<p>Last week, 2 of D's friends got phonecalls from a dentist's secretary, to set up interviews for today, during his lunch hour. So, they had their parents pick them up from H.S., missing an AP class, and they both found themselves in his waiting room at 12:15 p.m. Surprised? Not yet. </p>
<p>The secretary pokes her head around the corner, and asks both girls to go with her.....he invites them into his office, explaining that he is pressed for time, and will be interviewing them together. Shocked? Not yet.</p>
<p>He proceeds to ask them, alternately, the same questions, and one of the questions was: do you have a boyfriend?</p>
<p>Both girls came out very upset, neither could speak frankly, or strut their stuff, if they so desired. I know them both, and felt really badly for them. And this is an Ivy!! Do these alums get paid to interview, or what is the deal?</p>
<p>AFTER admission decisions go out, call the alumni office and let them know this guy has got to go.</p>
<p>My worst inteview applying to schools was a really cranky old man who kept asking me <em>hard</em> questions about literature & such, seemed like he was trying to trip me up.</p>
<p>My worst interview as an interviewer was a kid who had clearly been forced to apply by parents-- Zero interest in the school, not intellecutal, couldn't have been a worse match. I felt really bad for the kid because it was pretty clear he was being shoved in a direction that was not right for him.</p>
<p>Interviewing two students at once is wrong in my opinion and I have not heard of that with alumni interviewers. No, they don't get paid. I also think the question about the boyfriend is very out of line. I can't imagine that even coming up in a casual conversation out of context in an interview. And it is unfair for the girls to have to answer questions, the same questions no less, as if their answers were in competition with one another. I am an alum interviewer and in fact, conducted an interview today. It was certainly one on one and it lasted 75 minutes and often they last longer. </p>
<p>I do not know what to suggest to those families. I think they might be able to call admissions and ask if a 2 on 1 interview is normal and see where that goes. Perhaps they can request a second interview but I know it is hard to make sure they don't come across as complaining when so much is on the line. At the very least, they need to bring it up after April. But if they call now, they could tread lightly and just ask if this was what was supposed to be offered as they did not expect it and see what the response is. They don't have to ask for a second interview but could mention that this seemed odd and they felt uncomfortable when the situation presented itself as it was quite unexpected. The question about the boyfriend might be something they hold until later to mention as inappropriate. That is a legitimte complaint but a complaint nonetheless. The double interview could be approached more like an inquiry as it was not what was expected to be offered. And then see what they say. The boyfriend question is worth bringing up but again, I might wait until after admissions decisions go out to bring that issue up. </p>
<p>I am sorry this happened. If the guy was pressed for time, he should have rescheduled one of the interviews. Just NOT cool. These kids do not deserve to feel short changed. Also, it made for a most uncomfortable sort of interview situation.
Susan</p>
<p>Suzievt
A 75 minute interview........that is very generous of you. I suppose you must be one of those gracious people that takes their time, makes sure the candidate is relaxed, puts them at their ease. My D has had a couple of interviews that lasted about 60 minutes, which I was pretty surprised about, because most of the interviewers are busy working adults. However, tomorrow she is being interviewed by a surgeon, and we have been told that it will not go over 15 minutes. And I do respect that too.</p>
<p>chocoholic,
My S has had five interviews this year, two of which were for ivies, and they all lasted an hour or more. I just assumed this was the standard, can't imagine trying to come across in 15 min., but I do understand how busy some alums are. Still, how could they write up a report that is as reflective and personal as the ones where the conversation was allowed to stretch a bit. </p>
<p>As for the bit about boyfriends, I think that is way too personal. I don't think employers are allowed to ask job candidates about spouses, significant others or kids. College interviews should be no different. It's none of his business. And the two at a time deal, that's a raw deal, too. How awkward and strange. I would definitely recommend the girls or their parents call in April and get this guy off the list.</p>
<p>My son had only good interview experiences so I can't offer any horror stories like the one you tell about. His interviews were all on campus and either with members of the admissions committee (many of whom were alums) or with current students. They were carefully scheduled and all lasted exactly an hour.</p>
<p>As far as your friends "Dr Strangelove" is concerned, maybe their highschool counselor could do some fishing around for them. This is a highly inappropriate situation. I'm sure the school would want to know.</p>
<p>I think the 'boyfriend' question was not meant in an inappropriate way, but merely a dumb icebreaker that had no place in an interview.
