Click here to go to the NEW College Discussion Forum

Hey everyone

I had an interview with a Columbia alumni, and it went "hellishly bad" according to me. first of all, she only asked me these 5 questions.
do you have any work experience?
are you involved in any extracurricular activities?
and in between each question was this question:
"do you have any questions?"

What do you guys think? I think it basically sealed my fate- ughhhh....
do you think i should call up the admissions office about this? But i wouldnt want them to think that I'm complaining, cause maybe they'll just mark my app w/ an R right away. Do you think I'm justified? I really dont know. Help!

By Steffie1212002 (Steffie1212002) on Friday, December 05, 2003 - 12:23 am: Edit

That's 5 more questions than I got asked. The Harvard guy spent the whole time talking about his experiences when I was interviewed. Not one question about me.

IMHO, the interview doesn't matter much. Last year my friend's Harvard interviewer was extremely, extremely impressed with her, thought she was the best thing since sliced bread. She got rejected. The interviewer was so shocked he wrote a letter to her, saying he was dissapointed in his school for not letting her in, blah blah blah.

I don't think it really matters.

By Trojan1444 (Trojan1444) on Friday, December 05, 2003 - 12:28 am: Edit

Yea, everything I've heard is that the interview doesn't make or break you.

By Chrisy (Chrisy) on Friday, December 05, 2003 - 12:29 am: Edit

honestly no. i read from a college admissions book, that before the interview. the college send the alumnus with information about you and the chance of admissions (likely to be accepted, undecided, or rejected). if you are likely to be rejected, the alumnus will probably ask you where else you're applying to, and convince you that they are all great schools and try not to be disappointed if you don't get in. besides alumnus interviews doesn't count that much, although schools like to keep them happy with something to do, it's the admissions officers that really decides outcome. that's why officer interviews count MUCH MORE than alumni ones. from personal experience- worst interview with Dartmouth: he actually asked "is it because you have no friends?" when i told him that sometimes i like to spend time alone with a good book. he got mad then proceeded to correct me when i said Dartmouth was the only "college" of the ivy league (i got this information from a different alumnus who came to our school and said "another interesting fact: Dartmouth is the only college of the Ivy League"). the best interview with Princeton: they tried to convince me to pick Princeton over Harvard, they laughed at my jokes, were impressed with how much i knew about ED. She said "just by talking to you, i know you'll be great at what ever you do". he said "i really liked the math department, although i wasn't as good at math as you are" there was so much chemistry. they are great people. i got rejected. but not at Dartmouth. but after that horrible interview, i didn't want to go there anymore.

By Steffie1212002 (Steffie1212002) on Friday, December 05, 2003 - 12:39 am: Edit

Chrisy could be right for some schools, but I'm pretty sure for Harvard the alums don't know if you're likely to be rejected/deferred/accepted. They even made me fill out a "cheat sheet," retstating my stats, ECs, interests, etc to give to the alum so they would know who the hell I am.
^-^
Not too sure about Columbia, tho. My friend is going ED to Columbia so I can ask her tomorrow.:D

By John2004 (John2004) on Friday, December 05, 2003 - 02:21 am: Edit

"college send the alumnus with information about you and the chance of admissions":

I had this interview for a school, but I only sent my Part I, which only asked my contact info and stuff. The interviewer did ask me where else I'm applying to, but she didn't try to convince me to apply to those other schools.

What does that mean?!

By Wharton1986 (Wharton1986) on Friday, December 05, 2003 - 02:26 am: Edit

chrisy
ok your scaring me..

my interviewer at penn asked me what i thought of my chances at penn where and which other schools i was applying to.
he also told me that getting into penn was very very difficult.

am i already rejected???

damn i thought it went off decently otherwise.

By Nycschoolss (Nycschoolss) on Friday, December 05, 2003 - 02:27 am: Edit

Trojan - I think you are wrong, Interviews can break you but cant make you! Remember, this is harvard they expect the perfect student, if you aint perfect with the interview ... you are basically screwed, and if you had a perfect interview that is just 1 out of many rounds u passed, and they expect this from all Harvard students.

