omg .
If you have an email or phone number to contact this person, by all means do so. Itâs likely there was just some miscommunication, and if you approach it with this attitude (rather than a âhey dude, we had a meeting scheduled and you didnât show!â) you can get it rescheduled with no impact.
âMy U Chicago interviewer didnât show today.â
Earlier this this year, there were posts about two similar sounding experiences with interviewers from different colleges.
In one case, the student was supposed to meet the interviewer at a Starbucks, but there were 2 Starbucks in close proximity, and the student went to the wrong one.
In another case, the student was supposed to meet the interviewer in a coffee shop. The student got there early, and sat there reading a book. The interviewer came on time, looked around, saw no one who appeared to be waiting for her (e.g. if youâre waiting for the interviewer, look around. Donât stick your head in a book like youâre simply studying), so the interviewer went outside to wait, waited a long time and then left.
Clearly, the lessons are: Be very clear about the meeting place, even get the interviewerâs cell phone # and give them yours just in case. And certainly, be active about finding the interviewer.
Has anyone been interviewed for Oxford?? Please do let me know. Thank you
How does one go about setting an interview? I am applying regular decision to some ivies ( Columbia, UPenn, etc ) and other competitive schools. Do I turn in my application online by the deadline and wait for them to contact me or do I have turn something in before the deadline that guarantees me an inteview?
With MIT, one gets something in the mail after turning in some paper, with a name and number of an area alumni interviewer, since interviews are mandatory. Mine was a train wreck - I didnât have any sort of chemistry with the interviewer, and he hadnât been at MIT for a long time, so he didnât have much to say on the topic of current campus life.
To set up an interview for Carnegie Mellon or Rice, you contact the admissions office and they give you information of an alum so that you can set up an interview.
In the admissions section on most collegesâ web sites, you can find info about interview policies and procedures. Thatâs a more accurate way of getting that important info than asking anonymous strangers, who may be well meaning, but misinformed.
Oh, sorry, MIT and WUStL were both alumni interviews. The WashU interview I had was yesterday, and when I checked up on this thread, I noticed someone saying two coffeeshops in close proximity together⊠Similar to what happened to me. Thankfully, I found the Dunn Brothers that I was supposed to be at, and NOT the Starbucks next door! And I had to wait around abit, so if this happens, keep your head up!
The interview with WashU was short, and very imformal. Mostly just talk of stuff on my activities⊠A specific questions include âIf you had one extra hour a day, what would you do with it?â DO NOT answer this question with âsleepâ. Apparently a lot of students do.
And of course, coming prepared with questions helps a lot, too. I was glad I had a few on my mind because the âDo you have any questions for me?â question caught me about halfway through the interview.
Overall, WashUâs interview was very quick.
D had one âStarbucksâ interview and almost missed the interviewer, who :
- had only given the Starbucks phone number, not her cell number
- had noting ont he table w/ the collegeâs name, signaling that she was the interviewer.
I wish colleges would eliminate the public place intervies - - too many mistakes and no privacy. Fortunately, D2 has had only one such interview (Hobart).
D2 had a terrible on-campus interview at Trinity (CT). The interviewer was a trainee, arrived late, rushed through the questions and then dashed off w/o giving D2 a card. D2 overlooked this, in light of far more favorable interactions w/ coach and Dean.
Other interviews (Kenyon, URoch, Hamilton, Case, Oberlin, Wheaton) were all great (especially Kenyon and URoch) - - though D2 described the Wheaton interview as âtepidâ and âscripted.â
Probably not going to happen. To many parents are worried about sending their kids into the private home of a stranger, too many alum interviewers want to avoid the possibility of being accused of inappropriate behavior.
Iâve done one interview, for the Airforce Academy, so may be a different experience.
All the questions were specific and on five differenty categories. The interviewer advised me beforehand how to answer the questions in a five star formatâŠsomething like saying what you did, how you did it, how it affected you, end results and lessons learned (not sure if thats quite right, it was awhile ago), The interviewer was an alumnus and it was at a Borders. The interviewer told me the interview would only count if there was a âtieâ in applications, but basically he said it wouldnât make or break you. Haha and he also told me that he thought I had a pretty solid chance of acceptence and I had the top ECs and scores of those he had interviewed (like forty i think he said). Not sure if that was ethical but oh well.
