<p>I have my interview soon for ILR. It's informational, but a report is going in so I want to make a good impression. What are some good questions to ask?
This is my first college interview so I don't really know how it works. Are questions about the campus, clubs, transportation system, greek life, etc. appropriate?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>I had a “meeting,” or “conversation” with a Cornell alumna last Wednesday (they don’t like the word “interview” when it’s not required, it wasn’t for Engineering). After about 30 minutes of talking I got to ask a bunch of questions. I had a short list of about 12 questions on paper, so it was easy to ask questions and definitely made the conversation pretty interesting lol. Here are some of the Q’s I asked: </p>
<p>What sport is most popular?
How close were you with professors?
What do most students do in their spare time?
How long ago did you graduate?
What was the food plan like?</p>
<p>The list went on. I’m pretty sure you can really ask about anything that you want to know. Don’t be afraid to ask! </p>
<p>@BPearlman97 thanks!</p>
<p>Yup, good luck :)</p>
<p>From what I have read, they recommend that you ask questions that aren’t easily answered by looking at the website.</p>
<p>The reason I asked some questions that could have been answered on the website was to see how an alumna experienced it. I’d take a former students word/information over any website any day.</p>
<p>@BPearlman97 ^^ I wasn’t aiming my post at you. I think your questions were good. I was just throwing that out there in general to give an idea of the type of questions to ask.</p>
<p>By the way, did you guys bring a copy of your resume to the interview? Since the meeting is informal, I don’t really see a need for it.</p>
<p>I would ask how they liked their experience at Cornell and whether they would choose it again. What did they like the most, what did they like the least?</p>
<p>As someone else said, I would avoid asking basic questions like how many colleges there are or other question that you could learn the answer to on the website. </p>
<p>I would also take the opportunity to convey any information that you think may not have come through completely or clearly on the application. For some students this is not an issue, but it may be for some. It also does not hurt to demonstrate some level of knowledge of Cornell. Polishing up a stong response to “Why Cornell?” can’t hurt.</p>
<p>@airspirit I did being a copy of my résumé. It’s not like it takes a lot of effort to hit the print button and maybe staple 2 pages 
</p>
<p>You don’t have to bring anything, I just figured I would help myself as much as possible, and bringing materials definitely did just that. </p>
<p>@BPearlman97 So you brought a piece of paper with questions written on it? I wasn’t sure if that would be okay because I have so much I’m curious about, but I don’t want to seem unprofessional by doing so.</p>
<p>Yes @hopefulrm, I typed out a bunch of questions (about 12-14 I think). The lady I met with was actually really happy that I did that, she ended up reading the questions upside down and across the table rather than have me read them aloud. She wanted to see how many she could answer lol. It isn’t unprofessional at all, it shows interest and curiosity as well as preparedness. </p>
<p>I agree that it shows preparedness and thoughtfulness, to have a page with questions written out, if they are good questions. </p>
<p>To students interviewing….keep in mind that your alum may not have attended the college to which you are applying and may not be able to answer any college-specific questions. </p>
<p>I agree with all the comments above: good to come prepared with questions, no harm in bringing a resume, interview is informational in nature only. </p>
<p>Good luck to all applicants and do not be concerned if you are not contacted for an interview. Only slightly more than half of applicants were ‘interviewed’ last year.</p>