College interview stories?

[quark]

I can google the type of questions interviewers ask but was wondering if you folks have stories you or your DC might be willing to share, e.g. been there done that's, unexpected questions, quirky interviewers and also general tips on having a good, productive exchange. Plus things like should one prepare a thank you gift card (meant to type card but I don't know why I typed gift, sorry!) for the interviewer?

 

Thanks!

Edited September 10, 2016 by quark

[KarenNC]

Well, we have very limited experience at this point, having only had one 1:1 interview (for a school we haven't yet visited as it's pretty far away--the admin rep for our area was travelling through and offered interviews), but there were a few things that seemed to help it go smoothly: 

1) my daughter made a list of questions--shows that you have done some research on the school, gives a place to start the conversation, helps make sure you don't forget a question you had. As an example, my daughter wanted to know if they would accept ASL from dual enrollment for their foreign language graduation requirement and what the dorms were like. She's hoping for a school where she can get into a suite-style dorm as a freshman, but failing that, do the communal bathrooms in traditional-style halls have shower stalls with the little curtained dressing area before you go into each shower, or just a shower curtain.

2) Be prepared to answer "why are you interested in our school?" with something specific to that school, if possible. For this interview, she knew that this school has an aikido dojo affiliated with our organization 3 min from campus (my daughter has been doing aikido for 9 years), and has a study abroad experience for all students in the first year included in the price. Turns out the dojo is next door to the interviewer's favorite restaurant. At another school, books are included in the tuition.

2) We brought a copy of her transcript, showing courses, extracurriculars, and test scores so far. My daughter had to fill out a short information sheet for the interviewer at the beginning, so while she was doing that, the interviewer had a couple of minutes to scan the transcript rather than have to ask about all of her courses. It helped tailor the discussion to points of interest (in this case, aikido, theatre, scholarships, honors college, etc) and convey the information in an efficient manner. For a theatre department-specific interview  we have set up with another college at the end of this week, she's going to take a theatrical resume to go along with the transcript that goes into more detail about her theatre experience (worked fly rail, built scenery, etc for this production, assisted with props during the run on that one), but I wouldn't necessarily do that for a general admissions interview. For the general one, she just has general info about her experiences (worked on this production, that tech class, and so on). 

3) She sent a follow-up thank you email, as the rep indicated she would be traveling for the next 5 weeks. We've done the same for on-campus individual visits, but not open houses. I would think that any sort of actual gift would be considered very unusual. Maybe a handwritten card, but that would be my limit.

 

Edited September 10, 2016 by KarenNC

[GoodGrief]

My daughter did several interviews this past year.

 

They really do vary, as interviewers are alum for the most part, and have different personalities/backgrounds. My daughter had positive experiences, generally. It may help to keep in mind that interviews are rarely a "make or break" factor in an application.

 

It helps to go into the interview fairly knowledgeable about the school, and if one has a specific academic interest, make sure the student has done the homework to know what the school offers as far as that interest. Having a few questions specific to the school prepared is a good idea.

 

Some of the interviewers wanted to talk a lot about the school and their experiences. Some wanted to talk about my daughter. Be prepared to go with the flow. And obviously, show up on time, dress appropriately for the venue (my daughter did lots of coffee shop interviews!)

 

 

[Pawz4me]

DS had two interviews. One was a somewhat odd situation. The person he was interviewing was a graduate of Washington and Lee and that's the school the interview was for. But she was on the faculty at Wake Forest, which is local to us and another of the schools DS had applied to. So I think they ended up talking about both schools. He didn't think there was anything stressful about it and I think he actually enjoyed the experience. He said she didn't ask any tricky or hard hitting questions, just general "getting to know you" chat.

 

The other interview was for Wake Forest and while he didn't "click" with that interviewer quite as well he said it was also not a big deal--mostly basic stuff about why he was interested in the school, etc.

 

In both cases he sent "thank you" emails.

Edited September 10, 2016 by Pawz4me

[Hoggirl]

My recollection is that there was a big difference between the alumni interviews ds did and the competitive scholarship interviews he did. The former were much more laid-back and one-on-one. Basically, getting to know you. Honestly, I don't think the alumni interviews count for much. The competitive scholarships were with panels of people and asked more thought-provoking questions. An issue that came up with both of those that was challenging were questions about other schools to which ds was applying. Both of these were for Big State U's. When they learned ds was applying to top tiers, in both instances they sort of challenged him about that and who he would choose and why they should give him their opportunity since he was aiming high. He basically said that he was waiting until all choices were in to make a decision and that cost was certainly going to be a factor in his decision process. This was a true statement, and either would have been one of his most affordable (free) options. The only awkward thing that came up was when one of them learned who my dh's employer was (because of ds mentioning an expat assignment our family had). That interviewer kind of put ds on the defensive with his critical assessment of dad's employer. The questioning didn't last long (another panelist steered that interviewer back on point). All that to say, ANY interviewer has his/her own background carried with him, so you can't ever know what might hit a nerve.

 

My tip for panelist interviews (from my short-lived pageant days) is to look initially at the person who asks the question, then look each of the other panelists in the eye as you answer the question, and then end with eye contact on the initial question-asker.

[quark]

This is all really valuable. Thank you so much!

[Gwen in VA]

Your student should be prepared to answer all kinds of questions about homeschooling --

     1) WHY did you homeschool (which can be rephrased to mean "what are the benefits of homeschooling?"

