RD Applicants: Interview Advice

<p>@workaholic - When I visited campus, the interviewees were wearing khakis and button downs (guys) or slacks and blouses (girls).</p>

<p>AdmissionsAddict or T26E4: Which one is better, an alumni and on-campus interview? Does it make any difference?</p>

<p>It doesn't make a difference other than the fact that on campus interviews are conducted by current students who can give more accurate info about life on campus than alumni.</p>

<p>I just found out who my interviewer was and:</p>

<p>1) he went to yale med and not to yale college which is a bummer
2) he's in a field that i'm totally not interested in (bio research)</p>

<p>but you know, i guess it doesn't really matter... i don't care either way.</p>

<p>When interviewers ask questions like, "Why do you like math so much?" or "Oh, you want to study poly sci at Yale? Why?" how much info do they want. Like, I have a rehearsed, long, essay type answer that I could deliver like a speech... but I think they kinda just want a sentence or two, and then give them the ability to probe more (but I would then not be able to say all that I want to say). </p>

<p>How do you deal with the questions that you could go on about for minutes, but common sense tells you to be concise?</p>

<p>Other interviewers may have other opinions, but I'm not a big fan of rehearsed answers. Being prepared in great, but some people have given me memorized mini-speeches. It's fine to say a lot if you have a lot of substance to convey. People who give monosyllabic answers to every question (yes, this happens) are not good interviewees. Just be natural and say what you have to say in a coversational way.</p>

<p>Hi! Thank you so much for referencing me to this thread- sorry I didn't see it earlier, as I just read the RD and ignored it!</p>

<p>A few questions if you wouldn't mind answering them:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>My interviewer told me not to bring anything/anybody. Would this include a list of questions to ask him, or was that just in reference to a resume or something? Also, since I unfortunately don't have my license, would it look poorly upon me to have a parent drive me to this location? Obviously my mom/dad wouldn't stay for the interview, but I would still be driven there.</p></li>
<li><p>If asked why Yale, I have a number of reasons, but should I still bother mentioning the common ones? Ex: I LOVE the residential college system, as I like the idea of being an individual and having a larger, communal identity. But, they probably get a million people saying that, so should I still bring it up?</p></li>
<li><p>I'm meeting my interviewer at a coffeeshop, but I have no way of identifying him since he didn't specify. What do I do?</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Thank you so much!</p>

<p>I have the same question as #3 above...is it appropriate to politely ask around ... "Are you Mr. Smith or Ms. Jones by any chance?" lol</p>

<ol>
<li><p>A list of questions is OK. Yale interviewers aren't supposed to get GPA and SAT info from you which is why the interviewer asked you not to bring a resume. It's fine if your parents drive you to the interview location, but they should leave the location after drop off and return only when the interview is complete. An interviewer won't feel as comfortable if your parents are hanging around.</p></li>
<li><p>Common answers to "Why Yale" are fine. The residential colleges are a huge draw and it makes sense to include them if they excite you.</p></li>
<li><p>If you have the interviewer's email address, just email describing yourself and then ask how you'll identify the interviewer. It's usually pretty obvious who the interviewee is to an interviewer.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Awesome; thank you so much!</p>

<p>Sorry for the repeated questions, but I just thought of two more:
1. Is it okay to ask for a minute to think? Or would that look poorly upon me that I can't just spit out answers to questions?</p>

<ol>
<li>Since I'm a fairly shy person, what can I do to make this interview less awkward, especially to begin? (I know I introduce myself and everything, but do I just wait for them to start asking questions?)</li>
</ol>

<p>It's fine to ask "Are you so-and-so?" Why wouldn't it be? Don't overthink how to behave at the interview. Just be the best version of yourself. Honestly, nervous teenagers scanning the room are pretty easy to spot as the interviewee.</p>

<p>The interviewer shouldn't ask you very tough questions. It's fine to take a second to collect your thoughts, but I would find it odd if I asked, "Tell me about your favorite extracurricular activity" and the applicant really took a whole minute to formulate a response.</p>

<p>The interviewer will lead the interview, probably asking you a series of questions, then asking you if you have questions for him/her. You are not responsible for setting the tone or the pace of the interview. The best thing you can do is to think up one or two questions to ask the interviewer so there isn't the awkward moment when the interviewee has no questions and feels stupid.</p>

<p>AdmissionsAddict:</p>

<p>When should an applicant expect to be contacted for an interview (how long after app submission)?</p>

<p>Sorry if this has been answered before.</p>

<p>Probably takes longer in areas where there are more Yale applicants...</p>

<p>Procrastination--Skim this thread. Your question has been asked a couple times.</p>

<p>Everyone--Happy to answer questions, but please skim the thread first to see if your issue has already been addressed.</p>

<p>AdmissionsAddict: If my on-campus interview lasted only 20 minutes, is this a sign that it didn't go well?</p>

<p>Starbursts--It all depends on the interviewer's style. 20 minutes would be a sign of a bad interview with me, but other interviewers may have a shorter list of questions and a more direct style than I do. What's done is done and the interview is by far the least important part of your application. I've had applicants with terrible interviews get in, so it won't kill you if the rest of your package is strong.</p>

<p>My interview was two days ago, and I was asked the following</p>

<p>What classes are you taking? What is your favorite class and why?
What do you do outside of school? What do you like the most and why?
What do you do for fun?<br>
How would a classmate or friend describe you? Why?
What do you like or dislike about your high school and why?
What do you see yourself doing in the future?
Why do you like doing _______?
What is a personal experience that influenced you?</p>

<p>And then, the interviewer said that we should wrap up and then asked me if i had any questions. i asked two questions.
The interviewer then asked me if I wanted to tell her anything else that she didn't ask me yet. And that was it. </p>

<p>I didn't get the feeling that the interviewer didn't like me (but who knows?)
Yet, I wasn't asked anything other than the basic questions which was strange, maybe I didn't answer the questions properly.</p>

<p>this may seem extremely obvious, but in my emails to my interviewer, should i address him/her as mr/mrs. _____ or by first name? i'm not really sure which would be more appropriate. she's from the class of '95, if that matters. thanks!</p>

<p>my interview is going to take place in an office. I was wondering if I should ask for a business card afterwards or if I should just send a thank you note to his office (since I'll already have that address)?</p>

<p>longc--I'm an old school person. I believe that in addressing someone as Mr./Ms. until they tell you otherwise if the age gap is significant enough. An 18-year-old and a 35-year-old who is acting in an interviewing capacity would qualify as a significant enough age gap to me. The interviewer may immediately say, "Call me (first name)" if that's what they want to be called. A person, however, can't really say, "Actually, I'd prefer that you call me Mr./Ms.__________" for fear of insulting you/making you feel badly and then they are irked by not being called by what they prefer. Other adults may disagree with my analysis. Some of it is regional, but I think it's better to play it safe/polite because you never know your audience.</p>

<p>blvd--Just send the thank you to the office.</p>