[clairdeluned]

So I figure we soompi-ers should help each other out...if you have had an interview for a college, please share your experiences!

USC:
Around 20-30 minutes
Friendly admissions director (though I kinda knew him already)
The person has a sheet with a list of things to ask
- Extracurriculars
- Career interests
- Why USC
- What classes you have taken
- Test scores
- What subject you like, why
- Any other information you would like to tell him/her

Hint: Be original. Don't talk about how great Trojan football is, post or pre-Rose Bowl. (Thankfully my mother went to USC so I could tell him about my experiences as a young girl at USC.)

Harvard:
Around 1 hour
Friendly person
Asks about:
- Extracurriculars
- Test scores
- What are you doing in school
- What classes do you like, and why
- What is your school like- what do you like, what do you want to change
- Why Harvard
- What books I like (we connected over Jane Austen)

Hint: Do not ask about how accessible the teachers are. If your interviewer is honest, s/he will tell you that the professors are not THAT accessible, and that if it is important to you, that you should rethink about going there. Needless to say, I am probably not going to get in. (Though if it really IS important to you, then go for it.) Also, do NOT talk out of your tooshie about how you looove this author if you have not read the books in depth. I talked about Jane Austen because I honestly love her works, but the interviewer grilled me about every Jane Austen book out there.

[iceberri]

Hmm, that's pretty interesting actually. I remember during my Harvard interview, I asked what the professors were like and the interviewer was completely non-receptive to the question as well. She gave me a load of BS about how it's been a long time since she was an undergrad there and that the professors are probably not around anymore. I think she was the only interviewer I subsequently disliked for just... not being helpful in answering the questions I had about the school.

I think I went to a total of 8-9 interviews. The shortest was 45 minutes and the longest was 1.5 hours. I found that it REALLY helps to bring a copy of your resume; I usually gave it to my interviewer at the beginning so s/he could have an idea about what I did and the interview would typically come straight out of my resume because of that. It really helped structure the interview and makes things seem less scary because you know (to a certain extent) what's coming. Interviews were my favorite part of the application process since, for the most part, the interviewers were young, fresh-out-of-college, and full of insight to share. It's about them learning who you are, but it's also an awesome learning experience too. I also ended up getting treated to a few Starbucks' drinks.