This is an old thread, but I just have a tip to post.
Unless he/she gives the go ahead, DO NOT call your interviewer by his/her first name. My parents both give interviews for an ivy league school, and my mom especially doesn’t like the interviewees to call her by her first name. If you’re calling your interviewer on the phone or talking to them in person, call them Mr. or Ms. Lastname. Even if their last name is completely unpronouncable and you know you will mangle it, it sounds better than just going with the easy first name.
How should I start an interview? I will have my resume and transcript and all (I haven’t applied anywhere yet, so they dont have this stuff anyway), but how should I give it to them without it being awkward?
when do u get asked for interviews? after u apply somewhere or before?
and do they interview kids that are borderline that have applied or do they interview kids that are pretty much already in(which would make no sense to me)?
do only prestigious schools interview? or do others as well?
What year are you when you normally get interviewed (senior, junior etc…)?
when do u get asked for interviews? after u apply somewhere or before?
and do they interview kids that are borderline that have applied or do they interview kids that are pretty much already in(which would make no sense to me)?
do only prestigious schools interview? or do others as well?
What year are you when you normally get interviewed (senior, junior etc…)?"
For most schools, you request the interview. Some will contact you about one after you apply, but you have to set up most of them yourself by e-mail or phone. Look at the school’s website for details.
Schools interview everyone who’s applying if the interview is mandatory, or everyone who asks for one if the interview is optional. Interviews can happen even before you apply (like I’m doing), so being interviewed doesn’t mean you’re more likely to get in. It’s just another source of information for your application, so they can match a face with your name.
Most schools interview, not just prestigious ones. I’m not sure about state schools, though (mine doesn’t interview, but I don’t know about others).
Interviews can happen at the end of junior year through senior year.
I have an interview at Pomona College really soon. What’s annoying is that Pomona is one of my top choices and it is also my first college interview!
Has anyone gone to a Pomona interview before? If so, PLEASE tell me what it was like, etc.
And another important thing is–what should I wear??? (I’m a girl). I don’t know if I should wear a dress, or black pants and a blouse. I don’t want to seem too formal or casual.
So here’s a slightly different question about interviews: What are some of the questions that you, the applicant, asked of the interviewer?
It seems as if many admissions depts. are always saying that the interview is an opportunity for you to find out lots of info, but what did you ask that you couldn’t have already learned from the web site, info session or tour?
"So here’s a slightly different question about interviews: What are some of the questions that you, the applicant, asked of the interviewer?
It seems as if many admissions depts. are always saying that the interview is an opportunity for you to find out lots of info, but what did you ask that you couldn’t have already learned from the web site, info session or tour?"
Probably most of the questions could be answered at the tour or info session, but it’s one-on-one, so you can ask questions that may pertain to only you and not waste the whole group’s time. From what I’ve seen, most questions the interviewee would ask are ‘can you tell me more about…?’ sort of questions. The interview might naturally lead you to ask a question you hadn’t planned, too.
I haven’t actually done my interviews yet, but here are some of the questions I plan to ask:
~ How does student advisement work?
~ Is it hard to change majors? Do I apply to XYZ University, or the school of my major?
~ I read that sororities and fraternities are big on campus. Is it really that important to join one?
~ How does the J-term work? Will the school help me find an internship, or do I have to do my own research?
~ What kind of student does/does not do well here?
I got the ideas for most of my questions from interview tips pages, actually. I’ll probably ask more/others when I actually do my interviews.
johnwmartin, that blog is more for professional job interviews when you’re like 26 and want to do business. For college interviews, you don’t have to buy a super-expensive suit. For alumni interviews, nice clothes that you would wear at a mall is usually fine (khakis, not jeans), and for on-campus, wear a good dress shirt and black slacks. Your interviewer probably won’t be dressed as well as the guys on the blog.
Also, other questions you might want to ask: (which I have asked)
What did you like about the school? What didn’t you like?
I heard that a lot of people do drugs here. Can you tell me more about that? That’s the main concern I have here–the drugs and alcohol.
Since I’m a person of color, I’m interested in knowing how ____ College was for you, as a student of color. Was it hard to fit in? Weren’t you uncomfortable at some point with just reading the works of dead, white men?
So I’m interested in studying math at _____. What’s so great about it?
Do you think there’s a sense of community here? And is it important?
Think of questions that you yourself want to know–don’t just ask questions from a website. They’re meant to give you ideas, but you have to come up with the questions that are important to you.
george88b, I highly doubt that that blog you posted is reliable.
<ol>
<li>If you look at the blog, you’ll see that the blogger remains anonymous and shows nothing that proves that he is an admissions dean at all.</li>
<li>His email is <a href="mailto:george88ab@yahoo.com">george88ab@yahoo.com</a>, which (1) isn’t a legitimate college e-mail; e-mails from admissions deans, students, and professors end in .edu, and (2) is pretty much your screen name.</li>
<li>Google george88ab and this is what you get: a link to a YouTube page of a 19 year old who said that “Obama and Farrakhan are in bed together.” </li>
<li>Google george88b and you get a Wikipedia page that says “George _______ is one of the greatest pimps to ever live.”</li>
</ol>
They’re not very important, for the most part. You could use the CollegeSearch on collegeboard.com to see how important the schools consider interviews to be. The level of importance given varies. They’re just casual conversations. Don’t sweat it.
Also, this may seem obvious, but I haven’t been able to really find this out definitively. If I am scheduling an evaluative interview, is it ok that I haven’t submitted any application materials or anything yet? Also, will I have to bring any academic paperwork/records/transcripts or anything? For interview prep. materials and such, I always see suggestions for specifically mentioning grades/classes to the interviewer… this won’t require that they are holding my transcript, correct?
I’ve been asked to just “tell about myself”, so you should probably be prepared to answer a question like that. Don’t worry though, just start talking about something interesting and the conversation will usually flow naturally from there. Interviewers mainly ask that to get an idea of what <em>you</em> want to talk about. Other times they might start off with more specific questions.
ShowBizKid: if they don’t tell you which type it is, they probably don’t want you to know. Also, it probably isn’t a good idea to say, “Hey, interviewer, could you tell me whether you’re evaluating me for admission?”
kmatimber2: The interviewer might, just to start the ball rolling and to try to get a conversation going.