Georgetown Interviewing

[DFW HOYA]

Clarification: I meant the applicant's house or at a neutral site of their choice.

[Gold Hoya]

To Nevada's initial question - in 5 years of interviewing in 3 locations (Boston, Northern Virginia, and Chicago), I'm about 50-50. I usually give students about 1.5 weeks to contact me before I contact them. Our AAP chair doesn't send the grey cards any more, she just uses email, so now I'm waiting 2 weeks. I don't think I could find any correlation between my ratings and who contacted whom.

On locations - I book a conference room in the office (which currently means a study room on campus) for an hour if my office/school is near the applicant; otherwise, I find a Panera near their home or school. (I prefer Panera because they have free WiFi if I get there early!)

On attire - I always hope that the applicant matches my attire, and since I don't typically wear a coat and tie I don't expect that from the applicant either. I may have seen it once in 5 years. I typically tell the applicant that there is no need to dress formally for the interview. If the applicant goes to a private high school, I tell him/her that school clothing is fine (I usually schedule interviews for weekday afternoons). This year my applicants are two-for-two in wearing appropriate business casual clothing, with 1 more to go next week.

"Different" stories: I had one student decline to interview ("I just don't have time") and another student whose father insisted on sitting with her during the interview (based on the family's cultural background).

[hoya4ever]

I am trying to figure out the reason for the interview. I know Gtown says so we can be judged as people and not as applicants on paper, but is there something specific that interviewers are told to look for. I really clicked with my interviewer, we talked for hours on anything from where to live senior year to what professors to take. Is that what usually happens? What is a bad interview?

[Nevada Hoya]

hoya4ever said:

I am trying to figure out the reason for the interview. I know Gtown says so we can be judged as people and not as applicants on paper, but is there something specific that interviewers are told to look for. I really clicked with my interviewer, we talked for hours on anything from where to live senior year to what professors to take. Is that what usually happens? What is a bad interview?

That is what happens on a GOOD interview. Not all the students have the facility to talk to the (older) interviewer like that. But I judge how the interview went by the enthusiasm for school in general, for GU in particular. We have been told to try to understand their involvement in extracurricular activities, whether at school or work or in the community. I always like the students' questions about GU, even thought I might not be able to answer them (I do try to get them the answer later and email it to them). It displays an interest in Georgetown. Some interviewees seems as if they are just going through the motions. They have applied to x number of schools and this is just another interview.

Again, thanks for the nice responses. It is always good to hear of other interviewers' experiences. I still feel it displays responsiblity if the student contacts the interviewer initially, if they are instructed to do so. But the interview itself of such students can sway me to overlook that, if the interview goes very well.

[SirSaxa]

What percentage of our applicants actually get interviewed?
How important is it in the overall application?
How long has this been going on?

[DFW HOYA]

sirsaxa said:

What percentage of our applicants actually get interviewed?
How important is it in the overall application?
How long has this been going on?

Every applicant, regardless of location, is offered a local interview, and few schools can make that commitment. For various reasons some interviews are not completed, but I'd guess 90-95% of applicants get interviews submitted to the admissions committees.

Importance-wise, and I'm speaking just as an interviewer, it's an intangible--not a substitute to a record of academic achievement, but a complement. Put another way, an interview doesn't raise the dead, but it can be an important resource for the applicant who is really battling for a favorable decision.

The Alumni Admissions Program as founded in 1963 with 400 interviewers. Today there are over 4,000 alumni interviewers in 220 regional committees worldwide.

[Nevada Hoya]

DFW is right about the importance of the interview, as I understand it. To put it in bball terms, if a student is "on the bubble" a good interview can be the student's good RPI and get him in.

My acceptance to Georgetown predated the AAP, but I did get an interview with an alumnus in the winter of 1961-62.