How did the interview impress you?

Positively

What was the stress level of the interview?

5 out of 10

How long was the interview?

25 minutes

Where did the interview take place?

At the school

How many people interviewed you?

1

What was the style of the interview?

One-on-one

What type of interview was it?

Open file

What is one of the specific questions they asked you (question 1)?

"How do you like <my undergrad institution>?" Report Response

What is one of the specific questions they asked you (question 2)?

"What was your favorite biology course? (I'm a bio major.)" Report Response

What is one of the specific questions they asked you (question 3)?

"He asked about my parents' occupations." Report Response

What was the most interesting question?

"Nothing too interesting. The interviewer didn't ask the really cliched questions (e.g. "Tell me about yourself"), but his questions were pretty straightforward." Report Response

What was the most difficult question?

"I was asked about gene arrays (like on microchips), after mentioning I took genetics. Of course, we didn't discuss that in the class, and that's one subject I haven't read as much about. But I think I got out of it pretty well...I hope!" Report Response

How did you prepare for the interview?

"I read over my Columbia application. I also read a booklet my preprof advising office gave me -- the interview was so early, their mock interview sessions hadn't started yet." Report Response

What impressed you positively?

"All of the students were so friendly. The room where the prospective students sit has a coffee machine that the 1st years use during the breaks in class, and they all wanted to chat with us. A 2nd year stopped by to talk as well. The tour guides were similarly very nice and open." Report Response

What impressed you negatively?

"I had a 9AM interview, so I was back at about 9:30. There were no planned events til noon (the tour), so I observed classes for 2 hours or so. I would have liked more organized activities (or a later interview time). I later found that most of the others had afternoon interviews." Report Response

What did you wish you had known ahead of time?

"$20 cab ride from Washington Heights to Penn Station -- I don't know if the convenience of a cab is worth that much compared to the subway." Report Response

What are your general comments?

"It was my first interview, so I don't have anything to compare it to. The interview was relaxed, but still not completely conversational. That may be because the interviews are notoriously short -- he didn't let the conversation go off into one topic for an extended length of time. The best part was interacting with all the students." Report Response

Who was the tour given by?

Student

On what date did the interview take place?

09/18/2002