<p>Hello all,
My D and I are going to visit Rice in about 3 weeks. She's been enamored of Rice since last Fall and she's just gotten some stellar ACT scores (35 Comp., first try) and brought up her GPA to 4.0w.
We have set up the basic tour, information session and Engineering tour. It will all be on Monday, June 13th, then we fly back to Denver that night. I'm wondering what the gang thinks about trying to schedule an on-campus interview during that time. She's a bit leery of the idea right now - I think she's afraid that being nervous about an interview would put a damper on the rest of the campus viewing.
We fly to Houston Saturday evening and plan to relax and check out the city on Sunday. Obviously, it take a bit of money and effort to get out there, so I'm trying to decide. Any advice is greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>I visited Rice last spring and had an on-campus interview. The interviewer was really nice, and definitely not anything to freak out about. I would say do it, if you’re spending all that money to fly out there. I don’t really know how the interview process works other than that though, since that was my only experience. The campus is also gorgeous, so I don’t think even interview nerves would put a damper on her visit. ;)</p>
<p>I was in almost exactly the same situation last summer when I visited Rice, and I ultimately decided against the interview. I don’t regret it.</p>
<p>For the the whole purpose of the campus visit was to judge how comfortable I felt on campus, to see if it ‘clicked’ with me. I think if I had been nervous about trying to impress an interviewer it might have distorted my impression of Rice.</p>
<p>If I were you and I had limited time on campus, I’d just wait and do an alumni interview in Denver. My daughter didn’t even visit Rice until she was accepted, but she did have an alumni interview (schedule early…it can take awhile to set up), so I don’t think having your interview on campus is that important.</p>
<p>I agree that the on campus interview is not a big deal. D visited Rice without an interview just to get the feel of the place and than had an alumni interview “at home”. By then she was sure Rice was her first choice and could think about what she wanted to know from an alumnus (a local physician). I think it worked out very well (she’s a current Rice student). These interviews are very much a two-way street. The interviewer gets to know you, but they also want to sell you on Rice and are happy to answer questions about Rice and their time there. Rice alums are very proud of their institution and love to talk it up!</p>
<p>[College</a> Interview Questions - college admissions tips](<a href=“College Board - SAT, AP, College Search and Admission Tools”>Tips to Answer College Interview Questions - BigFuture)</p>
<p>One of the nice things about having a campus interview is it really gives you the most direct way to show who you are and how you feel about Rice with the folks at Admissions. They can see exactly how enamored you are and learn about details (that might not have come up on your app) which can help set you apart as a very serious candidate. You can also ask questions and get timely answers directly from the source…</p>
<p>I personally did an off-campus interview and was glad that I did. The alumni I was assigned to was very informative and we had a very pleasant chat. You don’t necessarily have to impress them. It is good to let your interviewer know you are interested in Rice, but it shouldn’t be your priority during the conversation. I used the opportunity not only to express my interest in Rice, but also to ask questions from a real life person that had gone through the college experience. I don’t know exactly how the on-campus interview works, but I’d definitely suggest an off-campus one.</p>
<p>There is no real difference between the on and off campus interviews. The key thing is to pick one that best suits you. </p>
<p>I would recommend an off-campus interview as well because you can make the visit to Rice, see the place and experience it first. Then you can let it sit and see how you feel as well as prepare questions for the interview. Either way, do not feel like you have to have an interview if it does not fit into your schedule.</p>
<p>Good Luck!</p>
<p>Thanks everyone!
Although I can see a slight advantage if she meets with the adcom for our area, I think waiting until later would probably be the best for her. She’s the kind of person who ruminates carefully and will go 100% once she’s fully decided what she wants. Giving her time to decide at her own pace would suit her personality best.</p>
<p>WHIW, we just got back from our campus visit and she’s even more interested in Rice. In fact, during the Engineering “Tour” part, I was almost ready to jump up and say “forget her, take me!”
But I mentioned to her today that she should sign up online for an interview and she’s not crazy about it. Her reply was: “I don’t like talking to people”. <em>sigh</em>
Parenting - not for the weak of heart!</p>
<p>Just FYI, on-campus interviews in the fall are often given by senior students on the student admissions council. Same assessment, but some prospective students may be more comfortable.</p>
<p>Yes, that would set her more at ease but we’re from Colorado so she would do an off-campus interview. I think once she gets going, she does well but like many things, it’s tough getting started.</p>
<p>My son did an interview in our hometown. His interviewer was a recent grad who made him feel very comfortable. It was more like a conversation between friends than a formal interview. Not to say your local interviewer will be a younger person, but your D shouldn’t be afraid or nervous about this kind of interview. It’s a great opportunity for her to express her interest in Rice.</p>