<p>I just got an email saying that I should be contacted by an alumni soon about an interview. I know the interviews are supposed to be informative (as opposed to evaluative) and optional.</p>
<p>However, I get really nervous for interviews. I had a casual interview at another school, and I was so nervous that I just rambled on. Then, the interview came to a few halts where we had nothing to say. I know if I have one for Princeton and it doesn't go as I hoped, I will overanalyze it.</p>
<p>Will it look really bad if I turn down the interview? Or is it common for people to do that? I don't want it to look like I am not interested in the school. What are the pros/cons of having an interview? PLEASE RESPOND. I WILL GREATLY APPRECIATE ALL PERSPECTIVES! Thanks! =)</p>
<p>If it is indeed informative and not evaluative, you have nothing to lose by having the interview. I'd anonymously doublecheck with the AdComm to make sure this is true (or have a friend check for you). If it's true, then go ahead -- maybe your interview skills will improve as a result.</p>
<p>I can tell you that it is VERY normal to get really nervous for interviews. Personally, I pray my other RD schools do not contact me for an interview. But, I would really discourage you from turning the interview down, unless you absolutely cannot make it due to exceptional circumstances. Otherwise, just go on with the interview. I know they say the interview doesnt matter, but I personally believe you can make it help you alot. So, my advise is to take it.</p>
<p>I think that you should take the interview. You are correct in that your "performance" during the interview will have basically no effect on their admission decision, HOWEVER, they definitely read it as "lack of interest in the school" if you say "no" to an interview that is offered to you. Take it, and rest assured that unless you come across as a candidate who does not really know anything about the school and/or is just applying for prestige (or some other reason like that), your interview cannot hurt you, no matter how badly you think you did.</p>
<p>yep, i agree with what everyone else said. it probably looks worse to refuse an interview than to have a slightly awkward interview.</p>
<p>my princeton interviewer really stressed that the purpose of the interview was SOLELY to let YOU know more about princeton. he didn't ask me any weird questions. so as long as you know some stuff about princeton and a few questions, you should be fine.</p>
<p>Maybe you can "practice" having an interviewer. I know at my school, one teacher offers to do mock-interviews for people who are applying to Ivies and other highly-prestigious schools for practice. She's a freshman English teacher that none of us had, so we don't know her well, but she conducts "fake interviews" sometimes after school so that people can practice answering the types of questions that might be asked during an interview. I haven't done one with her yet, but my friend (who gets really shy and then really overly-talkative) did and she said that it helped her kind of figure out when to stop talking and when to break the awkward silences.</p>
<p>I don't know if there's anybody like that who could help you out, but I am going to join the majority and say that you should definitely go for the interview. If you practice, maybe, then it won't be as awkward as your first interview.</p>
<p>Umm I don't know if this helps but I can tell you what was asked of me in my interview to help you prepare. Really only three questions.
The first was Why you? If I was sitting at the big round admisison table and advocating your file, what makes you stand out as the one we should accept? Like what is it about you that makes you special?
Then we just kind of talked and discussed from then on...
and then he asked anything I thought I might not have emphasized onthe app that I would like him to convey to the adcom?
and then of course... 'do you have an questions?'</p>
<p>It was about 45 mins and really laid back. Before we even started the guy said...ok RELAX...i'm not here to hurt you...I can only help you and be your advocate. It was really nice and put me at ease.
