- where to take them?
- what to wear?
- what to say?
- what happens?
- usual questons?
<p>you can check up their alumni webbie, i actually downloaded the guideline (almost exactly the quetions you're asking) for interviews and some of the sample interview report forms... i thought sby should seriously consider tellin the schools not to put those things around cuz it's really easy for everybody to get.</p>
<p>Why should the schools remove that interview info from their on-line pages? It's fine if students find the info. I assume that a student who is taking the time to research how best to interview will also be equally serious about doing research for their coursework.</p>
<p>Too many students act like outcomes from college applications and interviews are due simply to chance. They don't prepare at all, and their lack of preparation shows. </p>
<p>The students who have the best chances of doing well are the ones who have made te effort to learn about the process so that they can do as well as they are capable of doing.</p>
<p>i'm doing a upenn interview. does anyone know about that one?</p>
<p>like what kind of questions do they usually ask? and what do they usualy expect</p>
<p>Mostly they try to have a conversation with you and gauge your interests and enthusiasm for the school. If you have time, get one of those books about job interviews. It will expose you to some standard questions such as tell me about yourself, describe a problem and how you handled it, etc. If possible have a parent or friend give you a practice interview and tape-record it; play it back and you'll probably note areas you might want to improve. If you can't do this, at least practice in front of a mirror; you don't want your interview to be the first time you've answered questions like this aloud</p>
<p>One thing that is guaranteed is that you will be asked if you have any questions. This isn't just to fill in time, its a key part of the interview. They want to see if you've looked into the school and have done your homework; if you ask questions easily answered from the viewbook or website then you aren't demonstrating the interest they are looking for.</p>
<p><edit --="" thought="" i="" should="" add="" this="">
Lastly you should know that most college interviews with alums aren't the make/break decision so many kids worry about. Sure if you admit that you're only applying because you're parent forced you to or confess to some crime that will get back to the adcoms, but in general the alums aren't a trained interview force and so it isn't a crucial factor. Colleges know you are applying to their peers as well as them, and they want some face-to-face contact to push them ahead of the peers. Some others disagree with this viewpoint, but its one I've heard from people who should know.</edit></p>
<p>^ exactly what he said.</p>
<p>My interview was just a conversation about the school, him asking me questions, me asking him questions. Your enthusiasm about the school will show if you are knowledgable about it.</p>
<p>For my interviews I wore:
Dark Grey Slacks
Dark Blue Dress Shirt
Matching Conservative Silk (Might help...) Tie
A new haircut (a few days old however)
It netted me admission to Rochester and an almost full ride at TCNJ so I guess it worked...</p>
<p>I've done a bunch of alumni interviews...4, i think. They're not stressful or difficult at all. I didn't find it necessary to prepare beyond knowing why you want to go to the particular school and having a couple of questions ready for the interviewer. All my interviewers asked me exactly the same q's: what I want to major in, what my ecs are, why I want to go to ________.
I've worn everything from a suit to skirt and top to khakis and a sweater...it didn't seem to make much of a difference.</p>
<p>My interview guide:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Dress nice, but not too nice. Think polo and khakis.</p></li>
<li><p>Be polite. That includes being ontime, aka 5 or 10 minutes early if it's at an admissions office. Be punctual if it's a meeting at someone's house, or a prearranged phone conversation.</p></li>
<li><p>Be confident, not arrogant. You need to display yourself as an excited outgoing person, but not a snob.</p></li>
<li><p>Keep talking: I had 4 or 5 interviews, and at none of them was I asked any of those wierd questions like "What do you think is one important step toward world peace," or "what is your favorite color;' why?" These questions are ice breakers, they're meant to 1. give insight to your personality, and 2. make you think so much to find an answer you forget to be nervous.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>The general pattern of an interview I've found is:
