<p>Hey guys!</p>
<p>So I would just like to know, for those of you who have already done your interview - how did it go? What kind of questions can I expect? I already know the general questions and I feel I am relatively well-prepared by now, but I would just like a better sense of how the interview goes from actual people who have experienced it already.</p>
<p>It's my first college interview, so I am a bit nervous.</p>
<p>How do you have your interview so early? I thought you schedule an interview after you submit your application…</p>
<p>^My guess is that the OP is referring to an on-campus interview.
Now to the question: my experiences with interviews were very varied (this generally depends on the interviewer, not the actual institution to which you are applying). One good thing to think about is that they really don’t matter too much; for example, I was accepted to Brown despite the fact that during my interview I was asked if I applied to any of HYP (to which I answered yes - probably not the best idea, but I wasn’t prepared to lie. Btw, this was my far my worst of the 7 interviews, and the only one in which I was asked about other schools), following which the interviewer looked at me and said “so Brown isn’t your first choice, is it?” (soooo uncomfortable. I didn’t really answer, preferring to tactfully change the subject).<br>
But aside from this somewhat upsetting experience, most of the interviews I had were fairly general, relaxed conversations about 1. my extra-curricular activities 2. my interests/possible majors and 3. reasons why I wanted to attend that particular school. Before each interview, I would prepare and memorize a list of the numerous reasons why I wanted to attend that particular institution (to avoid confusion, since I was applying to a lot of schools), which worked well for me. The questions actually varied from interview to interview, but I was almost always able to steer my answer to fit neatly into one of the 3 above categories. Just relax and focus on what you would like the admissions committee to know about you. Also, make sure you have a few questions to ask your interviewer; if they ask you if you have any questions, it’s a good idea to provide them with at least a couple. If you can’t think of any, two general questions that I frequently used were 1. Why did you choose to attend [insert school]? and 2. What do you believe was the greatest lesson you learned at [insert school]?
All of my interviews were with alumni, so if I am correct that you have an on-campus interview then it might (probably not, but you never know) be a little different, but hopefully this was somewhat helpful.</p>
<p>I think on campus interviews are done with an admission officer.</p>
<p>I never had a Yale interview, so I can’t really help you mate, but I did have interviews with other top schools. Just be yourself, talk about why Yale is right for you and what makes it stand out to you from other top schools. Explain what you love to do and why, and be sure to ask them questions about things you’re unsure of. The interview is like a conversation so you can be casual - just relax!</p>
<p>If you are doing an on-campus interview, you will likely get a student. Of my interviews with students v alumni (my yale interview was with an alumnus), I thought the student interviews were MUCH harder. They know how competitive this process is, know how your accomplishments stack up with accepted and enrolled students (their current friends), and (in my experience) quickly try to sniff people who are only applying for prestige, applying because of a parent, or if you prefer another school before actually developing an opinion of you. If they think at any point in the beginning that you are wasting their time, conversations don’t go so well and are short. It is not a good sign it is under 35 min, though some places (and I believe yale) have a strict 30min limit where these interviewing kids churn through several interviews in one day. Most interviews are between 45min-1h15. My longest was a little over 2hrs (with an alumni). Whether you get a student or an alumni will have more to do with the tone of your interview than most of the questions asked. Anyone, students or alumni, can sniff out canned answers. I have NEVER ONCE been asked an esoteric question that makes people sweat at night and preplan answers. It is too bad this is your first interview as you definitely become more relaxed as you do more of them. Hopefully you can draw on some experience when interviewing for a past job (whether you got it or not).</p>
<p>–If you get a student, you basically have to show them that you would fit in well in a “group” on campus. You have to earn their respect as someone who would be interesting to have on campus and someone who they would want to call a classmate. You don’t need to be buddy-buddy with them, but if you can find out one of their interests (its simple - just ask) that you have just even a little knowledge of, expand on it and let them do most of the talking. If not, ask them what clubs they are in and what a normal day in the life of a (their college) student is. Act interested in what they do. Ask them why they chose the school they did.</p>