âo many parents are worried about sending their kids into the private home of a stranger, too many alum interviewers want to avoid the possibility of being accused of inappropriate behavior.â
The alums also want to avoid inappropriate behavior by the students whom they interviewed. I stopped doing interviews at my home after a student whom I had interviewed showed up unannounced after an EA deferral and left a package of goodies on my doorstep. That scared me because I wondered what heâd do if he eventually got rejected.
I also know an interviewer who was paid a surprise visit by a mom and student who pushed their way into her home after the student was rejected. The mom then insisted on pleading the studentâs case â complete with going through a thick scrapbook showing the studentâs acccomplishments.
There are wakky, desperate, too intense people out there, and alumns who are volunteering their time to interview donât want to be victimized by them.
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Iâd never thought of the applicant as a possible stalker.
I usually interview mid-day, in my office conference room (glass doors) to avoid the appearance of any impropriety. And a friend interviews prospects at the library - - public, but still better than Starbucks.
I agree that neutral public places are usually the best for the protection of both the interviewer and student. If the interviewer has a suitable office or conference room thatâs good too.
Today, just about everyone has a cell phone. Be sure to ask for the interviewerâs cell number and provide your own in case thereâs any last-minute problem - canât find the location, found the location but canât find the other person, stuck in traffic, etc.
There was a lot of give and take during my interviewâŠand I could sense that my interviewer (a senior) enjoyed just talking about a lot of the things I was interested in about YaleâŠmainly the idea of the residential colleges being like living in a âcollege within a collegeââŠI avoided talking about AP courses, or any ECs, and just focused on being myself. I think the key to college interviewing with a student is to relax and be yourselfâŠlife is so shortâŠthereâs no need to talk about the future or wishing yourself to be a YalieâŠspeak to the moment, be honestâsmileâopportunities to meet new people are a once in a lifetime experienceâŠjust allow it to happen
I have my Harvard Interview on thursadayâŠ
Iâm really nervous.
Kenyon interview was amazing. I felt more like I was hanging out with the senior interviewer than I was taking an oral exam, which is how some people I know have reported their interview experiences elsewhere. Ditto Smith.
Chicago this weekendâŠduh duh DUHHHH.
My d had her first interview, with U Miami. We were told it was informational, but that the interviewer was an admisssions officer and would also be âreadingâ the admissions file; also were told not to bring any transcripts, paperwork etc. Parents were welcome.
It went quite well, I thought. I pretty much kept quiet and d held her own. However, I would not describle it as informal/info onlyâŠas very early on, the interviewer asked her all of her stats, GPA, test scores etc., which luckily I had told my d she needs to know cold.
The setting was in a small hotel suite, a few couches and a table. You waited in the lobby and the receptionist called to let the interviewer know you were there and she came to get you.
It all went without a hitch and I was impressed with the interviewer and just the way it was all handled.
I had my first interview yesterday afternoon for Columbia where Iâm applying ED. I was definitely nervous - I looked up some common questions asked by interviewers and mentally prepared answers. But I didnât really rehearse in front of the mirror or anything.
My interviewer was very nice but not particularly responsive (I suppose thatâs what most interviewers are like?). He really took his time while speaking so that I never knew when it was appropriate for me to start talking.
I started out talking about my ECs, and he asked me briefly about test scores and academics. There was one question that threw me off, which was, âIf thereâs one thing you can change about your high school, what would it be?â Definitely wasnât expecting that. I liked it, though, when he asked about my family because I love talking about the quirky people in my family.
And we had an interesting conversation about bio - lab experiences, etc.
I think it went decently for a first interview. Iâm not really in a position to judge, though, since Iâm very inexperienced.
I was going through the choice of essays in the common app and found that they allowed a lot of space. Whatâs the general consensus on using an essay of my own choice. I really like the essay topic from Princeton.
âThe important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when one contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries to comprehend only a little of this mystery every day.â - Albert Einstein
What if I use that for other application forms. Will I be considered lazy just because I like the topic?