I was more surprised that he interviewed 2 students together. That showed a complete lack of respect for them as individuals. I'll bet his report will not mention that little detail.</p>
<p>Chocoholic....none of my interviews are less than an hour. I'd say they range from 60-90 minutes long. I also put a lot of time into the narrative report. I don't think that I am the exception in this regard. Also, my own child who had several alum interviews for various selective schools, also had them last an hour on average. I personally think a 15 min. interview is not adequate though is better than nothing. </p>
<p>Then again, when I think of how brief my other D's college auditions last and how SOOOOOO much is riding on that brief time in terms of admissions (unlike the typical college interview), it makes all the rest of this point above that I wrote seem moot!</p>
<p>As an Ivy alumni interviewer, I can say that is not what Ivies want interviewers to do. I strongly suggest that both of the students individually contact the admissions office, explain what kind of interview they had, and request another interview.</p>
<p>I know that my Ivy, Harvard, does its best to offer an additional interview in the rare situations in which there are major problems during the original interview. If it's not possible to offer an additional interview, I am very sure that Harvard simply will disregard the interview report, and that won't count against the applicants.</p>
<p>It's important to remember that alumni interviewers are volunteers. In most places, they do not get any training except perhaps what they get in a booklet from the college. It is very difficult to find alumni who are willing to spend their time interviewing students and then writing follow-up reports. It also is difficult to turn down alum who are willing to do this, but who may be inept.</p>
<p>Thus, if one experiences an inept interviewer, politely let the college know, giving specifics of what the problems were. Do this before decisions are made. Calling adcoms with a legitimate concern about the interview will not hurt you. Failing to call may hurt you because an inept interviewer may write a report that doesn't help you, but that also looks like it's a thoughtful report.</p>
<p>Any college that rejects a student because the student's interviewer was rude or inappropriate is not a college that the student would benefit by attending.</p>
<p>I don't think it's out of line to call the school and request a second interview. I don't think the Admissions office is the place to get into why the interview was appropriate.... every school has a regional alumni person who is responsible for the care and feeding of interviewers.... that's the person who needs to know the details of why the dentist is probably too busy to be an effective representative of the school. I don't agree that interviewers get no training.... I interviewed for my alma mater for a few years but had to give it up... between training, interviewing, write-ups, etc. it just got too time-consuming!</p>
<p>I will never forget my Radcliffe interview. I had just learned to drive, but my mother had a hair appointment so I had to drive in the snow to Cambridge...(can you imagine a modern mother doing the same). By the time I got there I was absolutely in tears (I don't cry easily...I had dented the car pulling out of the garage and it went down hill from there). The interviewer was so kind. She gave me tea, made chit chat and let me complain about my mother for 45 minutes. She then told me that she had met my mother at a huge charity fete that my mother chaired the year before!! Oops...</p>
<p>My son had great interviews until the most recent one, last Friday, for his first choice school. The woman was not a good conversationalist...son was disappointed- but the friend who interviewed with the woman the following day had only a 20 minute meeting, so my son knew his assessment was right, and that 50 minutes wasn't bad after all...</p>
<p>If the girls want to complain, they should complain NOW, not after the decision. About 8 years ago now, a girl who attended my kids' high school had a bad experience at an interview. She told the GC, who decided to call the college and complain. </p>
<p>It turned out that a similar complaint had been made previously about the same interviewer, but it was made AFTER the student was rejected. The interviewer denied making the remark. The college assumed it was sour grapes. When the complaint was made BEFORE the decision, it was more credible. Of course, the fact that a similar complaint had been made before strenghthened the complaint too. Nevertheless, if they plan to complain, they should do so now.</p>
<p>I have already advised these girls to get their parents to call the admissions office. But going through the GC sounds like a good idea, Jonri. Anyway, neither of the parents is the type to take positive action, afraid that it could make things worse, etc. I know that if it was my D, I could not sit back and do nothing.