<p>–If you get an alumni, you have a much easier time. Unlike student interviewers, they normally have a semi-canned speech that they will start with in the beginning that is helpful in easing into the conversation. They are much more interested in hearing what your extracurricular activities are and gauging your intelligence rather than interviewing you to see how personable you are. They look at you as, if after going through four years of their college, would you go on to do amazing things that would lift the status of the school (true for all schools, even HYPS). Don’t pretend you have accomplished more than you have though. You can let them do a LOT of the talking by asking them relatively generic questions about the school. If someone is interviewing kids for their college years after they graduate, you can be sure they loved it and will rattle on and on about how wonderful it is. Just nod along, insert occasional witty comment, and you are done. Any college with a unique housing system, intense rival, or unique culture is easy to interview for. </p>
<p>–If you get an admissions officer (I never did), know that this person literally has the ability to accept or reject you. Consider yourself very lucky to have this opportunity. Take more risks than you would otherwise in an interview would be my suggestion, but I have never been in this situation. If an admissions officer likes you, they can back justify your admission for any reason.</p>
<p>–Other advice: don’t ask stupid questions. If you can find it on a website, don’t ask it. Ask them questions that they probably don’t know the answer to if it is clear that it is not a good match between you and the interviewer (eg a nerdy chem major/investment banker interviewing you who is a “free spirit”). If awkwardness occurs, asking them a question about the college that they probably don’t know (you will be able to tell in the interview) and is something that you are interested in shows them that while you might not have their approval, you might get it from someone more similar to you. If it gets sufficiently awkward, most interviewers know they are dealing with nervous high school kids and will try to reach out and make it easier. Also, the more incompatible (while keeping it friendly) the match and uselessness of the interview, the more likely you would get a second, redo interview if you are being considered seriously by the admissions committee. If you are already in, a bad interview won’t kick you out of the accepted pool.</p>
<p>Depending on your personality and compatibility with the interviewer, interviews can be a breeze or nightmare. Just know that whether you bomb it or would get their nomination for president, their rec counts for very little (unless you are dealing with an admissions officer) and acts as mostly as a tipping factor between applicants on the waitlisted-accepted borderline than turning a rejected app into an accepted one or the other way around.</p>
<p>I understand that your interview has probably occurred by now, but here are my thoughts,</p>
<p>My interview was with a rising senior (as is the case for all summer, on-campus interviews, not including anomalies). There was a “Why Yale?” question, which I aced, and a few questions about my life, such as family and where I live , which I could have done better on. It, however, did not feel evaluative. It felt like a conversation. Other than the quetions, we spent the majority of the time talking about my passions: cooking, singing and chemistry. Also, we touched on Lost and why she chose Yale. She asked me if I had any questions and I asked her about her favorite class and how her RC was. I think that mine went really well, but no matter what, you’re going to fell that you should have said something different during an interview. I learned a lot about my interviewer and Yale and I was really impressed by how charismatic she was. </p>
<p>All in all, don’t fret and try to get as much out of it as the interviewer is.</p>
<p>PM me if you want to discuss.</p>
<p>I had an on-campus interview with a senior recently. He explicitly told me when he first shook my hand that it would probably only be 30 minutes long. Like Orange has said, he seemed to focus mostly on whether or not I’d “sink or swim” at Yale. He did not ask the standard “Why Yale?” question, and the bulk of the conversation was about both of our passions.</p>
<p>The interviews are conducted by students and alumni of Yale, and are as informal as it gets for college interviews. They are nothing like those encountered by students in the UK and others. </p>
<p>When I interview after graduation, I’m sure I’ll be very nice about it. I wouldn’t even mind if they wore a decent t-shirt and jeans. Of course, you might also get a blue blooded New York law firm partner who has his name inscribed on the walls of Bass library in recognition of his contributions. It’s a hit or miss thing. :)</p>