I read this tip from Chris Peterson of MIT:
I was trying to really (over)think this, but I can’t get to an answer: what else should I tell my interviewer? I mean, I am writing my essay on whatever I like, but that is what I like, and if the interview asks me to reveal myself, I’ll tell him/her that I like this thing. What else of myself and my personality should I reveal? So how can I stop my interview from becoming application 2.0?
My son is applying early so he had his interview before he even turned in his application. The person interviewing him had no idea of his scores, grades, or activities. They just talked about why MIT, current events, a bit about interests of each of them–very general stuff. She seemed to be more interested in getting to know him as a person than a resume.
Just think of it as a conversation, and remember that the person has already read your application (hopefully, if not you will probably end up giving some highlights). Try to have a few questions to ask them – it is a good opportunity to find out why they chose MIT, how they ended up in their major, what they liked & didn’t like, and how going to MIT has influenced their life since.
MIT does not provide a copy of the student’s application and they are specifically requested not to ask for a copy. If a student gave me a copy of his/her application, I would just return it to them without looking at it.
The EC is trying to find out what excites the student about MIT; what excites them in general; who or what has influenced them; to get a feel of how well they can work with others in a collaborative environment; etc. Just what makes the student “tick”? Are they pleasant to be around? Things that go beyond the application and the test scores (which MIT will get). Do they play well with others?
Yeah, thanks everyone. It had been a whole month since I had my MIT interview and it was just not as…nerve-wrecking as I thought it to be, but a simple concise word describes it perfectly: conversation