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What to do at a college interview? Any tips?
Google it. Basically, sound eager to learn, smile, and just relax. Make sure you can discuss a book you recently read
Be yourself.
They have plenty of applicants with your grades, SAT scores, extra curriculars etc. Show them what’s unique about you and why they would want you.
Look the interviewer in the eye (you have no idea how important this is).
Be honest.
BE MEMORABLE!
Sacrilege – but not TOO memorable!
Oh, shake the hand of the interviewer if female – it shows you are aware of proper business etiquette and is very impressive from a frum girl. If a male, be prepared to put your hands behind your back, smile, and say, Due to religious reasons I don’t shake hands with men.
Be yourself, and be honest. You can even ask questions to the interviewer.
Is this for a selective college? Most colleges accept almost everyone who is capable of doing college level work, but the competition to slots in selective colleges is very tight and they use non-academic factors to pick their entering classes because they get many times the number of qualified applicants than they have space for. But just because it is prestigious and selective does not necessarily mean it is a good fit. YOU need to be convinced that THEY have the right environment for YOU. Don’t be arrogant about it, but be open and honest about the fact that you are looking for a place that is a good place for a frum Jew in addition to strong academics.
Good luck!
As usual, CharlieHall is right on target. No matter how prestigious the place, it could be very very difficult for you as a frum Jew. Watch out for mandatory first year dorms (some of them are co-ed!) and other surprises. Also, prestigious colleges usually give doctoral degrees, which means that your introductory courses will be taught by grad students, who may or may not know how to teach. (I didn’t at first – my students taught me!) Teaching is second-class, after research and getting published.
Try to talk to other frum students who have graduated there. Don’t get pushed into going to a particular school just because your family wants bragging rights or you want the ego boost. A school is a kind of shidduch, and you want the right match. It might even be a state university, and your parents will save a fortune 🙂
Midwest2, Just because a school gives doctoral degrees doesn’t mean they don’t have good teachers, or that grad students actually teach the complete courses. Where I went to school, you could be fairly sure in most cases that each course was taught by a gadol hador in his field. The grad students may have been teaching assistants who marked homework and taught recitations, but did not give the main lectures.
They have to let some younger professors teach, or they will never learn how. Nevertheless, the level of teaching was tightly monitored.
My main complaint is when they let foreigners teach who can barely speak the language. This is really not fair to the students. In science today, there is such a huge number of foreigners who are filling a large percentage of positions at US universities, and nobody seems to care how poor their English skills are.
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