By Sunshine916 (Sunshine916) on Friday, December 05, 2003 - 02:37 am: Edit

uh oh...i hope they dont know your chances of admission already.

my Princeton alum kept telling me how hard it was to get in and how not to be too disappointed if i DIDNT get in etc etc. but he contacted me less than a week after Part 2's were due...and Princeton probably couldnt have gotten mine until 2 or 3 days before he called. i doubt he knew my chances...

he said he didnt know anything about me but my name and my school...and i hope hes not lying.

By Northstarmom (Northstarmom) on Friday, December 05, 2003 - 09:39 am: Edit

I am an alumni interviewer for Harvard.The only info that Harvard tells alumni interviewers about is: name, address, phone number, e-mail, high school, whether they are a legacy, whether they applied EA or regular, proposed major, possibly one EC, and possibly race. We definitely do not know about the candidates' admission chances. Sometimes we don't even know the name of one EC the candidate has done, and we don't know their proposed major or race.

As for Tincan's interview, I am curious about what Tincan did in response to the questions. A candidate who is assertive (and that tends to be what all Ivies want) would have picked up the ball and run with any of those questions, not answered with one-word answers and then waited for the next question.

Example: "Do you have work experience?" Answer, "I have never had formal work experience because I spend my free time during the school year involved in time-consuming extracurricular activities. Right now, I'm president of Model UN and am helping my school's chapter prepare for our annual conference in New York. For the past three years, my school has won prizes in X category, and I would like to continue that. To do that, I have divided the members into study groups....Over the summer, I have been holding unpaid research internships that allow me to work with Prof. X, who teaches chemistry at X university in my city. The research project that I am involved with is designed to....."

It should not be up to the interviewer to ask the right questions that get you to open up. Unless the interviewer is monopolizing the interview by talking constantly (which unfortunately sometimes happens), you should be able to say things that highlight what you have to offer the college.

My impression is that at Harvard, interviews count as tipping factors -- can tip you in or can tip you out, However, it's important to realize that even if an interviewer thinks that a candidate is a definite admit, the interviewer is not familiar with the entire applicant pool.

A candidate who seems outstandingly unique to an alumni interviewer may be rather average when the entire pool is considered. In addition, there may be things in the candidate's application (such as iffy recommendations, poorly written essay or other concerns) that cause the candidate to be deferred or rejected. There also may be oither factors such as having an overabundance of excellent candidates from the person's region that cause a particular candidate to be overlooked in favor of others.

This year, I interviewed a candidate who was the best candidate whom I have ever interviewed. I gave the candidate a stellar recommendation, and also told the candidate I was giving them my full support. At the same time, though, I told the candidate that despite their record of excellence and having an exceptionally strong interview, they still might get rejected through no fault of their or my own. Thus, I emphasized that the student should make sure that if they want to go to a school like an Ivy that they also are applying to more than one.

By Wintermute (Wintermute) on Friday, December 05, 2003 - 11:07 am: Edit

"...i wouldnt want them to think that I'm complaining, cause maybe they'll just mark my app w/ an R right away."
Um...assuming that the "R" stands for relection, can they do that if you call into the office over an interview? It just seems to me that whenever I call adcoms with a question, you get connected to someone who doesn't even work directly with the apps. Try an anonymous call if it bothered you that much. You know, like one of those questions about "a friend" that had a bad interview or something

By Soozievt (Soozievt) on Friday, December 05, 2003 - 12:09 pm: Edit

Everything Northstarmom said above is right on. I also am an alum interviewer for a very selective college. I can assure you that the alum interviewer has NO idea of your chances of admission prior to, during, or after your interview. In fact, at the school I interview for, an applicant can just submit part one (basic info.) and be assigned their interview. My own daughter has an interview for a school where she has yet to file the bulk of her application and had another one just cause she said she was applying but her app was not yet in. Hope that asssures you on that account. As Northstarmom says, the interviewer is given basic info. such as your address, your high school, legacy or not, intended major if you specified, a very very brief list of some ECs, and that is about it.

The original poster in no way should call to complain about this interview. First off, the interview does not count for that much, as Northstarmom says. It can be a tip factor if borderline one way or another. It is just one piece of info...intended to show a personal side of the applicant.