But now I am getting kind of irritated about having to drive quite a long distance, to get D to her own 15-minute interview. On the bright side she has always had successful interviews, and ends up engaging in discussions that go into overtime.</p>
<p>The girls themselves need to call the adcoms. Ivy adcoms don't want to talk to parents. The adcoms want and expect students to be independent enough to be able to handle the challenges of a demanding college without relying on their parents to run interference.</p>
<p>I can not emphasize how important it is that the girls each assertively and politely call or e-mail admissions about the situation. If the girls are not capable of doing this, they are not suitable for an Ivy. I know that this is not easy to do, and I can understand if the girls need adult guidance about how best to inform the adcoms of the situation. However, the bottom line is that the girls themselves need to call or send an e-mail about the situation. Adults can guide, but can't do this for the girls.</p>
<p>Point well taken, NSM. They definitely need to make that call themselves. On the other hand, both these girls, extremely bright as they are, may not be ready for IVY. My D, would probably have said right on the spot, (impulsive creature that she is), "No thank you, I would rather not be interviewed as half of a pair".</p>
<p>I was 2 hours late for my Dartmouth interview on sunday. I was driving on my own to my interviewer's house, which was about an an hour away, and got very, very lost due to terrible mapquest directions. I called my interviewer from a pay phone (I don't have a cell) about 15 minutes after I was supposed to have arrived and let her know that I'd be late. She told me that it would be alright because she had two other interviews slotted in right after mine...so she'd just go on to those. Anyways, once I got there, the interview went great and lasted a little over two hours. BTW, all three of my college interviews so far have lasted at least two hours...is this normal? Do I talk too much? In each instance, my interviewer seemed to like me and enjoy talking with me, and in none was it a question-and-answer session. They've just been discussions on academics, the school in question, life in general, etc. It seems like for a lot of you guys, an hour is a pretty good length for an interview.</p>
<p>Maybe it's something to do with the area in which we live, in the North-east, overcrowded, competitive, and cut-throat, and no-one gives you the time of day. We did move here from a kindler gentler place, and I still have trouble understanding why people seem to be so stressed out here.</p>
<p>Good for you on the interviews cavalier, you must be a scintillating conversationalist (is that a word?) I don't have 2 hours worth of things to say to my friends.</p>
<p>My worst interview was last Saturday for an ivy league school. I am a girl applying to the engineering school. The interviewer started out by saying that he didn't think the school should have been opened to females. Then, he goes on (reluctantly) to say that girls studying liberal arts is ok but girls in the maths and sciences (and thus, engineering) is "unnecessary". I gawked at him for 30 seconds after he said that. In the end, he said he was "pretty sure" I could get into the school and that he'd write a "good review" for me.</p>
<p>TGC06, your interviewer's comments are not only "cloddish", they are discriminatory and illegal. Please call the school's admissions office immediately and report the conversation in a polite way. You can do it by asking questions such as "I am very interested in attending your college and had a situation during my interview I wanted to ask you about. My interviewer told me that he felt the engineering school should never have been opened to women. He also told me that he believes that women studying sciences is "unnecessary." Is this an opinion held by the leadership of the engineering school that, as a woman, I should know about? If it isn't, would it be possible for me to arrange an interview with another representative of the college who could interpret the views of the college more accurately?"</p>
<p>Get cracking, dear. Although I recognize that alumni interviewers are volunteers, this one is damaging the reputation of the college and he needs to go.</p>
<p>Likewise, chocholic, the question about boyfriends is also not only in bad taste, it is discriminatory and illegal. These girls need to notify the admissions office ASAP.</p>