<p>We are starting to schedule some college interviews for my daughter. It has been suggested to hand the interviewer a resume at the beginning of the interview. I know stats would be superfluous on a resume enclosed with the app, but how about for an interview?</p>
<p>No. They won't be impressed by numbers.</p>
<p>This answer may be coming too late for you, but FWIW my D just finished 7 college interviews with a resume with her SAT/GPA stats on top. My D found that having the stats on top was a very big help at 2 and modest help at 3-4 colleges. The remaining interviewers ignored the resume. In her case (because she comes from a public school that the interviewers never heard of), the SAT scores helped establish her credibitiliy.</p>
<p>I think credability can be establish on an interview without pushing standardized test scores and words like 'valedictorian' in their face.</p>
<p>We placed a photocopy of D's transcript (one page) at back of Activity Resume. No test scores. Adcoms seemed interested in what classes she had taken and what was scheduled for senior year, so this was a beneficial addition. </p>
<p>Not one of the 8 asked for test scores and about half read through the transcript.</p>
<p>i think most of the schools we visited had a form they had you fill out when you got to the admissions office that asked for all of these stats. so they had that info when she spoke with them.</p>
<p>i</p>
<p>My sense of a resume--whether its be for work or school-- is that its should summarize all the information regarding a person that the interviewer will rely upon in making his/her decision. Thus, if a school requires SATs and GPAs for an application, leaving this information off the resume isn't helpful for the interviewer. </p>
<p>That said, I am the first person to say that these numbers tell only a very small part of a person's story. Overall, my D used only one line on her resume for these numbers, the rest of the one page document focused on other parts of her life.</p>
<p>I don't think a resume can ever "help" during an interview. Even the notion that it "helped" with certain interviewers is suspect, because what it "helped" was simply pushing the conversation forward. This is not as impressive as a student who can push the conversation forward due to their own intelligence intellect, interest, and feelings.</p>
<p>There is a reason many interviewers will ignore a resume. Its a crutch. Unless it was asked for, don't bring one.</p>
<p>Wanna bet at least some interviewers will write "brought a resume" on their assessment of the interview? That can't be helpful. It makes a student look grade or activity obsessed. </p>
<p>The interview isn't about numbers. Its about showing your strengths without numbers or the benefit of lists. Its about being you. If you don't do this, and are stuck on resumes and numbers, just be comfortable being labled "typical applicant" by the interviewer.</p>
<p>massguy,</p>
<p>Putting aside the stats issue, I fail to see how a resume can harm an applicant. Rather than a "crutch", it can be a great jumping off point for in depth conversation on a topic of mutual interest.</p>
<p>The answer to the OP's question depends on the applicant's stats and the nature of the school. Applicants need to present themselves in the best possible light, and it is up to each applicant to decide what they wish to emphasize during the interview. If the school is a reach, there's no reason to highlight that at the interview stage by supplying stats unless asked. It will be readily apparent on the application. </p>
<p>What can the applicant discuss that will best indicate their potential as a vibrant and contributing member of the college community? What is the applicant's "story" and how does it relate to their search for an appropriate college? The activity list/resume should present information in a sequence customized for that particular student. In my son's case, the sections were in this order: contact info, activities, community service, academic overview (SAT, GPA, AP's), awards/honors/recognition, summer experiences, employment experiences, interests. He tried to emphasize his activities and service during the interview. (Other applicants might have other categories or a completely different order to their lists. I don't think there is any one right way to go about it.)</p>
<p>Also, why is this particular school appealing? The applicant should be able to articulate some specific reasons he/she is applying. This takes a little research beforehand.</p>
<p>My son went to interviews with 2 versions of the resume, one with stats and one without. At the end of the interview, he selected the appropriate version and left it with the interviewer. The interviewers all seemed happy to accept it, and he felt they had the information they needed to write up their interview reports. They could scan it to help organize or reinforce their impressions.</p>
<p>He did not give the interviewer the activity list/resume at the beginning of the interview, as it could be too tempting for the interviewer to scan it and lose conversational synergy and eye contact. Some schools ask the applicants to fill out paperwork beforehand. Sometimes they ask for activities, or course lists, or stats. Each school asked for a different mix of information. Many times the interviewer used this information to get the ball rolling. If the pre-interview paperwork asked for stats, then my son gave the interviewer the non-stats activity list.</p>
<p>My son told me that many interviewers took notes during the interview, ranging from jotting down random words to highlighting sections of the pre-interview paperwork. Interestingly, one of the schools emphasized that their interviews were optional and purely informational for the student; their pre-interview form was the most detailed of all, right down to the names of courses for all 4 years, AP scores, positions held, etc. </p>
<p>Interviewing improves with practice and experience. Not every 17-year-old can steer a conversation forward. I believe the applicants are being evaluated more on their acccomplishments and potential campus contribution than on their poise and raw interview technique. For those who are more softspoken, consider bringing the resume out at the beginning or middle of the interview. Consider bringing a small album or little props, or whatever it takes to help initiate a good interactive session. Once my son reached into his backpack during an interview and the admissions officer said, "Oh good, did you bring a photo album?!" (he didn't) Another time, the interviewer asked if he brought the fundraising item they were discussing with him that day. The range of interviewers was quite wide, from polished admissions directors, to professional admissions associates who seemed to specialize in interviewing, to trained senior student interns who were all over the map. The common denominator is that they are accustomed to interviewing kids day in and day out, while our kids may appear on the other side of the desk just a handful of times.</p>
<p>My son's absolute best interview was with an admissions person who picked up on everything he said. It was uncanny. She was a very skilled interviewer but they also shared some personal interests and discovering that made the interview sing. He did a certain type of envronmental project, and she was on the local environmental board in that exact same field. He had done a certain type of summer experience, and she was familiar with the program because her own children had once participated in the same program. It went on like this for the entire interview. She was able to draw him out in a very natural and enthusiastic way. He was relaxed and confident when he came out and felt that the interview reinforced that this school would be an excellent fit.</p>
<p>Two interviews were his worst. The "good chemistry" interview was with a senior intern "dude" and the entire interview focused on their mutual interest in an intramural sport and the interviewer's semester abroad, but was otherwise unproductive. (My son thought the interview went great. They both emerged smiling and laughing.) The "bad chemistry" interview was with an unpersonable, scowling senior intern who had my son back in the admissions lobby within 15 minutes. (Unfortunately this was his first choice school at the time.) In both cases, my son was glad to have a resume to leave behind to provide some solid information that he had not gotten across verbally.</p>
<p>In the end, he interviewed at 7 of the 9 schools to which he applied. I feel that the interview positively influenced his application at 5 of the schools (accepted ED2, accepted RD, likelied then w/d, w/d, w/d), had a neutral influence at 1 school (w/d), and had a possibly negative impact at 1 school (deferred ED1 then w/d). He also had an 8th interview at a school he later decided not to apply to, a decision that was not interview-related.</p>
<p>My D interviewed at 3 schools in one week in early August (she had not applied to any schools yet) and took a resume. To prevent the "in your face" feeling of the resume, she put the stats LAST on the second page, after Honors and Awards, EC's, Leadership, and Class schedule. One interviewer glanced at the resume and asked questions, one ignored it but told her it would be put in her file, and one poured over it and asked questions in detail. My D thought the last was her best interview.</p>
<p>My son's single page interview resume (he only used it for the interview) had SAT stats on it. He also included some info on his ECs, some of which were heavily focused on organizations that the interviewer probbaly wasn't familair with. There was never an expectation that the interviewer would refer to the resume during the interview. We only hoped that she might glance over it after the interview and it might help her to write her summary more easily.</p>