If your interview felt brief, it could be due, just as she says, to your not expanding on your answers. When my daugther goes to an interview, she already knows of things she hopes to get across in the interview. It almost does not matter WHAT the questions are cause she plans to get this information about herself out there. She incorporates it into whatever questions are asked. As an interviewer myself, I find that the worst interviewees (not necessarily the worst candidates) are ones who just give a simple answer with no expansion to the point that I have to draw it out of them and probe further. These students are ones who when asked at the end of the interview if there is anything else they would like for me to share with admissions and who say "nothing" and when asked if they wish to ask me questions about the school itself, and have nothing specific to ask....these are interviews that do not shine or sell the candidate. Sometimes I feel sorry for those kids cause they likely are very good candidates on paper but just do not interview well. I try not to take that against them and still write them up positively. But they certainly do not do anything to help sell themselves.

In any case, your interview sounds fairly normal and there is nothing you related that I can imagine would sound like a legitimate complaint. I would leave it be. For your next interview, make sure you go in with an agenda of things you wish to talk about and if there are just a few questions, and the person asks if there is more you would like to add, get in what you had intended. Also ask specific questions about a school that shows you have researched the school thoroughly. I have had adcoms tell my daughter after an interview that they cannot believe how familiar she is with the college. Use this experience to think of how you want to show yourself in the next interview. In the meantime, I would not worry too much on how this first interview went cause it is not going to make or break you.

Good luck!
Susan

By Northstarmom (Northstarmom) on Friday, December 05, 2003 - 02:37 pm: Edit

Susan is more charitable than I am when it comes to assessing students who don't say much during the interview in the way that Susan described.

My thoughts are that such students may be excellent candidates for admission to schools that are extremely nurturing and where profs will go out of their way to mentor, draw shy students out, etc. Such students, though, are not appropriate for places like Ivies. Even the most nurturing Ivies expect students to be reasonably assertive. Professors will happily mentor students who bother to speak up in class and use office hours.

Ivy profs won't, though, chase students down to try to get to know them, which is what will happen at some lesser ranked colleges which are designed to be excellent places for the talented, but less assertive and less confident students to flourish.

I am not, incidentally, saying that Ivies aren't places for the shy. Some shy people are able to put aside their shyness when it comes to things like interview situations or getting information from professors. If, though, a student is so shy, unselfconfident and unassertive that they can't think of more than one word answers in interviews, then more supportive, nurturing environments than Ivies and similar schools are probably where the student would best flourish.

By Chrisy (Chrisy) on Friday, December 05, 2003 - 03:15 pm: Edit

sorry if i scared anyone. i read this somewhere from a college admissions book. but i honestly don't think the interview counts that much.

By Thedad (Thedad) on Friday, December 05, 2003 - 04:49 pm: Edit

I think the better perspective is that interviews usually don't count for much...but that you never know when they're a tipping factor. Therefore, treat them all seriously.

By Alphachimp (Alphachimp) on Friday, December 05, 2003 - 05:14 pm: Edit

is it a good sign if the interviewers suggested that u go and spend the night at Harvard? I mean, they probably wouldnt do that if they didnt take your app seriously, right?
Sorry, I'm a bit confused.

By Savedbythebell7 (Savedbythebell7) on Friday, December 05, 2003 - 05:22 pm: Edit

I believe the reason they ask you that stuff during the interview is because they can pretty much see everything else on your application and they want to get a feeling of who you are outside of school. But realistically, it shouldn't matter all that much, and i'm sure you handled matters better than you think you did. Good luck.

By Bobby443 (Bobby443) on Friday, December 05, 2003 - 10:08 pm: Edit

All my interview were great.

By Wharton1986 (Wharton1986) on Friday, December 05, 2003 - 11:43 pm: Edit

ok now what would you make out of this.

my penn interviewer said that he was going to give penn a 'horrible' report about me and then he started laughing.

i didnt know whether he was being serious or just being a jackass, so i started laughing as well.
in reality i was shi"ting bricks..

what do u make of it?

