Showing Up (On Time) Is Half the Battle

By the time the third call came in, I knew exactly who it was.

"Hi, so... have you found your turn yet?" I asked.

"Well, no, I think I passed it.... There's a Jack-in-the-Box across the street. Am I close?"

You're close to Jack-in-the-Box, I thought, but given the number of fast food joints in town, I had no idea where she was.

"Did you make a right on Main like I told you to?" I asked.

"Well, I think I might have... It looks like I'm crossing the train tracks again. Does that sound right? I'm so sorry about this!"

Not half as sorry as I was for agreeing to interview her, I thought.

Ding.

Advice

There are some things you shouldn't need to be told. Don't go to your admissions interview naked. Answer your interviewer's questions in English. Don't puke on the table.

Add to the list this gem: Make sure you know how to get to your interview location.

I'll be the first to admit--sometimes it's tricky. It's a building downtown, and you don't go downtown much. Or it's a coffee shop in the next town over. Or you have to take the train, or bum a ride from dad, or something.

Maybe it really is tough to get there--but you know what? Life's tough. Suck it up, cupcake. Get there on time.

Every season, at least one of my college admissions interviewees shows up late or gets lost. And no matter how understanding your college interviewer is, being the kid who gets lost isn't the first impression you want to give. (If you're really unlucky, you get a friend of mine who walks out if the applicant is 10 minutes late--run late with her, you'll get blackballed and automatically rejected. End of story.)

So, how do you avoid such a simple error?

• First, make sure you look up where you're going. Just because you think you were there last spring, don't assume you  know where you're going. Did the email from your interviewer say to meet at the Starbucks on 10th and Pine? Look it up on the Starbucks website, Google or Mapquest it for directions, print them out and you're off to a good start.

• Give yourself 30 minutes of leeway. This is critical in cities with big traffic issues that you need to contend with---maybe you'll sail right through, but maybe there's an overturned 18-wheeler blocking 4 lanes. Given Murphy's Law, plan on the 18-wheeler being down--if your directions say it'll take 20 minutes to get to your destination, give yourself 50 minutes. If you're there early, bonus (more on that in a sec).

• Make sure you know which Starbucks, In-and-Out, or Federal Building. If it's unclear from your interviewer which shop they mean (or you can't find directions on the web), ask. I'd rather you ask to clarify the location than show up 20 minutes late because you're at the shop across town.
  

• If your college interview is with an alumni in an office tower, give yourself another 15 minutes for parking and navigating the building. It always takes a surprisingly long time to find a spot in the parking deck, take the elevator to the lobby, get to the lobby, figure out which floor to go to, etc--give yourself more than enough time to cover it all.
  

• Bring phone numbers, just in case. Obviously, have your interviewer's phone number (office and mobile). They probably gave it to you when setting up your interview, but if they didn't, ask for it--if you do run late, you have to call. But the real trick is to bring the number of the place you're meeting--that way, if you get lost but still have ample time to spare, you can call the barrista or receptionist to get directions instead of needing to ask your interviewer.
  

• Finally, don't rely on GPS. It's a great help, but GPS in my experience often misses things--roads that don't go through, construction, etc. Or, it just takes you 20 minutes to plug in the address and you're running late from the start. Make sure you've got printed directions as a backup.
  

If you're running late:

• Despite your best efforts you're still running late? Call your interviewer as soon as possible. The earlier you call, the better. Say it's 30 minutes before your interview, and you know it'll take you 45 minutes to get there--call now instead of waiting until you're actually late. I'd much rather change my plans and show up at the coffee shop 15 minutes later than I was planning than sit there waiting for 15 minutes. 

Whatever you do, you must call. Even 2 minutes late is still late. Call your interviewer.

• If you're egregiously late--15 minutes or more--offer to reschedule. Chances are good that your interviewer won't take you up on your offer, but at this point you need to be as uber-accommodating as possible to have any chance of leaving a good impression.
  

If you're super-early:

• You shouldn't show up at your admissions interview more than 15 minutes early (walking in about 10 minutes prior is perfect--early enough to be punctual, but not so early as to look like you have nothing better to do). Often your college interviewer will have someone else scheduled before you, and it's awkward to have your next interviewee show up when you've just started the earlier interview (less so at an office, more so in a public place like a coffee shop). 

• More than 15 minutes early? Take advantage of your extra time. Sit in the car and review the main points you want to cover in your interview. Review material on the school and review the questions you plan on asking your interviewer. If you're meeting in an office, hit the restroom and make sure you look presentable. If nothing else, walk around the block once or twice to clear your head and get ready to make your best impression.
  

Finally, should you get a ride?

Depends on the ride and depends on the type of person you are.

Some applicants love getting a ride because it takes the stress of getting there off their minds (assuming that mom/dad or whoever is driving knows where they're going). For others, the idea of having a nervous parent drive them to their interview is the last thing they need before walking into a stressful situation. This is really up to you--just make sure that, if you go the chauffeured route--your driver knows where you're going (and can get you there on time)!

If half of life is simply showing up, don't flub the easy half--make sure you know where you're going. -------CJ