Worst Interview Experiences

Applying to College
1

<p>Okay, so basically I just had the worst interview of my life, so I guess i'm just looking for sympathy right now. I just want to see if the rest of CC has had anything along the lines of what i had to go through today. </p>

<p>Basically, my interview sucked because:</p>

<p>-He only gave me an hour, and he arrived 10 minutes late, and took another 5 "settling" in, making copies of his interview materials.</p>

<p>-He was an actual former professor for the school and he acted like he knew everything there is to know about life. I said, "my parents are engineers" he goes, "what kind" i say, "computer", he goes, "figures". Seriously, it was 45 minutes worth of patronizing and terror. </p>

<p>-My interviewer literally said the word " " 7 times. Among the very first things he told me involved this nice word. I said, "Basically in the last 7 years at least, nobody from our school has been accepted here" and he says, "Well, isn't that just a " Other instances include condenscending descriptions of intellectual things - like AP environmental science being full of and Fourier's social experiments being (he was clarifying that the Fourier he was taking the time to explain to me was not the Fourier, but the genius one).</p>

<p>-I talked about my research project and he constantly questioned my knowledge, no joke. I felt like i was taking a test. He agreed with me on absolutely NOTHING and challenged every single one of my responses. </p>

<p>-He gave me no time at all to talk about why I wanted to go to this school, why i think i'm a good fit (he obviously hated me, so i guess that's why he didn't bother to ask), and i had NONE of my questions about the school answered (this was actually something he told me he was going to let me do...)</p>

<p>-I told him I wanted to do research/do med school/etc and that people told me it would be hard because I will have housewife-related responsibilities and he told me, "that's just bull....
". I'm not exaggerating, he spelled it out for me. </p>

<p>-The only thing he enjoyed was educating me about languages, culture, and Fourier, and oh, telling his lame joke about mathematicians, physicists, and engineers, which was kind of funny, i guess.</p>

2

<p>wow I'm really sorry, what school was this for? are you applying to graduate school? sometimes people write a letter to the college about their interviewer's behavior, maybe the admission officers will consider the interview in context.</p>

3

<p>wow that sounds really bad. what school was this for?</p>

4

<p>yeah what school?</p>

5

<p>My advice here differs greatly from my answer when you Pmed me as the story you've told here is very different than what you told me.</p>

<p>(CC members: Don't take this as an invitation to PM me to ask about your personal situation. I almost always ignore those PMs, preferring to answer on the boards so everyone can benefit. I'm not a private counselor.)</p>

<p>You come across as being very arrogant. Despite your being told by several people including me on the Harvard board, you still seem to think that inteviews should be more than an hour. A busy person is doing you a favor by interviewing you and then spending up to an hour of their time to write the interview. At most, the interview will be an hour. To expect them to schedule a 2-hour interview -- as you said on the Harvard board when you complained that your interviewer hadn't do that -- is unrealistic and, frankly, insensitive. It's unfortunate that the interviewer arrived late, but more than likely he is a busy person who did the best he could. He was, after all, taking his time to do you a favor.</p>

<p>So what if the interviewer used some swear words? Seems he was just giving his opinion of things. If you don't like the way the interviewer talked, then you definitely wouldn't be happy at Harvard because it's not at all unusual for people to swear there.</p>

<p>The interviewer had every right to ask you about your research. It was, after all, your research. Presumably you can answer questions about it. It's not as if the interviewer were grilling you on some random subject that you wouldn't be expected to know anything about. Those are the kind of questions that Harvard doesn't want interviewers to do. Asking students, though, about their research is very appropriate and is an excellent way of determining their analytical skills. If the prof's questions made you uncomfortable, I don't think you'd be happy at Harvard because people there -- including peers -- routinely engage in the kind of questioning and discussion that you experienced. You also were lucky to be interviewed by someone who presumably was one of the world's experts in the area that you had researched. </p>

<p>As I posted on the Harvard board: Harvard doesn't care why you want to go to Harvard. Harvard doesn't factor into their admissions decision how much students love it. Harvard knows it's by far most applicants first choice. The interviewer's not giving you time to discuss your love of Harvard meant the interviewer wasn't wasting your time.</p>

<p>Some students would have loved the opportunity to have met with a former Harvard professor, particularly one familiar with their field, and they would have risen to the challenge. You took that opportunity as a chance to complain. It doesn't sound at all like Harvard would meet your needs.</p>

