Tips to prepare for an interview?

I’m interviewing with an alumnus in approximately two weeks. His major (English Language & Literature) is the same as my intended major. Are there any tips that you guys can provide as it relates to UChicago interviews specifically?

mylhu1011 - Parent here, so take my advice for what it’s worth.

I have a son who is majoring in a STEM field but who is also very involved (to the point of a minor) in a creative writing / literature area, so I’ve formed some thoughts on this subject.

What stands out for me is the seriousness and maturity of the work that is performed by the students. I think this leads to two suggestions for your interview. One, do not try to bluff it or impress the interviewer with what you know. Chances are the interviewer will know as much but probably much more than you do because he/she has been studying pretty darn hard in the field for 2-3 years at UChicago.

Second is to stress that you are interesting in developing your interests and talents. So admit that you know a fair amount but that you know there is so much more to learn and that you see UChicago, with its intense and serious learning environment, as the best place to do this.

Best of luck to you.

From what I’ve gathered in looking at other posts and reading other sources, the interview is not going to have much of an impact on acceptance to UChicago. There seemed to be plenary of posts where students were accepted sans interview.

So unless you are just dreadful in the social realm, I wouldn’t worry. Or you can’t control yourself and say egregious things kind of like a candidate we all know. But then you’d probably not interested in applying to UChicago anyway.