1. Whats your school like? (atmosphere/people)
2. Describe your academic interests and courses
3. Describe your ECs and non-academic passions
4. Anything else I should know about you?
5. Do you have any questions for me/about this school?
(these are all paraphrase of course)</p>
<p>that seems to be the gist. I had a FEW of those see inside your head questions ("At lehigh, there are many opportunities. Some students expand their knowledge base to new heights in their current field. Others search for and grasp at new interests to enjoy. Which of these types best describes you?") I naturally answered both after 8 or so seconds of thoughtful expressions. (I really was thinking). Be honest unless your answer is going to be "Well my favorite thing to do on weekends is rape men in the butt" or something like that. You always have the "I don't feel comfortable answering that" option, but in that case the admissions officer probably shouldn't have asked the question.</p>
<p>Pick 2 or 3 intelligent but OBSCURE books if you haven't read any books outside of class recently. If they ask you to list all the books from the past year, list like, all 2 you read and then go off on a tangent about one being awesome and how you "loved ____ character's interactions with _____ character and how thought provoking it was with regard to the modern day issue of________." But, don't make 5hit up, that can get you in trouble if you forget it later on.</p>
<p>On that note: Be yourself. Talk like a normal intelligent teenager. Neither the East Compton nor the Windsor Palace dialect/diction is a good choice. Don't be excessively verbose, though descriptive adjectives, etc. you would use in REGULAR SPEECH with perhaps a teacher are good. Don't lie, or inflate the grandure of your activities. College don't wan't a. to accept, as I said before, arrogant narcicistic snobs, or b. to read your app and find something totally contradicted by your interview notes. So, yeah, don't lie, theres a good chance it will come back to haunt you. You can be humorous, but don't tell the joke about the gay iguana your 14 year old brother told you yesterday that you ACTUALLY though was funny. In fact, don't joke at all. You can be humorous without joking.</p>
<p>Come prepared: If you want to give them a resume, it's good. If you don't thats fine too. Unless you don't bring a resume and they've requested you bring one, it won't hurt. However, if they know what to ask you about, like the year you spent as a ghanain goat herd's assistant, thats helpful, and helps prevent you from having to answer bs questions.
Also, read up on the school. know the general requirements, programs, and some useful stuff relating to your areas of interest. Don't talk about wanting to join the taekwondo team there to continue your passion and how TKD is essensial for a school you'll apply to if you don't know if they have a taekwondo team. They might not have one...
Have a few questions ready, too.</p>
<p>THIS SAID, some school's interviews are informal; they don't count as an admission factor. They let you know more about the school. And the interviewer files an "alumni report" in which they say some good and bad things about you. But unless you're an applicant teetering on the edge of a pin between the acceptance and wait list pile, it should not cary any effect. Have fun.</p>
<p>Most of your tips were excellent. This, however, was problematic: "Pick 2 or 3 intelligent but OBSCURE books if you haven't read any books outside of class recently."</p>
<p>Surely any student applying to college can discuss intelligently some books that were not school-required that they read at some time in their life. A person whom I interviewed seemed to have followed the advice that you gave. Unfortunately, I was extremely familiar with the intelligent, but obscure book the student mentioned. I was delighted to have met a student who seemed as interested in the book as I had been, so I asked several questions about the student's reactions to the book.</p>
<p>The student's vague replies made it very clear that the student had not read the book, which resulted in my getting a very negative impression about the student's honesty and thoughtfulness.</p>
<p>I have told my D's that if a question throws them or seems odd, say, that is an interesting question, I need to ponder that, or something.</p>
<p>Right, northstarmom. I think most of us can remeber and talk about a book we read, but who knows, maybe theres someone who isnt. I think its sort of absurd to have not read anything, but I suppose there might be some student out there who hasn't.</p>
<p>While Making stuff up is wrong, it doesn't seem to be a very appropriate answer to say "nope, havent read anything out of school." Now that I think about it, if you were exceptionally active outside of school, it might be appropriate to say you have so much stuff to do you don't get to read much. </p>
<p>You do make a very good point NSmom. How would you view students who say that they flat out haven't read stuff outside of school?</p>
<p>Hope everything else I said was kosher...</p>
<p>"How would you view students who say that they flat out haven't read stuff outside of school?"</p>
<p>For most colleges, that wouldn't matter. For places like Ivies, the students would not seem like they are the type of students for whom such intellectual environments would be good fits. Students who don't read anything except what's assigned sound like students who do academic work strictly for grades, not out of any kind of intellectual interest or passion.</p>
<p>Frankly, most people are like that. Most people, however, aren't suitable for places like Ivies and top LACs. This is true even for the students who have high grades, high stats. If they do only what's required by teachers, they aren't going to be willing to take advantage of the kind of environment that's at Ivies, so the colleges wouldn't want to waste an admission on them.</p>
<p>if you don't know how to get someone to like you, you'll have problems, not just getting a recommendation, but succeeding in the real world.</p>