
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<p>sounds much less authoritative than this:</p>
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<p>i never took you for verbosity C02. this is a first. i wont deny your revision is prettier than my own writing, but in no shape or form does your statement say, imply or could be construed differently than mine. particularly in the informality of this forum. it is revision for revisions sake. i quite like the gentleman/woman in you than the curt and tart version we usually receive. </p>
<p>thank you for gracing us with superfluity.</p>
<p>EDIT: you know there are many occasions on here where i feel the desire to nit pick, like you do. i choose not to because i know exactly that it wont lead anywhere. in the future, if you have a problem with my way of expressing myself, particularly any unrefined aspect you choose to explore. send me a pm, i’d be happy to discuss it. but your issue with ‘poor posts’ is mostly an issue of aggression (you got off on it) and less concerned about any greater purpose. you rarely put yourself out there for more than a few lines, rarely enough for anyone to grasp at your own errors. if you want to police grammar on here, police it - by being a more appreciative and present persona on this board. you certainly have a way with words, and know columbia, you aren’t a die-hard, but you care about it enough. and as your initial inclination was to call me insecure and immature, i’d have to go with those descriptors as well. i’ll add a third - cowardice. put yourself out there more, start threads instead of killing them. it’s easier to destroy a city than to build it.</p>
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<p>Correct, but as I said before, the problem isn’t with the facts you state. It’s that using we indicates that you have immaturity/insecurity issues.</p>
<p>Here’s a un-verbose version that avoids your “we” problem:</p>
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<p>Admissions…Thank you for taking the time to use your expertise in an COURTEOUS attempt to answer the questions of those who are asking them. I know I’m always thrilled when someone who has “been there” can shed some light on a question I have. </p>
<p>Columbia…I’ve taken a moment to look at your recent posts. Has someone on CC done something to MAKE you so angry, or is there another reason? Do you feel a sense of power when you use a nameless/faceless thread to go off topic and offer your “correction” of the writing style of someone who is trying to help? What is to be gained? Who benefits from this?</p>
<p>I’ve found, after 33 years in business that the pot tends to call the kettle black. You’ve stated that you feel the use of the term “we” is: “inferior, immature, insincere, a problem, less authoratative”. Yet those are exactly the tones I sense in your posts (immaturity, false bravado, and false authority). There are many reasons people behave that way…such as “short man’s syndrome”. Feeling one has to push in one area to make up for another in which they feel insecure. It leads to no good. Are you unable to find work right now perhaps, and feeling depressed because you feel you’re a good writer, or … ?</p>
<p>Your writing “correction”, by the way, is a nice little ESSAY. I’m sure you’d get a great GRADE on it. But we’re “talking” here- just chatting for the benefit of aiding the OP. Poetic license can be used. Rules can be broken. Casual is the name of the game. Abbreviations, misspelllings, lack of capital letters are ALL acceptable. No one submitted their work to you for correction or grading.</p>
<p>But, since that’s how you feel the forum should work, then I’ll also add that the use of “WE” is a valuable tool in many situations (the Royal We, Editorial We, etc.). “We” diffuses many situations. In contrast, your responses are blunt - and by that I mean rude! When I’ve made a mistake, I say that I did it. But when my business or family garners praise, I say that WE did it…regardless of the individual person who lead the work/team. It’s used effectively in business letters, by diplomats, speakers, authors, the media, salesmen, etc. “Admissions” use was INCLUSIVE, and in no way patronizing or avoiding. </p>
<p>I know that communication via technological avenues has lessened our ability to communicate EMOTIONALLY. Your responses illustrate this scary phenomenon. You seem to have no sense that there is a HUMAN BEING at the other end of your nasty words. You just want to rant, and click POST REPLY. It’s so powerful. You’ve been heard!</p>
<p>You’re not alone, unfortunately. I’ve seen several others on these threads that don’t seem to know that having (half?) a brain doesn’t mean you HAVE to be arrogant. It’s something you can work on. I’ve seen some people change. There may well come a day when you look back and say “I was such a know-it-all at that age”. Until then…“we” wish you the best of luck on your continued improvement day after day. And ask your help in saying that - Perhaps if you saw someone steal from a nearly dead elderly woman in Haiti…it would be OK for you to rant and rave. But we’re sitting her in our comfy surroundings discussing the best educations the world has to offer…there just isn’t any NEED for, or BENEFIT to nastiness. It does not lead toward the light. You’ll be angry forever unless you make another choice.</p>
<p>ROFL!!! (10 char)… 
:-))) laughing my ass off!!! this is so funny and (after reading the previous posts on this thread) so true…we’re not fighting anyone on here so just take it easy, admissionsgeek…</p>
<p>Let’s all calm down here 
though I agree columbia’s corrections were quite unneccessary…</p>
<p>hehehehehehehehehehe</p>
<p>I live in a small ski town in Idaho.Twin Falls (pop. 100k) is about one hour away and Boise (state capital, pop. 200k) is about two hours away. I would be very suprised if there weren’t any Columbia alums. interviewing in either of those cities. </p>
<p>Thank you for the response admissionsgeek… I just know a phone interview probably wouldn’t go as well as a personal interview, and I wouldn’t mind going to Boise or Twin Falls for an interview because I could use the opportunity to get some shopping done (or see Avatar 3D!). I won’t contact them…Thanks again!</p>
<p><—from Boise, no dice on the face-to-face interview… I was only given the option of a phone interview as well</p>
<p>hey jr, idaho! great place. but unfortunately not the greatest percentage of alums live even in the twin falls or boise area. to be honest a phone interview is probably your best chance at speaking to someone. i do know it is not the same as an in person, but take advantage of it, enjoy the experience (it may surprise you!).</p>