     2) HOW did you homeschool? What was your approach? What do your grades mean? Have you mostly done school with mom at the kitchen table or did you take classes? Were they online or brick-and-mortar? Any college classes?

     3) And what about socialization? WHAT did you do outside of academics?

 

 

 

Edited September 11, 2016 by Gwen in VA

[angela in ohio]

They've all been really different. :) 

 

The alumni interviews were usually more casual and mutual. They offered to answer questions, they asked about dc's life and work, and they shared stories back and forth.

 

The on-campus interviews were less casual. They were more of what you think of in a traditional interview, with set questions and less chance to tell your own narrative.

 

One dd was the first ever interview for a young female alumni. She was more nervous than dd. :D

 

I think the biggest thing, and it's sort of cliche these days, is to make sure, no matter how they run the interview or what questions they ask, that your dc gets their passion across. The reason they are going to college, the reason they are going into whatever they are, and the reason they thing XYZ university will help them make their live and/or the world better.

[quark]

Really enjoying the stories! Thank you so much for sharing so generously! :laugh:  I wonder what DS will do if his interviewer asks him questions in Japanese or about socialization (He's not big on socializing, but he has had his share of group opportunities via DE). I think I will have to remind DS to put his "improv" hat on.

 

Thanks again. Please keep them coming!

[GoodGrief]

Hoggirl's post made me remember that most of the interviewers did ask about other schools to which my daughter was applying. I think it's a good idea to carefully consider how to answer that, both for standard alumni interviews and scholarship interviews.

 

Some colleges are very careful about not accepting or awarding top scholarships to highly qualified students whom they think are likely to attend elsewhere. They do consider yield. I didn't entirely believe that to be the case until going through this application cycle with my daughter. I actually got confirmation of this factor from one school (where my daughter did receive a scholarship, so this is not sour grapes.)

 

My daughter tended to mention just two or three other schools when this question arose, and used schools that had similar qualities to the school for which she was interviewing.

[Gratia271]

My recollection is that there was a big difference between the alumni interviews ds did and the competitive scholarship interviews he did. The former were much more laid-back and one-on-one. Basically, getting to know you. Honestly, I don't think the alumni interviews count for much. The competitive scholarships were with panels of people and asked more thought-provoking questions. An issue that came up with both of those that was challenging were questions about other schools to which ds was applying. Both of these were for Big State U's. When they learned ds was applying to top tiers, in both instances they sort of challenged him about that and who he would choose and why they should give him their opportunity since he was aiming high. He basically said that he was waiting until all choices were in to make a decision and that cost was certainly going to be a factor in his decision process. This was a true statement, and either would have been one of his most affordable (free) options. The only awkward thing that came up was when one of them learned who my dh's employer was (because of ds mentioning an expat assignment our family had). That interviewer kind of put ds on the defensive with his critical assessment of dad's employer. The questioning didn't last long (another panelist steered that interviewer back on point). All that to say, ANY interviewer has his/her own background carried with him, so you can't ever know what might hit a nerve.

 

My tip for panelist interviews (from my short-lived pageant days) is to look initially at the person who asks the question, then look each of the other panelists in the eye as you answer the question, and then end with eye contact on the initial question-asker.

 

Thanks for this!  DD is applying to similar schools - top tier and Big State flagships- and she is already considering how to converse about the reasons for her pursuing state schools alongside others.  Cost is a big factor here, and the potential merit scholarships that are available at Big State U's are really attractive!

[JeanM]

My ds has had three interviews so far, all at small liberal arts colleges. He loves to talk and enjoys interviewing. The biggest stressor that we've encountered so far is that he has been slow (!!) about sending thank-you emails. Two of the three have mailed him handwritten thank you notes before he sent a thank you email. Then the thank you email seems lame. Oh well.

 

I have a relative who does alumni interviews for Yale. Actually not sure if she's doing them this year or not, she did do them last year. One thing that she did tell ds was to be sure to be totally upfront/honest about what he's done. She interviewed a candidate who said that they started an afterschool program for xyz. When pressed for more information, the candidate revealed that she hadn't actually gone to any of the xyz events and the program was "co-founded" by something like 20 kids. Listing that as "I started this organization" looks really bad. She's also interviewed kids who seem to have no particular knowledge/interest in Yale. Like they're just applying to many highly competitive schools. I don't think she has interviewed any homeschoolers so far. She did say that she was very impressed by the academics, extracurriculars, etc. of all of the kids who she interviewed.

[Nan in Mass]

One of mine needed to explain the legalities of homeschooling in our state. Nothing complicated - just the requirements and the information that we had followed them. This was for an out of state college. Two of mine got the feeling that the community college classes on their transcript made the interviewer lose interest in the homeschooling part of their transcript. Most of the questions were not about typical academic stuff but about their projects and hobbies. Interviewers weren,t trying to get a feel for their academic abilities but for whether the unique things about that college would be a good fit for the student and whether the student was likely to be a credit to the college. We made sure they could explain their strengths and weaknesses, and why they thought this particular college was a good fit and why they wanted to go there, and told them to make sure they conveyed their enthusiasm about the college somehow. We also reminded them not to sit until invited (these were staff or professor interviews in an office), smile, make eye contact, not fidget, not interrupt, shake hands, and say thank you, which seemed like huge repeat of what we,d taught them all along, but just in case... We sent a transcript for them to refer to for dates if need be, and in one case, some photos of a project, in case they needed conversational material. I suggest sending spare clothes, too, in their backpack. One of ours threw up on the way. Fortunately, he was neat about it, but it could have been a disaster.

 

Nan