By Tincan333 (Tincan333) on Saturday, December 06, 2003 - 12:15 am: Edit

hey everyone, thanks for the input. As for my own answers, I did not have one word answers. i tried to explain about my experiences, etc etc about working and so on.
But i was a bit turned off by the alumni's obvious coldness. These alumni volunteer right? I dont see how they could be forced, anyway. lol.

But thanks for the information. i am very relieved and grateful for all of your responses. I suppose she interviewed tons of other applicants, anyway.

I did not want to call, though. Because really I just got a random Columbia alumni. I didnt want to ask about another interview. Although I wish i would happen. But thanks guys/.

By Tincan333 (Tincan333) on Saturday, December 06, 2003 - 12:17 am: Edit

oh and to respond to that person who made a comment on " I'm afraid that they'll mark my app with an R"... that was only a joke.

By Bern700 (Bern700) on Saturday, December 06, 2003 - 01:35 am: Edit

I jus had my Penn interview about a week ago and in my opinion it went pretty well. It lasted about 1 hour 45 min. I though this was probably a good sign, I'm guessing if they see that a candidate is not strong they will make the interview relative short just as a common courtesy. Does anyone have an opinion on this? Does the length of the interview reveal anything about your chances?

Also the last thing my interviewer told me was that one recommendation that she had for me was to go out and buy lots of warm clothes because Pennsylvania is cold(I come from AZ so I've never really experienced any weather under 35 degrees), what do you gives make of this tip? Could it be a sign that the interviewer might have known my chances...any ideas?

By Metz (Metz) on Saturday, December 06, 2003 - 02:02 am: Edit

Bern, a few things --
1. The author of "A is for Admissions" states that the length of the interview has no relevance. She's had great 30 min interviews and bad 2 hour interviews.
2. The interviewer knows nothing of your chances. They rarely will even know your stats, grades, etc. Just meeting you is not enough to know your chances. If you were an amazing interview but had a 1200/3.1 gpa, your interviewer might still think you were a great chance because the interview went well and they don't know your lousy stats.
3. If your interviewer made it sound like you had a good shot of getting in, that's always good. Not because they actually have any idea, but because that means it was probably a good interview, so they'll write a good report.

By Bern700 (Bern700) on Saturday, December 06, 2003 - 02:19 am: Edit

thanx metz that clears things up

By Northstarmom (Northstarmom) on Saturday, December 06, 2003 - 04:53 am: Edit

As an alumni interviewer, I agree that one can't make judgments about the length of an interview. My two longest interviews were for totally different reasons.

In one case, it was because the candidate was one of those one word answer people. I kept trying to draw her out. I kept thinking that something must be wrong with how I was interviewing, so I kept trying different things to make her talk more. My write-up indicated she seemed to be a nice person, but didn't seem to have the assertiveness, confidence for an Ivy.

I think was right. Not only was she rejected from an Ivy, but she turned down another top 20 school and chose to go to a state u's honors program. Interestingly, that was exactly the type of place that I thought would be a good fit for her. She didn't strike me as a person who'd want to go into an environment that was very difficult from home.

I even ran into her later, and had a nice conversation with her. She's happy at her state u. She truly was a nice young woman, just not one I'd send to an Ivy.

The second long interview I had was because the guy was literally the best candidate I had ever seen. Not only were his academic qualifications stellar, including one that was at a national level, but he seemed to be a genuinely nice person. We also had a lot of interests in common including liking to mentor people through the college process.

To my surprise, he told me about how he had taken some disadvantaged classmates under his wing and was encouraging them to take AP courses, etc. He was concerned that classmates whose parents aren't professional don't get the kind of encouragement from GCs and teachers that people like him, who have highly educated parents get.

This has long been an issue that I've been concerned about, but I had never heard a privileged young person talk about this.

By Peterparker (Peterparker) on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - 09:07 pm: Edit

My harvard interview was boring. I wanted to cry as i was answering the lady's questions. She did not look happy to be there. she glanced at the window FOUR times. Her questions friggin sucked. I kept trying to liven the interview up but it was a lost cause. I honestly believe that if she smiled or laughed, or showed some sign that she was indeed alive, my head would have exploded. since i am typing this, my head did not explode, and the robotwomanfromthesiliconvalley did not show emotion.