<p>Do not contact Harvard and complain about your interviewer. You'll just come across as naive and silly.</p>

<p>"I told him I wanted to do research/do med school/etc and that people told me it would be hard because I will have housewife-related responsibilities and he told me, "that's just bull..."</p>

<p>In your odd fixation on his swearing, you missed his point: It's possible to be a research doctor while raising a family, something that, incidentally, my former roommate at Harvard is doing. </p>

<p>I hope that the places where you applied include some colleges known for their gentle, nurturing professors because that kind of place would be a good match for what you desire in a college experience. Harvard is swim with the sharks -- a place that values people who are independent, confident, and straightforward as they rise to challenges and have spirited discussions. I don't think you'd be happy there.</p>

6

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/424935-favourite-awkward-interview-moments.html?highlight=awkward+interview+moments%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/424935-favourite-awkward-interview-moments.html?highlight=awkward+interview+moments&lt;/a>
If you're looking for comfort, there's over 32 pages of awkward interview moments here, most of which are a lot more awkward than an interviewer's use of profanity ;)</p>

7

<p>wow northstarmom u destroyed blueducky...ouch.</p>

8

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<p>Well... it <em>is</em> bull. I mean, yeah, balancing family and work is hard for the majority of people out there... but, heck, Harvard isn't easy, either. If you're going to complain about things being difficult, then maybe you applied to the wrong school...</p>

<p>And expecting more than an hour for an interview is ridiculous... these people interview various applicants, not just one. They don't have the time to spend and afternoon on each person.</p>

9

<p>agree with ^.</p>

<p>I wonder why he became a "former" professor...haha.
I agree with certain points, however, like how most interviews will only last 30 minutes, at most an hour. How you should know the little details of your research. and how, if this is Harvard, you don't really need to talk about why its your first choice, etc. Still, interviewers are expected to have a level of respect towards the prospective students...i mean, what kind of example are they setting for the school. See if there's some kind of form to fill out evaluating your interviewer.</p>

10

<p>northstarmom ouch, but its the truth.</p>

11

<p>blueducky, don't complain about your interviewer's behavior unless he -seriously- sexually harassed you, was drunk, or similar over the top problems existed. Cussing and disagreeing with you hardly merit a complaint. Really. Complaining about an individual who already has a relationship with the folks you want to join cannot look good for you. And if there was a seriously over-the-top problem, you shouldn't complain, you should just kindly let the school know for their own benefit.</p>

<p>Northstarmom's advice looks sound and constructive (it doesn't destroy blueducky, it makes blueducky stronger to paraphrase F. Nietzsche).</p>

12

<p>I'm not sure why you'd be so upset about a professor swearing during an interview - my berklee interviewer/auditioner swore a couple times, and I wasn't exactly shaken up. By the time you reach college application age, they can assume that your world hasn't been turned upside down because someone used the word ********.</p>

<p>edit: aw, it censored me.</p>

13

<p>"-He was an actual former professor for the school and he acted like he knew everything there is to know about life. I said, "my parents are engineers" he goes, "what kind" i say, "computer", he goes, "figures". Seriously, it was 45 minutes worth of patronizing and terror. "</p>

<p>lol what is that supposed to mean?</p>

14

<p>Don't worry. My Harvard interviewer was really arrogant too.</p>

15

<p>
[quote]
you should just kindly let the school know for their own benefit

[/quote]
</p>

<p>What exactly do you mean?</p>

<p>For clarification, I never said I wanted a two-hour interview. I didn't say i expected them to allot 2 hours just for me, anywhere on CC. I just said his schedule was really tight. My goodness, i'm sorry if i offended any of you. I just thought it'd be nice if he showed up on time.</p>

<p>His questions went way beyond the parameters of my research---to the point that it seemed like a science exam. He acted like i should know, and that if i didn't, i must be stupid. Well that was how I felt, and i'm sure a guy as smart as he is was aware of the impact of his words.</p>

<p>For the computer engineer comment--it just seemed like he labeled me already in his mind. like whatever i could have done, i was just another asian girl who won't make it to the school and he just had the misfortune of having to put up with me. </p>

<p>He asked me if i was vietnamese, i said, "no i'm chinese" and he says, "did you know that the Vietnamese hate the chinese?" Anyway, i guess this whole thing is sort of funny. I half expected him to just laugh and tell me he was trolling after the interview.</p>

