Hi! I just realized that Denison offers interviews. Interviews, as I am sure they do for most people, really stress me out and I would love to avoid the stress if I can. That being said, do interviews hold significant weight and Denison? Would love to hear about anyone’s interview experience there/if it is essential that I interview
The short answer is Yes - you should interview and take advantage of all opportunities to get to know a school and a school to get to know you. Search - Cornell - “Do I have to go to the interview” for the recent thread. Lots of interview tips regarding nerves posted a few days ago for Cornell. I would recommend you search for that thread.
As I said in that post - You can do it - it is a conversation and it is okay to tell the interviewer you are nervous.
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Yes. Here is what I posted on another thread for Cornell, but it could be any college:
"Will you say no to a job interview? You really need to view it as a conversation, rather than an interrogation.
This is excellent practice for you and a possible path to acceptance at Cornell. You might be nervous, shy, or feel that you won’t make a good impression, but I can tell you that it will make an even worse impression to say no.
There are many articles on the internet that will help you prepare for an interview. There are lots of videos too. There are all kinds of great questions you can ask the interviewer:
What are some of the most noticeable changes/developments at Cornell in recent years?
Can you tell me more about the ____ program? about CALS? about Johnson College of Business? or whatever your intended school is.
Is it hard for underclassmen to get desired classes?
Why did you choose Cornell?
What advice would you give freshman you about Cornell?
Ask about how Cornell helped prepare your interviewer for his/her career.
You need to do the interview, bottom line. Prepare and you will feel less nervous. Good luck."
A school like Denison will really want to see that you are interested, so that is another good reason to interview.
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Denison parent (and huge supporter, was life changing for my kid), with my two cents. Denison applications continue to grow, last year were over 9000, way more than similar schools. And, Denison talks about how it continues to focus on “fit” and is not using the increase in apps just to take the highest stat kids to bump the rankings. So – an interview is an opportunity to show how a student could contribute to campus life, an opportunity to show fit. So, yes, absolutely, if you can do an interview, as uncomfortable as another zoom meeting can be, then it’s a great opportunity to show how you could contribute to campus. Spend some time on the website, read about how the college describes itself (from my kid’s experience – I can say that Denison wants students who want to be involved and who value the commitment to living with diversity experience, not just co-existing in separate pods.
An interview is really just a conversation, a way to talk about yourself, your interests, how you could grow and contribute to campus life. Interviewers are generally experienced in getting high school students to talk about themselves so they almost always are less painful than you expect!
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Thank you both for your replies! Does anyone know questions that Denison typically asks?
I don’t remember what my kid said Denison asked specifically, but I know he often got questions asking about his favorite class, and why, as well as his least favorite class, and why. Questions about what activities from high school he wanted to continue in college. Usually, interviews opened up with something general like “tell me about yourself” or “tell me why you are interested in this school” – so prepare your answers to those sorts of questions. You can search for all kinds of articles on college interview tips, take a look at those, and do some research about Denison in particular – are there aspects of the school that you find particularly appealing, academics, activities, culture?
It really is a conversation, an opportunity for you to show your fit, and an opportunity for you to learn more about the school from someone who knows it very well. All great opportunities when it is hard to do the traditional college search activities in a pandemic!
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My D19, now a Denison sophomore, requested an interview from Denison and met with an alumni interviewer who was a recent graduate. At that time, he had not visited Denison yet, and the interview was helpful to him in getting a better sense of the school. It was also helpful when the optional “Why Denison” essay popped up a little later in the process. I agree that this is an opportunity you should definitely take advantage of, and maybe you will feel more at ease about it if you think about it as an opportunity for you to ask questions. Certainly the interviewer will also ask some questions, but if you can use the interview as an opportunity to show that you’ve done your homework and have a genuine interest in the school, that will be half the battle. My son ended up enjoying his interview, although he probably felt about like you in advance.
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Thank you all so much for your help and encouragement! I scheduled an interview for next week!
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Hi everyone! Just wanted to update on my interview. My interview started at 4:00 and the interviewer finished asking me questions at 4:10. It was not a conversation. I was asked one question and then another…no follow up questions to any of my answers (follow up questions could’ve been asked and I was asked many follow up questions at interviews for other schools). I gave really thoughtful answers to all the questions I was asked, but the response I got after almost every question was “oh that’s cool.” Definitely left a bad taste because I feel like the interviewer wasn’t interested in anything that I was saying… it felt like she wanted it to end. Regardless, I prepared and did everything I could’ve done 
Well, that can happen - was it an alumni interviewer rather than an AO? When my son did his interview, he actually met with two people, the “official” alumni interviewer and another Denison student. He liked the interviewer but had a negative response to the other person. In any event, it sounds like your interview can only have helped and it’s a good way to demonstrate interest. I hope you’ll have other ways to get a feeling for Denison. My son really loves the school and can’t wait to get back at the end of next week.
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I believe my interviewer was a current senior at Denison! I am glad your son has had a good experience and I’m definitely still excited about the possibility of Denison!
My daughter had a similar experience a few days ago! It was all over in 13 minutes, it was just a series of questions and not a conversation as was her experience at other schools. She met with a current senior.
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Wow! I am relieved to hear it wasn’t just me! very strange that their interviewers aren’t more trained. I wonder if we had the same person. Thanks for your response!
OP asked: “Should I interview AT Denison?”
Yes, as on campus interviews allow one to become familiar with several aspects of the school.
If not an on-campus interview but face-to-face with an alumnus, then it depends upon whether you have questions that you would like answered in person.
Most interviews are for informational purposes which includes an indication of an applicant’s interest in a particular school.