And his questions really seemed like he was trying to get to know what was special about me so he could write about my 'highlights' in his evaluation.</p>
<p>Looks like you were not prepared for your previous interview. Make sure to have answers prepared for the most predictable questions ("Tell me about yourself," "What are some of your activities/classes/hobbies/favorite books/movies/etc.") Even if your interviewer doesn't ask these questions you will feel more prepared and relaxed. And make sure to have at least 5 questions to ask about the college (What did you like best about Princeton? What did you like least? What kind of person would do well at Princeton? How is the balance between academics and social life? What is the quality of advising? Career counseling? etc.) That way you can avoid awkward silences. Don't worry, you will be fine. These interviews carry little weight so look at them as learning experience/practice for future job interviews that actually will matter.</p>
<p>I have an interview on thursday, and I just found out that I have to miss something else unless I change the time. Great! I also might have to drive 2 hours to go to another interview! Isn't that fun!</p>
<p>Edit: I was serously considering not doing the one that will mean 2 hours of driving. My dad talked to his friend, who interviews for Harvard, and he said that it would definately be a good idea to go, as it shows interest.</p>
<p>I recommend e-mail your resume ahead of time to the inteviewer. that's what I did and she was really appreciative. during the actual interview, it was really informal and she asked questions about the different thinks on my resume...there were no curve balls. for most of the time she actually wanted me to ask her questions and she spoke about her own experience. it wasn't stressful at all...i'd recommend that you do it</p>
<p>Princeton interviewers are not interviewers for the NSA or the CIA or something along those lines. You are allowed to be nervous, somewhat scattered, or even short of words. They don't see right through you; in fact, it is the exact opposite. You are, for most purposes, a complete stranger to your interviewer. He or she does not know anything about you or your personality, and they are not ALLOWED to know about your background. </p>
<p>All Princeton interviewers want to do is get to know more about you in an unbiased way. What, do you think that they are not going to like you just because you are a bit shaken? I repeat that this is not a job interview. </p>
<p>Just be yourself, and make sure you prepare yourself as best you can, because thats all you can really do. If you go into your interview as someone you are not, that is one of the few things a good interviewer will immediately notice, and the results will not be favorable. Also, you HAVE to ask good questions about the university. Interviewers will give you plenty of chances to do this, and they will make it very obvious. Please prepare good questions for the interviewer about the school, as this says a whole lot to them about your level of interest. "How was your experience at Princeton when you were an undergrad?" is one of the better questions you can ask, and an alumnus would be very pleased to tell you. </p>
<p>If you have any more questions about interviews, you can PM me.</p>
<p>Haha seriously? If that were true, would everybody who didn't have an interview automatically not get in? 15%?!? I really can't believe that. Maybe your interviewer told you that to scare you.</p>
<p>Yeah, that's definitely not true. I wonder where your interviewer got that number...mine basically implied that it was somewhere between 0 and 1%.
I know it is significant for other schools, though, like Harvard.</p>
<p>This is completely random, but have any of yall (girls, at least) ever read the Gossip Girl books? Whenever I think of college interviews, I think of Blair Waldorf (one of the main girls) who freaked out and cried at her Yale interview and ended up kissing him, on accident.</p>
<p>And then later she almost slept with her other interviewer.
Hahaha. Sorry, random tangent (surprise, surprise!)</p>
<p>According to the Princeton Common Data Set for 2005-2006 (<a href="http://registrar1.princeton.edu/data/common/cds2005.pdf)%5B/url%5D">http://registrar1.princeton.edu/data/common/cds2005.pdf)</a>, interviews are "considered" for admissions. The rigor of secondary record, class rank, academic GPA, standardized test scores, application essay, recommendations, extracurricular activities, and character/personal qualities are all "very important." Volunteer work and work experience are "important." Racial/ethnic status and alumni are the only other "considered" factors. Geographical location and state residency are "not considered."</p>
<p>I can't see how the interview would be worth 15%, unless it contributes to the "character/personal qualities" category. Maybe the interviewer just likes to think he/she has a larger role than he/she actually does.</p>
<p>But, personally, I really hate interviews because I do not think they really reflect your character. Sometimes, people try to make themselves out to be someone they are not during their interview. It is more of a determination of how much you click with the interviewer than anything else.</p>
<p>One of the schools I am applying to considers the interview "very important" (while standardized test scores are only "considered"). That is the school I had my first interview with. * Does anyone have any ideas why the interview is considered so heavily in some schools? Do you think it is more of a way to gauge whether the student is likely to attend than to determine his/her character? * The school I am refering to is only moderately selective if that is relevant.</p>
<p>Wait, whomever said that interviews are a bigger deal at Harvard? Are they really? How much of a "big deal?" Because my Harvard interview will be my first and I'm PANICKING.</p>
<p>And yeah, I could go to the Harvard forum and panic, but I love yall more. :)</p>