<p>"i would tactfully avoid the subject and bring something else up"</p>
<p>Unwillingness (which cannot be distinguished by the interviewer from "inability") to discuss controversial issues might be a bad trait to show. Closed-mindedness is not valued at colleges.</p>
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I vote on the side of being honest, and describing how you decided on your political views.</p>
<p>If a college rejects you because of your political views, you'd likely have been unhappy there anyway.</p>
<p>I've interviewed students whose political views were the opposite of mine. What I've been interested in was their thinking: what they read, how they formulated their political views, whether their views are based on research or whether they are lock step following their peers and parents' opinions. I gave an arch conservative student a strong recc for Harvard even though I'm a flaming liberal. He got in, to
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<p>^I think this advice is very good, especially coming from an interviewer herself.</p>
<p>On one interview I mentioned a lengthy persuasive research paper I had written in my English class about capital punishment. He asked me which side I took, and I told him against capital punishment, and he said "good answer." But I highly highly doubt it would have affected my application negatively if I had been adamantly pro-death penalty or anything. It might have even made for good conversation if we were to debate the issue.</p>
<p>I'm a high school student and I don't get mad at people for disagreeing with me politically. I doubt an alumni interviewer would.</p>
<p>vosson: its an unwillingness to discuss these matters which i prone. i lov to discuss my political opinions. but i just believe that some sensitive, divisive, issues should best be left alone during the interview. why take the chance of havin the interview turn into a heated debate over abortion or homosexual rights? thats not the point of it.</p>
<p>now a simple political discussion is fine of course. i just think if u can avoid those "sensitive" issues u should.</p>
<p>im a strong gay marriage supporter and homosexual rights supporter in general and when the subject was brought up at an interview the interviewer made it clear he was a strong prop 8 supporter... it was so awkward and the rest of the interview did not go as well...was horrible.</p>