Foo - Interview tomorrow, any last minute advice?

Well tomorrow is the day I go for an admissions interview at a college. Not sure what to think of it all. What do you suppose they will be asking? How should I be prepared? Do you have any last minute advice to offer me? I know the school asks that you send in something that you have done yourself with your application. For example:
A CD with a video of a musical performance you've put on, a sample of your writing (outside of the college essay), photo's of something you've made. I was going to send photos of my mill and all the goodies that go with it that I've made, and some of my best origami pieces (another hobby of mine). Should I bring something along to the interview?

Have a good breakfast with plenty of protein.

Watch Risky Business tonight. Best of luck!

Watch Risky Business tonight. Best of luck!
+1 Absolutely watch Risky Business, and good luck as well.

Well tomorrow is the day I go for an admissions interview at a college. Not sure what to think of it all. What do you suppose they will be asking? How should I be prepared? Do you have any last minute advice to offer me? I know the school asks that you send in something that you have done yourself with your application. For example:
A CD with a video of a musical performance you've put on, a sample of your writing (outside of the college essay), photo's of something you've made. I was going to send photos of my mill and all the goodies that go with it that I've made, and some of my best origami pieces (another hobby of mine). Should I bring something along to the interview?


Dress for success, be calm. Answer their questions the best you can and show good manners. May not be the best advice but those things could help.

Gear Jammer & lancerob, spot on.

Thanks for the advice. I think it will go alright, can never be certain though. I am probably going for an interview with Bates next week, so hopefully by then I will have good practice.

Sqeeze as hard as you can when you go to shake hands, it'll impress them.

Yes, bring something.

awww good luck, kick ass and just dont mention your ex girlfriend :)

Insist on keys to the corporate jet or its no deal, Howie!

Don't fidget. Look them right in the eyes.

If you can, keep your hands apart, not together. Together gives off the body language that you're hiding something. Apart gives an honest and open feel.

Have some questions ready that only they can answer. If possible ask questions that has shown you've researched the school.

SMILE DAMMIT! :D

Read this (http://dilbertblog.typepad.com/the_dilbert_blog/2006/12/acting_smarter_.html)

look them in the eye, always give a firm handshake...not too firm. be confident...you were made for this job and you know it. pronunciate...make sure you dont mumble and use slang...good luck kid anyone who can do the math crap that you do should have no problems with a job interview ;)

Get a good night's sleep. Show up ten minutes early. Make you sure you don't tell the rep from School A how much you want to go to School B because you mixed who you were interviewing with. (I actually did that in an on-campus job interview many moons ago - I was not offered the job, but the rejection letter set a land speed record getting to my mail box.) Try not to have a nose bleed during the interview. (I did that, too, although I actually got a job offer out of that one - so maybe you should get a bloody nose, but don't bleed on the interviewer: they get kind of squeamish.)

Most importantly, never forget that you are, or should be, sizing them up every bit as much as they are sizing you up. You want their diploma and the cachet that goes with it. They want your tuition money and future alumni contributions. The fit needs to work both ways. Remember that and act accordingly. No, I am not advocating being an arrogant prick - being courteous, professional yet friendly is always best, and there are already too many arrogant pricks in the world. But if you remember that you have something to offer them as well as vice-versa, and incorporate that in with the good advice from the other posters, you will convey an air of quiet confidence that will hold you in very good stead.

I convey in advance my congratulations to the interviewing college for having the good sense to extend to you an invitation to enroll. They would be lucky to have you. Don't forget that.

Oh, and let us know how it goes.

Leather pants.

Sqeeze as hard as you can when you go to shake hands, it'll impress them.
Correction, Iron hand.....do NOT crush theirs though!

Make sure your shoes match your belt.

Make sure your shoes match your belt.
Don't wear that pair of socks that has 1 brown and one black sock and another pair just like 'em in the drawer!:D

Do NOT:

Bring an open beer to the interview.

They're going to ask you why you're making them come in to work on a freezing Saturday. :mad:

Good luck with the interview.

p.s. don't say anything about your former girlfriend. That would not be helpful.

Thank God you didn't suggest a$$less chaps.
That's for the follow-up interview.

Which school?

I won't be wearing leather pants :). But I will be wearing Khaki's.
So on monday I call to get an interview scheduled with Bowdoin and Bates college. I like how these schools seem to work. I feel like they will see me as more than a set of numbers, one that ranges from 3-4, and one that is 0 out of 2400. According to Collegeboard.com, these places place a higher priority on what you do, what you have accomplished, extra curricular activities, and rigor. Gpa and SAT come secondary. Obviously if your gpa is a 1, it may not work.

If I get accepted into UNH though, I think I might go there. I don't know, it's tough to say. These other schools I am applying to have student to faculty ratings of 10 or 15:1, that's pretty damn good. Small class sizes. UNH is something like 10,000 students, with large intro classes. I think I am just a bit insecure about
A. Not having my job. I know I will make decent money working part time at my job in college, my boss already said he would keep me if I wanted that.
B. Moving away. It's not so much living at a dorm, I would live at a dorm in UNH even though it's only 15 minutes away from me. It's moving away from all I know here. The closest school outside of UNH I am applying to is 100 miles away

Which school?
Tomorrow is Hampshire college in Amherst Mass

They're going to ask you why you're making them come in to work on a freezing Saturday. :mad:

Good luck with the interview.

p.s. don't say anything about your former girlfriend. That would not be helpful.

