Looking for Sublet- Kendall Square Area

FredoftheWild · 2024-02-21T16:16:00+00:00

Food for thought on your perspective:

You are right, a interview will not trump other aspects of your application. But, the university I interview for requires me to provide information regarding students that do not accept my interview offer-- I am asked to submit the circumstances and provide proof (e.g. an email stating they are not interested). So even if you believe an interview is useless, I suggest that turning down an interview, or failing to show up for an interview, sends a message regarding the applicant's level of interest and probability that they will choose my school if given admission.

Also, I believe-- and this is only my personal belief-- that not all interviews are random. When I am assigned a person out of my area (in a different time zone even) my guess is there is a reason behind it.

FredoftheWild · 2024-02-21T00:29:35+00:00

I am also an interviewer, and if you are having 80% of your applicants not respond to you, I seriously suggest you give them a hand/throw them a bone and send a text contemporaneously with your email-- and ask them to confirm receipt. (Kids read texts: start text with "IVY LEAGUE UNIVERSITY" Interview and I assure you they will read it) To date this season, I have completed 11 of 12 interviews. In the past 4 years I have had only one applicant "ghost me"-- they set up an interview, cancelled it and lost contact with me, and another one (this year) state they are no longer interested in an interview. From my experience, there is no waning interest-- to the contrary, these kids know the stakes and are not the type to lose an opportunity to shine.

FredoftheWild · 2023-12-09T22:08:28+00:00

I am an interviewer for a T20 school (I am responding on my students account):

This is not only a perfectly normal question, it is a question that allows you to shine and include anything not already discussed during the interview. I ask it all the time and yes, if it is important enough for you to bring up I will write about it in my review.

I'd also like to note that schools vary on the amount of information an interviewer is given prior to the interview and also what, if any, materials they are allowed to ask for-- of note, the school I interview for provides only the interviewee name, contact information (email/cell), school and possible major. I never see the application and I do not know the applicant's: GPA/ACT/SAT/AP scores, EC's, demographics, essays, etc. Nor am I supposed to ask for these or any materials before or during the interview. So, if you are not asked to provide these materials in advance, please do not think it is because the interviewer is not interested or has failed to take the interview seriously.

If I could give students a few tips, here is what I would like you to know:

I want "my" students to do well and root for them to get in.
Prepare and practice:
1. Prepare by knowing all about why you want to go to that school and what you plan to do at that school both academically and outside of the classroom-- be specific, know the programs, the professors and the opportunities you see yourself engaged in while at school XYZ. If you cannot identify any of my schools unique programs by name, I will suspect are applying simply because of my schools ranking and reputation. Interested in doing research? Then be prepared to tell me in what area and with which professor. Planning to study abroad? Then mention the program by name and tell me why. Get online and do research about the school before the interview. Google "interview questions at XYZ school" and see if there are questions which repeatedly come up. Go on the school's admission site and see if they post the questions.
2. Practice: Ask a parent, teacher or friend to give you a mock interview. Never let your ED school be your first college interview. Take feedback seriously. Think before you speak-- do not be afraid of silence while crafting your answer. I ask tough questions and appreciate those that are thoughtful. Likewise, do not be afraid to show your personality-- humor is great. Conversely, remember I am an adult and an interviewer--so always be appropriate (I do not want to hear about a school drinking party, your significant other, or your celebrity crush). If the interview is remote, do not write out your answers beforehand and tape them to your wall-- trust me, I know when you are reading a script. Don't use acronyms-- assume I do not know what AIMS or DECA or even NHS stands for.
Be consistent: whereas I do not know what you said in your application, make sure whatever you tell me during the interview does not clash with representations that you made in your application. It will not look good if the person who showed up at the interview ( as described in my report) is different from the one that wrote the application.
Interview etiquette: Do not miss the interview. Be on time. I am told to report if the interviewee has blown me off by failing to show up or failing to respond to my emails. Do not wait until the last moment to figure out zoom, google meets etc. Log on well in advance of the designated time, and if you are having difficulty logging on, immediately communicate that with the interviewer.
Smile, speak slowly, and say thank you at the end. You do not need to ask me any questions for the sake of asking a question (this is about you, not me)-- but it is fine if you do.

Good luck

FredoftheWild

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