<p>And no, despite my tirade, I thought the guy was pretty interesting. I just felt horrible because my chances were pretty much shot because of this. Well, i had not much of a chance to start with, so i guess i'm stupid for ranting here? lol</p>

<p>So my question is this, how much do former professors' opinions weigh to the Adcoms? Compared to say, a regular old alum interviewer. Not just for Harvard but for schools in general?</p>

16

<p>I think you were feeling defensive and angry about Harvard and your interviewer before you even met the person. From your perspective, I don't think he could have done anything right. I think you probably assume you'll get rejected, and are already developing a sour grapes perspective so you can shrug off a rejection. After all, the quote at the bottom of this is what you'd posted on the Harvard board Friday about your then upcoming interview. </p>

<p>You also seem to take everything as a personal affront. You have no idea why the person arrived late. He may have gone far out of his way just to meet you at all. </p>

<p>To me, you are the one who seems to put a negative twist on everything concerning the interview. One example: "He was an actual former professor for the school and he acted like he knew everything there is to know about life. I said, "my parents are engineers" he goes, "what kind" i say, "computer", he goes, "figures". Seriously, it was 45 minutes worth of patronizing and terror. "</p>

<p>I think it's over the top to react to such a one-word response by feeling terror and feeling patronized.</p>

<p>Your post Friday is why I think that nothing the interviewer could do would have been OK with you.</p>

<p>"I was really mad at my interviewer for telling me TODAY that our interview is to be this Sunday. He basically called my house and my mother said that he just SCHEDULED it to like 11am on Sunday WITHOUT even asking us if it was okay. I hate how Harvard just automatically assumes everybody else must make their schedules to fit THEIR schedules.</p>

<p>Anyway. The guy seems pretty rigid -- he basically scheduled interviews for every hour, so I can't even have a two-hour conversation with the person, even if i wanted to."</p>

17

<p>I so regret that one post you keep bringing up. My goodness, I just dug myself a hole right from the start, didn't I? Whatever I end up posting afterwards, you're going to judge from that one post. </p>

<p><em>sigh</em></p>

<p>Everything is my fault, you are right. I admit it. I'm sorry.</p>

18

<p>I believe you're probably being sarcastic.</p>

<p>However, I do think you'd benefit yourself more by paying more attention to what you can do to prepare for interviews and to handle them well instead of spending your time criticizing the interviewer. If, for instance, your initial post about the interview had been something like, "I just learned I have my Harvard interview in two days. What are your suggestions for how I can prepare for this?" you might have gotten some good advice, such as Googling your interviewer, which particularly in your situation of being interviewed by a former Harvard prof, may have paid off big time.</p>

19

<p>Um, no i'm not being sarcastic, actually.</p>

<p>Seriously. 100% sincere. I admit my mistakes all the time, there's no point in being defensive anymore. Plus, I'm not the type to thank somebody profusely and then mock them five minutes later. I really do appreciate your comments. </p>

<p>Yea, you're quite right, i just completely blew it... I could have had a chance. If I KNEW he was a Harvard professor... </p>

<p>So basically, what do you suggest I do now? (If there is anything I can do now...)</p>

<p>Also, does a former professor's opinion matter more than an alum interviewer's opinion?</p>

20

<p>You can do what most applicants don't bother to do: Send him a handwritten thank-you note letting him know that you appreciated the interview. It also would be good if you gave an example of how one of his questions about your research gave you a new perspective or idea about that research.</p>

<p>While you were venting here, I doubt that you demonstrated during the interview that you felt patronized, etc., so he probably doesn't realize how much you were put off by the interview. In fact, he probably feels he was being helpful or was treating you the way he'd have treated a Harvard student. So, if you indicate that you learned something from your experience with him, that would be a plus -- whether or not you get into Harvard.</p>

<p>Since he is a former Harvard professor who lives in your area, and since you're good enough to have done research at Stanford, there's a good chance your paths will cross again. It would be to your advantage if he remembers you as an intelligent young woman who is appreciative of the learning experience that he offered.</p>

<p>Whether or not you get into Harvard, let him know where you decide to go, and I also suggest that you request his advice on what you can do to have a stellar career. </p>

<p>I can not emphasize more how fortunate you were to have had as your interviewer a person who apparently has been so successful in a field close to what you're considering entering.</p>

<p>Best to you.</p>