Heh, actually I will be interviewed by an alum who has volunteered to do interviews for prospective undergrads.

I'd also wear a suit, not khakis. A little too informal.

Tomorrow is Hampshire college in Amherst Mass

That is a very good school and a five minute ride from my house. Good luck.

That is a very good school and a five minute ride from my house. Good luck.

Oh wow, it's nice to hear. Are you in Amherst? It's about 120 miles from me. If I get accepted there, I can also take classes at Amherst College and Umass. Not holyoke or Smith because I am a male. Do you have any impressions about those schools as well? Despite that I would be staying and doing the bulk of my work at Hampshire, a good impression for those schools if I am taking classes there would be nice too.

awww good luck, kick ass and just dont mention your ex girlfriend :)
:roflmao:

Oh wow, it's nice to hear. Are you in Amherst? It's about 120 miles from me. If I get accepted there, I can also take classes at Amherst College and Umass. Not holyoke or Smith because I am a male. Do you have any impressions about those schools as well? Despite that I would be staying and doing the bulk of my work at Hampshire, a good impression for those schools if I am taking classes there would be nice too.

I am a graduate student a UMass.

UMass is a large state institution. Odds are you will get more attention at a small college like Hampshire, but UMass does have some world class faculty and facilities. UMass is a great resource if there are classes that are either not available or infrequently offered at Hampshire. You would also have access to the libraries of the local schools, which can be a very good thing. One of my best friends is currently teaching at Hampshire. His impressions of the academic abilities of the students is very good. Amherst is a very good school, but I know less about how it operates. As a grad student, I don't get much exposure to the other campuses (undergrad only).

What is more important is that this is a great area to be a cyclist. There are great roads and trails. Good luck, and if you want any information about the area, the towns or whatever send me a PM.

Do you happen to know a bit more about how the grading at Hampshire works? Could you ask your friend possibly? I understand it is not conventional like "ABCDF", but they give reports to you.
I believe I will access to take any course I want at Umass. This is just fantastic, I have such a wide range of courses that I can take with their whole 5 college agreement. I did not apply to Umass just because it is so large. Their facilities are pretty impressive though, pretty damn impressive.

I've heard about the cycling there, I sure like that. The cycling here is not that great, it really is not. Or at least, in a close vicinity to me. Maine has some pretty nice cycling though. Hampshire has something I read about in a newsletter from them in my inbox, the Yellow bike. I guess you can use a bike and you just drop it off at the spot at the campus you need to get to. Then the next person goes ahead and uses it. They said they are in need of tools. Well I understand there is some mandatory volunteer work, on or off campus. Maybe fixing these bikes can count :)

A mirror, razor blade (single edge and new) and a big bag of coke. Pass it around freely. You'll be a shoe in!

Good luck.

Do you happen to know a bit more about how the grading at Hampshire works? Could you ask your friend possibly? I understand it is not conventional like "ABCDF", but they give reports to you.
I believe I will access to take any course I want at Umass. This is just fantastic, I have such a wide range of courses that I can take with their whole 5 college agreement. I did not apply to Umass just because it is so large. Their facilities are pretty impressive though, pretty damn impressive.

I've heard about the cycling there, I sure like that. The cycling here is not that great, it really is not. Or at least, in a close vicinity to me. Maine has some pretty nice cycling though. Hampshire has something I read about in a newsletter from them in my inbox, the Yellow bike. I guess you can use a bike and you just drop it off at the spot at the campus you need to get to. Then the next person goes ahead and uses it. They said they are in need of tools. Well I understand there is some mandatory volunteer work, on or off campus. Maybe fixing these bikes can count :)

I will ask my friend about the grading when I see him (likely tomorrow night). As I understand it, you do not get grades in the conventional sense(though I believe there is an option to get a grade now for transcript purposes). As you say, you get a detailed report on your performance. I imagine if you ask at the interview you will get a good explanation. There apparently is a system that instructors are asked to follow.

So it went alright afterall. The alum lady was very interested in seeing a few bearings blocks I made and a mouse I folded. I was not expecting her first question:
What do you like and dislike about highschool?

All the rest were expected. "What do you wish to get out of Hampshire?", "What attracts you about hampshire?" And questions about my interests.

It turns out that even though I am a male, I can take classes at Smith and Holyoke. Hampshire has decent dorms. Though they are pretty tiny, they are SINGLES :) :) :). Only one double per floor. You get to choose between "semi quiet", quiet, or very quiet housing. The single housing attracts me.

They do offer a good selection of math courses for what I need:
Calculus I and II. "Complex analysis". Calculus in Context. Math for scientists. Linear algebra. One or two others.

The campus....is not that great. It's just not a very pretty campus. At the time of it's construction, it was fairly low budget. They've done serious renovations on the interior though. A whole rock climbing wall in the gymnasium.

I just wonder how the hell I will pay for it :(. The costs are about $44,000 per year. Average financial aid package of 26k/year

On a side note:
They want two samples of my writing along with my application. The lady asked that it not be an essay on The Great Gatsby. I thought that was pretty funny.
The college essay can count as one, so I will use that. What about the other? Maybe a portion of my latest physics lab report? Or a satire I wrote on American eating?

You could send them your collected BF postings.

A mirror, razor blade (single edge and new) and a big bag of coke. Pass it around freely. You'll be a shoe in!

Good luck.

It's a college interview! Not a senate interview!

Sheesh, you'd think he was applying for senator with the advice you're giving!

I vote for the satire if it meets their requirements.