tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74820076275356244702010-06-04T02:10:53.972-04:00Tips, advice and horror stories from the college admissions interview front lines.Caffeine Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986872646281279937noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7482007627535624470.post-77456984165820386412009-12-21T16:19:00.000-05:002009-12-21T16:19:59.193-05:00

If you've thought more than 10 seconds about your college admissions interview, you're ready for the basic questions--why do you want to go to our school, what leadership activities have you done, etc. (If you're not, try here). But what about those questions that everyone dreads--what about the curveball questions? You know, the annoying ones that seem designed solely to make you look dumb ("

Caffeine Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986872646281279937noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7482007627535624470.post-58084123561724547142009-12-17T15:50:00.001-05:002009-12-21T15:48:22.741-05:00

Slightly off from our normal topics, but since early decision announcements are coming out now it's top-of-mind for a lot of folks: What can you do if you're waitlisted? Really, not much. Most schools use an early-decision waitlist as a tool to hedge with--if someone's good, but not so good that they'd automatically get in no matter what (which is most applicants), they go onto the waitlist.

Caffeine Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986872646281279937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7482007627535624470.post-35366996835814569232009-12-10T17:12:00.001-05:002009-12-17T15:51:27.710-05:00

We're still in the thick of college interview season as we head into the holidays and interview questions are still flowing in. Below is an early report on questions applicants are getting from their Harvard University interviewers. Questions for other schools is here. ---CJ Harvard University Like other schools we've looked at so far, Harvard lets its alumni interviewers ask whatever they want,

Caffeine Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986872646281279937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7482007627535624470.post-4812932294809993712009-12-02T17:28:00.117-05:002009-12-09T19:32:37.642-05:00

Part of an on-going series of favorite interview questions you'll run into during your college admissions interview --CJ Question: What do you do for fun? (Alts: What hobbies do you have? What do you like doing in your spare time? What do you do to unwind?) Background/Why You're Being Asked: For some reason--maybe because asking about what you do for fun seems a little too casual for a college

Caffeine Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986872646281279937noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7482007627535624470.post-6989209617110703902009-11-24T18:32:00.001-05:002009-12-01T21:39:24.591-05:00

I'll be taking the rest of the week off to celebrate Thanksgiving---but, since I know that many of you will be finishing essays, prepping for college interviews, and in general otherwise doing college application stuff, I wanted to give you a recommended reading list of past posts for this blog. Obviously, everything I've written is CRITICAL to your successful interview. Just... some posts are

Caffeine Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986872646281279937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7482007627535624470.post-36129456067292625382009-11-18T18:48:00.003-05:002009-11-24T09:38:37.402-05:00

We're getting into the thick of college interview season---soon, coffee shops all across the country will be hosting awkward conversations about Faulkner between well-intentioned-40-somethings and petrified high school students. (An aside: If you're the overachieving type and want to get comfortable with what a college interview looks like before sitting down for yours, spend an afternoon at your

Caffeine Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986872646281279937noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7482007627535624470.post-26888796277807794822009-11-09T19:15:00.002-05:002009-11-18T11:09:28.815-05:00

So it's now pretty much required that if you apply to a school, you give them an email address at which they can contact you. And guaranteed, every year at least one person I interview doesn't make the "wait, someone is going to actually USE this email address to contact me if I enter it on my application" connection. Hilarity ensues. Below are my favorite email addresses of all time (and yes,

Caffeine Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986872646281279937noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7482007627535624470.post-53318927037685883002009-11-11T10:48:00.001-05:002009-11-18T11:08:29.832-05:00

From an email I received a few seasons ago: CJ --- I'd love to meet you to talk about your school and find out more about whether it's a good fit for me or not. However, it's going to take me about 30 minutes to drive to your meeting location. Is there any way that we could meet somewhere closer to me? If not, this month is really tough for me -- I'm on the swim team that meets every morning

Caffeine Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986872646281279937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7482007627535624470.post-7084455957234905422009-11-04T18:32:00.001-05:002009-11-10T10:52:14.079-05:00

We're in the thick of college interview season (for Early Admit/Decision at least) and interview questions are starting to trickle in. Below is from an interviewer at Duke University who shot us his favorite questions. Questions for other schools is here. ---CJ Duke University Official description of the Duke interview is here. Like with other top-tier schools, the school states that their

Caffeine Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986872646281279937noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7482007627535624470.post-86693990484489447432009-11-02T20:32:00.002-05:002009-11-04T18:14:38.101-05:00

Following up on the Princeton and MIT posts, I've had some feedback on interviewing at the University of Chicago that I wanted to put out there. Good luck! ---CJ University of Chicago Basic information about interviewing for the undergraduate college at the University of Chicago is here. Unlike many universities, Chicago actually offers on-campus interviews as well as interviews with local

Caffeine Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986872646281279937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7482007627535624470.post-63200187257284928272009-10-26T18:46:00.010-04:002009-11-04T18:13:41.103-05:00

Part of an on-going series of favorite interview questions you'll run into during your college admissions interview --CJ Question: What do you plan on majoring in in college? (Alts: What do you hope to study? What department are you most interested in? What do you plan to pursue in school?) Background/Why You're Being Asked: Like the "Why School X?" question we've already covered, you're

Caffeine Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986872646281279937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7482007627535624470.post-6696552272970106822009-09-17T12:16:00.002-04:002009-11-02T21:35:31.857-05:00

I try--really hard sometimes--not to burst into laughter during a college interview. But it's tough when you get answers like these (all of which, by the way, are real). "I wish everyone would dress better" (Answer to "If you could change something about your high school, what would it be?") Maybe if you were applying to a fashion institute you could get away with this one. "Easy--I've wanted to

