Hello Everyone,
Hope you all are staying safe throughout this time.
I currently have my first college interview next Friday, and I was hoping I could get some friendly advice.
I am nervous because this is my first interview, and I’ll do my best to “be myself”.
Thank you!
My daughter’s Zoom interview lasted 7 minutes, and the interviewer looked like her entire face was injected with Botox - not a single facial muscle moved. Zero interest in the candidate.
It was a bad joke, frankly. Maybe it varies a lot between interviewers, maybe in was just their first day and they improved since but don’t be shocked and feel bad if something like this happens to you.
This is the third “bad interview” story I’ve heard about Tulane. I don’t know what is going on but one student I know even took Tulane off the list after the interview. It was so bad that it turned him off from the school.
My interviewer was wonderful. He was a little late, he said he was having wifi issues. It lasted the full time. We talked about the school and my passions, what I wanted out of an education, and what I had done in highschool.
Check your interviewer out ahead of time if you can. If you find they majored in something you are interested in, it makes a grear conversation. I had a lengthy one about the classics and mythology, and we really connected.
My daughter’s was “just ok” for a variety of reasons - though it also provided a nugget of information that was great for her college search in general and that redeeming piece changed her opinion of the interview.
Just as a warning, mine got an email the morning of the interview that there would be both an AO and a current student (tour guide) attending. Not sure if that’s common but I haven’t read that anyone else had that experience, but just be ready for that.
I would go over the suggested questions and think about how you would answer them. Those were the gist of the interview. Also, have a couple of thoughtful questions to ask - though that was one of the bummer parts of my daughter’s interview. She asked questions she really wanted answers to and the AO completely misunderstood what she was asking (all three times) and she was too shy/nervous/unwilling to clarify to get the answers she wanted. Oh well.
I thought she’d cross Tulane off her already-too-long list but no, all other online interactions were great, she laughed the whole thing off, and we turned it into a family joke.
However, if someone has a fragile ego and Tulane is their top choice, a Botox encounter can be really crashing.
@homerdog Yep! That was my S21. Tulane was on his list and he was very interested until he interviewed. The interviewer was very unprofessional and it really turned him off. The wifi cut off and they sent him an email “Sorry! We got what we needed!”
@daniellecrystal6 To prepare for the interview, I would familiarize yourself with Tulane and be prepared to ask a lot of questions. My S21’s interviewer had him ask all of the questions. Fortunately he was prepared and had questions to ask.
I interview for my alumni association and the most important thing I tell the kids is to be themselves and be genuine. They are trying to get to know you as a person and to see how you may be a fit for their school.
Good luck!
Thanks all for your input. I will definitely keep an eye out on the results, if I notice something I dislike, of course I will take it to account and decide if I would like to remove it from my college list.
I will also try to stay professional but I do not mind speaking for others ;). (Meaning that if someone does interact with me in a horrible unprofessional manner, I will mention this situation because this is the type of person I am. Yes, I am aware this may play a factor in my application, but I would be taking this school of my college list.)
@daniellecrystal6 How did your interview go? 
It’s this Friday !
Oops! Sorry about that! Please report back, I hope it goes well!
No need to apologize ! Will definitely update and thank you!
Disclaimer: I am an incoming First-Year at Brown who declined his admission to Tulane EA but my advice should still apply.
So I had two Tulane interviews, one for the undergraduate school and one for their Pathways to Medicine (direct admit to medical school) program. Regarding my undergraduate alumni interview which was over FaceTime, it lasted for about 30-40 minutes and was mostly self-directed by me, with my interviewer primarily providing his own perspective on Tulane throughout the interview. Definitely be prepared to talk about specific aspects of the Tulane curriculum that interest you (such as the public service requirement, TIDES seminars etc,) but make sure that you also have a few questions prepared about your interviewer’s experience at Tulane (I recommend that some of these be general about campus life, general curriculum etc. because you might get an interviewer like me who studied something completely different from what you’re interested in.)
At the end of the day, the interview is a conversation between you and an interviewer, and in Tulane’s case, a way for the admissions office to know that you’re seriously considering them (not just applying b/c the application is free) and that you could see yourself at the school/think you’re a good fit academically and personally for the school. Don’t stress too much, the interview’s not going to make/break your application, it just adds another dimension to the application process for admissions to understand who you are on person vs. on paper.
Hope that helps! Good luck with the admissions process!
Hello! I had my interview today and the director of admissions said he had some great notes to add about me. He said that it was a wonderful interview.
I don’t know how much this would add, but I’m glad it went it well! He was really nice and great to talk to. and I’m completely interested in attending the school.
That’s great @daniellecrystal6 ! Tulane Admissions LOVES demonstrated interest, so a good interview can’t do anything but help! Make sure to look at Tulane’s Admissions website (admission.tulane.edu ) to apply to scholarships, as the deadlines are different than the EA/RD deadlines.
Good luck with the rest of the admissions process!
Adding another terrible interview story… my daughter’s interview was just so sad. The interviewer was several minutes late. Then, she did not turn her camera on so my daughter interviewed with a blank screen. The interviewer could be heard doing dishes or some other type of activity during the interview, which lasted about 10 minutes. This was my daughter’s first choice, and I feel badly for her. We have been wondering if she or I should contact the admissions director about this, but don’t want to be “those people.”
I would totally contact admissions. Of course, be nice about it…or wait until after decisions. Lol. Our D had a bad experience with a regional AO in a virtual meeting with kids from our state. It was awful in all kinds of ways. Her list is long and she decided to drop Tulane after that meeting and hearing about how kids’ interviews were so unprofessional. Maybe we should be the ones to tell Tulane that their admissions department is really messing up.
I would encourage those who have negative experiences with interviews to provide that feedback. If it is an interview with an alumnus/alumnae, provide the feedback to the AO so that person’s future inclusion in the interviewer list can be reconsidered. If it is an interview with someone within admissions, provide the feedback to Jeff Schiffman, Director of Admission.
I would also encourage you not to let a bad interview be the make or break determination. As a parent of a student in her third year, Tulane has been far more organized, communicative and supportive than I expected. I understand how if you are whittling down a long list an experience like this can help to eliminate an option. But if Tulane is at the top of the list, I would just say that our post-admissions experience has been exceptional, both as parents and as a student, so don’t let a poor interview discourage you in pursuing what could be a very good fit.
I just noticed all the comments! I was very fortunate enough to talk to Jeff Schiffman (my interviewer). I would definitely reach out and ask if you would be able to provide feedback! The Office of Admissions are really nice people! Don’t worry, an interview won’t make or break your application!