In today’s episode of “College Admissions Real Talk”, Dr. Legatt talks about googling your college interviewer.
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Transcript:
VO: Welcome to College Admissions Real Talk with Dr. Aviva Legatt, a podcast for students seeking to get admitted to top-tier colleges. Each episode will feature an important tip for your college admission success, delivered with candor and love. If you’ve ever wanted to take a peek inside the mind of a college admissions officer, this is your chance. Have a question? Text Dr. Legatt at 610-222-5762. So, what’s your dream school?
AL: Welcome to College Admissions Real Talk. This is Dr. Aviva Legatt, founder and Elite Admissions Expert at Ivy Insight. Today, we are going to be discussing why you should Google your interviewer before your college interview. Many of my clients are hesitant to research their interviewer before they actually show up to meet them. Some people are worried. They’re confusing researching someone with publicly available information with cyberstalking. Let me throw out this myth right now. It’s not cyberstalking to research someone using Google and social media. In fact, it’s actually called doing your homework before you get the test. You got it? So when you get that notification in your inbox for an alumni interview, you are going to be given the interviewers name and contact information so that you can coordinate a time. Once you receive this information and schedule your interview, what you should do first is spend some time reviewing their professional and educational background. You can accomplish this by going on the social media network LinkedIn. And, by the way, if you’re not on LinkedIn, it might be a good idea for you to join as long as your parents agree to that. So, when you go on LinkedIn, you’re going to be able to find out when the person graduated and what subject they studied and what they are doing for work today. Who knows? Maybe you or even your parents have connections in common with this person and this is something that you can raise at the interview. Before you arrive to meet with the alum you should always prepare a few questions in advance and the research can go into this but it doesn’t necessarily have to align with exactly what you’re asking them. When you form your questions, though, it’s helpful to picture who you’re going to be talking to. For example, if you know that someone that you’re meeting with for your interview was an alum of the school you want to attend but they graduated in architecture or a program that wasn’t at all related to what you’re planning to study, you know that you’re not going to ask them about your exact major because they had a completely different experience from you. They’re not going to know the answer to any questions you might have about that major. The big rule of thumb, though, for asking questions of any alumni interviewer: Do not assume that the alumni know anything about the resources you’re interested in and that they have current knowledge of the college where you’re hoping to attend. This is going to actually catch them off guard if you ask a question about a specific resource on campus because many alums have not visited campus in years, may not live nearby, and they have moved forward to other aspects of their lives. Universities are constantly changing resources and supports available and the alumni is not equipped to answer these kinds of specific questions that you have about your experience on campus. So, rather than ask those information-seeking types of questions, instead ask general questions requesting advice from these alumni. Example questions include “what were some favorite things that helped you to succeed when you went to college?” “What’s a great memory that you have from attending this college?” “What advice do you have for me as I enter College next year?” As you ask them these advice related questions. The interviewer will be very impressed with how earnest you are and be delighted to talk about their happy memories of their alma mater. Until next time, this is Dr. Aviva Legatt.
VO: College Admissions Real Talk is hosted by Aviva Legatt, edited by Stephanie Carlin, and produced by Incontrera Consulting. I’m Caroline Stokes and this has been your daily boost of college admissions insight. Have a question? Text Dr. Legatt at 610-222- 5762. For more information on Dr. Legatt and Ivy Insight visit www.ivyinsight.com. And you can pick up Dr. Legatt’s book, “Get Real and Get In”, at major retail outlets across the world. Insight out.
