Georgetown interview: what to expect?

[Anonymous]

DD is stressing about her upcoming interview with an alumna. It will be at a coffee shop. She doesn't want to order anything, because it will distract her. She's also wondering what to wear. She's worried she won't have anything to say, or that she'll mumble.

Any tips to calm her down?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD is stressing about her upcoming interview with an alumna. It will be at a coffee shop. She doesn't want to order anything, because it will distract her. She's also wondering what to wear. She's worried she won't have anything to say, or that she'll mumble.

Any tips to calm her down?

Not specific to Georgetown: Almost all alumni interviews are for informational purposes. Your daughter should relax and ask lots of questions about Georgetown.

Not ordering anything might be viewed as a bit impolite as it might make the alum uncomfortable and the coffee shop needs to generate revenue.

[Anonymous]

I believe these interviews do no typically influence admissions very much. She should just be her wonderful self as best as she can be and try not to worry too much.

[Anonymous]

Tell her to order something she’ll look poor otherwise.

[Anonymous]

The alumni interview program is to keep alumni engaged, not really assess students.

Dress is casual, but neat.

By the way, my own Georgetown alumni interviewer was a creep when I was a teen. I wish my parents knew that you should report inappropriate stuff to admissions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I believe these interviews do no typically influence admissions very much. She should just be her wonderful self as best as she can be and try not to worry too much.

As a former alumni interviewer (15+ years) I agree. I think they just want alumni to feel connected and maybe root out the occasional weirdo.


My advice, for what it's worth, is approach it as a conversation. Be prepared to talk ("tell me about yourself" is a pretty popular question) as well as to ask questions. Open-ended questions -- what did you enjoy about your time at GU; what do you think are the school's strengths; is there anything I should keep an eye out for when I visit; that sort of thing.

As far as what to order: order something. If she needs a moment to think about a question, take a sip of water to buy some time. Drinking water also helps calm anxiety.

Run through some sample questions with her if she's truly nervous - how did you become interested in Georgetown? Why did you pick this school (SFS, Business, etc)? What have been your favorite classes? What are your strengths/weaknesses? She'll be fine.

[Anonymous]

Long time interviewer for an Ivy here. Personally I don’t care at all if they order something and they often don’t. I do so I can keep the table.
Be prepared to give an overview of yourself - something to get the conversation started.
Sure, be relaxed but don’t let your guard down. Don’t say anything stupid that could end up in a report. By stupid I mean discriminatory statements, anti-intellectual things like “I don’t read,” or saying another school is your top choice.
Have a very good answer prepared for why this school. Have a couple good questions about the school prepared that show you did your research. Ask the interviewer about their experience as a student or an alum.
Finally, think about what you want the admissions office to know that wasn’t adequately addressed in your application. You may even be explicitly asked about this.

[Anonymous]

For dress, just neatly. I don’t care if they wear jeans but I wouldn’t do a ratty tshirt.

[Anonymous]

since shes nervous, have your daughter prepare some talking points regarding her academic and extracurricular interests (both - gtown looks for both). if shes genuinely interested in the school, dont be afraid to share that (its generally a plus if the interviewer writes that in the report). the interviewers typically come in cold and dont even have a resume or any grades. while you dont control what the interviewer writes/shares in their report, the interview is an opportunity to add something extra (some polish/sparkle) to your application.

[Anonymous]

Tell her just to get a bottle of water if she doesn’t want anything else. She’s going to be talking so she should sip some liquid throughout but that way she won’t spill anything or look weird for ordering nothing

[Anonymous]

Who buys the coffee or whatever for the applicant - the interviewer or the applicant? I assume the applicant buys their own?

[Anonymous]

GU alum interviews aren't like other schools. It is actually part of admissions but DO NOT STRESS.

It's just different. Like how GU doesn't use Common App and requires scores. It's trying to focus on applicants who've actually done some homework on the school and aren't going on reputation as a "good school."

GU is kind of small with niche undergraduate programs. It can't be all things to all people, so there's no benefit to the school or applicants to wade through artificially generated traffic from test optional policies and Common App.

If she has a good interviewer, it's an opportunity for your daughter to show why she thinks GU might be good for her. She doesn't need to prove that she's good enough for Georgetown.

It's her time to show some of the things that are important to her that she may not have squeezed into her essay.

Are there specific subjects or programs she feels were made for her?

Is she interested in a newer program or an established one?

Are there student groups or communities at GU she's drawn to?

No school is perfect, what are some challenges or concerns she thinks she might face?

For alum questions, please don't ask the open-ended generic ones like "why did you pick Georgetown?"

It's ok to Google the interviewer and ask "how did GU prepare you for xyz in your linked in profile." Or ask their opinion about something you saw in The Hoya. Just make sure it's genuine and not just trying to fill space. 30-45 minutes is not a lot of time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who buys the coffee or whatever for the applicant - the interviewer or the applicant? I assume the applicant buys their own?

It's irrelevant. The purpose is to have the interview in a public, neutral space. Not at a home or in a personal office.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who buys the coffee or whatever for the applicant - the interviewer or the applicant? I assume the applicant buys their own?

It's irrelevant. The purpose is to have the interview in a public, neutral space. Not at a home or in a personal office.

I’m asking for logistical reasons. Can anyone actually answer? And yes, I’m more than aware of how the interviews used to be done and what the concerns were.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who buys the coffee or whatever for the applicant - the interviewer or the applicant? I assume the applicant buys their own?

It's irrelevant. The purpose is to have the interview in a public, neutral space. Not at a home or in a personal office.

I’m asking for logistical reasons. Can anyone actually answer? And yes, I’m more than aware of how the interviews used to be done and what the concerns were.

It looks like there is a lot of discussion on this topic in the other college boards. Sounds like it is best for applicants to arrive early and order own drink prior to interview to avoid any awkwardness over who pays.