Caffeine Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986872646281279937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7482007627535624470.post-65522692650375721962009-05-14T09:20:00.003-04:002009-10-28T21:29:53.201-04:00

One question that comes up frequently about college admissions interviews: Who cares? In other words: Does a college admissions interview help your admissions chances? The college admissions interview is often one of the most downplayed aspects of the application process. Application instructions often refer to the "opportunity to have a conversation" with a local alumn and extend the chance

Caffeine Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986872646281279937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7482007627535624470.post-87946100858042933122009-10-25T18:46:00.000-04:002009-10-25T18:46:00.242-04:00

Gotten interviewed lately? Tell us about it! Shoot me an email (info@soootellmeaboutyourself.com) and tell me about your experience--questions you got, things that went well, things that went....not so well, whatever you want to share. I'm compiling questions asked in interviews this season (see the Princeton and MIT sample questions here and here) by school and will continue publishing them

Caffeine Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986872646281279937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7482007627535624470.post-27567151457851957562009-10-22T21:23:00.002-04:002009-10-22T21:23:00.917-04:00

"Hey, great to meet you," I said, shaking the young man's hand. "Thanks." "So, did you find the place OK?" "Yeah, I did." "Must be a busy time of year for you, huh?" "I suppose." "Okaaay... well, let's get rolling with your interview then...."  So much for building rapport.... Advice First, let me state emphatically that no-one ever got denied acceptance to a college (probably) for not being

Caffeine Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986872646281279937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7482007627535624470.post-90295529565787461172009-10-15T21:00:00.001-04:002009-10-15T21:03:32.325-04:00

Part of an on-going series of favorite interview questions you'll run into during your college admissions interview --CJ Question: Why do you want to go to [the university you're interviewing for]? (Alts: "Why are you applying to my school?" "Why are you interested in my school?" "What about my school got you interested in it?") Background/Why You're Being Asked: If you've been following any

Caffeine Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986872646281279937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7482007627535624470.post-81260334135607781912009-10-12T20:21:00.000-04:002009-10-12T20:21:00.557-04:00

Following up on the Princeton post, I've had some feedback on interviewing at MIT (a couple of alumni interviewers mostly) and wanted to post their feedback. ---CJ Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Like many universities, MIT doesn't give their admissions interviewers a set list of questions or anything so formal, but the questions below (asked in previous admissions interviews) should

Caffeine Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986872646281279937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7482007627535624470.post-6606379999034950742009-10-06T21:12:00.001-04:002009-10-07T10:31:13.022-04:00

I asked you to email me your college admissions interview questions--and responses are starting to come in. I've also heard from a number of people who interviewed last year--as well as from a couple of admissions interviewers themselves (alumni)--and so I decided to start posting what I've got in case you have an early-round interview coming up.  I'll keep posting what I hear from you all

Caffeine Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986872646281279937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7482007627535624470.post-60579619871205721202009-10-01T21:25:00.003-04:002009-10-01T21:25:00.588-04:00

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. "

Caffeine Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986872646281279937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7482007627535624470.post-38784493115836411722009-10-01T15:54:00.001-04:002009-10-01T17:15:38.639-04:00

Have your admissions interview yet? Want to pass along the questions you got from your admissions interviewer? We'd love to hear about it --- send them to us!  Email is here. We've already heard back from a couple dozen people who interviewed (mostly on-campus over the summer), so send your information in and we'll include your interview experiences in the overviews we're going to be publishing

Caffeine Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986872646281279937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7482007627535624470.post-40041496490886864092009-09-30T10:48:00.007-04:002009-09-30T21:43:38.651-04:00

Question: How do you know it's back-to-school/apply-to-school time? Answer: The NYTimes does an entire edition of the weekend magazine devoted to education. And, in true Times fashion, the stories are Exhibit A in what people make fun of the Times (and "liberal media" in general) for: gay middle-school students, precocious preschoolers, inner-city high schoolers excelling and, naturally, green

Caffeine Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986872646281279937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7482007627535624470.post-56468720825799093312009-09-24T21:45:00.000-04:002009-09-24T21:45:00.291-04:00

Part of an on-going series of favorite interview questions you'll run into during your college admissions interview --CJ Question: If you could meet one person, alive or dead, who would it be and why? (Alts: If you could have dinner with one person, who would it be? Who would you most like to meet in heaven? etc) Background/why you're being asked: Ever since Mitch Albom launched a literary

Caffeine Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986872646281279937noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7482007627535624470.post-1848943056692331712009-09-21T20:53:00.000-04:002009-09-21T20:53:00.142-04:00

In case you missed it, USA Today (I know, we're going highbrow... bear with me here) ran an interesting article on college admissions that looked at social networking--specifically, should you friend your college admissions officers on Facebook? In a nutshell, no, you probably shouldn't. Like many non-traditional admissions gambits, it introduces a lot of new potential downsides for your

Caffeine Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986872646281279937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7482007627535624470.post-73072641204735711172009-09-16T22:20:00.000-04:002009-09-16T22:20:00.282-04:00

I'm planning on compiling a list of questions that people have been asked by interviewers from various schools this season. If you've had a college admissions interview already and want to share what you were asked, email me.I'll start posting compilations over the coming weeks. Thanks! ----CJ

Caffeine Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986872646281279937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7482007627535624470.post-63773100898675945432009-09-15T21:35:00.001-04:002009-09-15T21:35:00.443-04:00

I had just finished up my first interview. I was looking around for my 5:30 admissions interview when I saw the girl I thought I was supposed to interview walk into the coffee shop. I must have been wrong though, since she avoided all eye contact--with anyone--as she retreated to the coffee bar to order. I waited a few minutes to see if anyone else would come in. When no one did, I decided to

Caffeine Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13986872646281279937noreply@blogger.com0