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[Pneumonia]

Pneumonia’s 1k: Interview Tips

I was interviewed and accepted at: Vanderbilt, Northwestern UVA, and Harvard. I was also offered interviews at Chicago and Cornell but withdrew before the interview dates.

For all of the schools above I am <25th GPA and >75th LSAT, so by no means a lock. Especially at Harvard and UVA I know several people on here and in real life that were rejected or waitlisted with better numbers, and given that I don’t have extraordinary softs I think that the interviews have something to do with my acceptances. For this post I’ll give an overview of the interviews by school, and then some general advice at the end.

Vanderbilt:

I interviewed with their main admissions officer (RW) early in the semester at my undergrad. He was conducting interviews all day and I ended up being the last one so we were able to talk about 15 or 20 minutes longer than the allotted 30, which was nice. The interview was prior to my applying so he had no idea what my number were, but he was very engaging and extremely warm the entire time. It was really laid back, and it was clear that he was trying hard to make me feel at ease. This was the first interview that I did so I was nervous going in but it quickly became just a normal conversation.

I did not prepare at all for it other than to think about “Why Law” and “Why Vanderbilt” the night before. He asked me about my goals in a general sense, but nothing to specific. He did very specifically ask “Why Vanderbilt” and I could tell that the answer to that question was important to him. I am from the south and want to work in Texas, so those were what I made the point of my answer and that seemed to go over well.

The interview seemed to be about three main things: 1) Determining why I wanted to go to Vanderbilt, 2) Determining whether or not I was a sociable person (not just socially capable, but actually sociable), and 3) selling me on Vanderbilt/Nashville. Again he didn’t know my GPA or LSAT score, so I would guess that this format is fairly standard. To be fair my resume, which I sent in ahead of time but which he did not seem to have read, listed that I teach for an LSAT prep company, but even with that on there the only question he asked about numbers was: “So I see that you teach the LSAT, has learning more about it made you want to retake?” That causality is reversed, but it didn’t seem to matter much and by that point the interview was very obviously more about just finding out whether or not I was capable of carrying a conversation than it was about numbers.

I would advise trying to interview if at all possible, and to do so in person at your UG if you can. If you are out of school check your local UG’s for info or contact the prelaw office if you can’t find anything. Most of these types of interviews, where the Law School visits to conduct them, happen in August-October at the latest. My pre-law office was very receptive to allowing alums and non-alums participate and sign up for any informational sessions, and I think its worth doing if you can, so be proactive and check! I was accepted about 5 or 6 days after submitting my application.

Northwestern:

In many ways the NU interview was the opposite of the Vandy interview. I scheduled it through my UG: the prelaw office let me know that the NU adcoms would be in town to conduct interviews so I set one up. Again I know people that ended up interviewing with my interviewer (AB) who were not alums of my UG, but they found out that she would be in the area and ended up being able to meet with her.

I used the guide that Regulus posted to prepare. I went through each of the questions a few nights before and considered what I would say. The ones that she asked were:
-What are you most proud of?
-What is the hardest decision you’ve made?
-What is your favorite undergrad class?
-Who has given you the best career advice and what was that advice?
-What is your leadership style?
-Why are you attracted to NU?
For each of them I had a decent answer, except for the last one which I completely stumbled through. I was really worried about answering it so poorly, but I to recover I tried to give examples of my leadership and leadership style in answering subsequent questions and I think that was effective.

We met at a local coffee shop and she was a few minutes late but she gave me some extra time at the end so we had a full 45 minutes together. From what I’d read on here I knew that she’d be expecting a suit so that is what I wore, and she was dressed equivalently.

For the NU interview I think it is extremely important to be very professional, and to convey that professional-ness is something important to you. For the “Why NU” question I answered that I wanted to be in an environment where I could learn from the students as much as from the professors and I think that that was an effective answer. Additionally, she had not seen my LSAT score or GPA either, and I think NU makes a point of interviewing in absence of that knowledge, especially for alumni interviews. The whole thing was fairly formal, although courteous. We went through my resume line by line and she asked specific questions about each thing on it. The general format was Resume question – question from above – resume question, etc. Definitely be prepared to answer questions about why you began positions, why you left them, what you liked about them, and what you learned from them. She did not ask any questions about my academic career or grades other than the what my favorite UG class was. Even for that question I got the sense that she wanted an answer that was at least tangentially related to my career goals.

For what it’s worth I saw the sheet she was using and it was the exact one that is posted in this thread.

Virginia

I was offered a UVA interview via skype about 3 months after I initially applied. It seemed to be for YP purposes in that the thing my interviwer (JD) was most interested in was whether or not I would actually come and whether or I would be a good fit if I did. He asked me “Why UVA” and that was really the only question. Other than that we just chatted about life in Charlottesville and he generally just sold me on how awesome the school was. For the question I gave a general answer about wanting to stay in the south etc. He offered to put me in contact with some alums in my area and I was happy to have that opportunity.

UVA was the last on I did, and, having already gotten into Harvard, I neglected to prepare for it at all. It still went well though and I ended up getting accepted later that week.

Harvard

The big one. By the time I had this I had already done Vandy and NU, and that experience was really invaluable for being comfortable in the Harvard interview. I had gotten to answer “why law” a few times and so had a coherent way of answering it which gave me confidence, and even though my interviewer (not JS) didn’t ask that question it was a good feeling to have going in. Even if you’re good at interviewing I’d recommend trying to do so with a few other schools or at least setting up some mock interviews so that you know you’ll be comfortable.

I prepared for this interview more than all of the other combined. Not counting those other interviews it was probably about 4 hours total that I spent preparing. This includes researching the school/clinics/profs to generate questions, getting Skype setup, getting the lighting right, and getting my clothes ready (I wore a dark button up and a blazer). One thing I did was blatantly copy Regulus by trolling the student org pages looking for defunct orgs that were related to my interests, then ask my interviewer what it would take to get those orgs started again. This showed that I’d done research and that I was ready to contribute to the community, but given that at least two people have done it now that question might have lost a little of its value. In addition to this I asked two other questions. The first was very general: how is X community at Harvard? Obviously a softball but I was interested in the answer.

The other question I asked wasn’t about Harvard specifically but instead was about how to succeed generally in my given career path. At ASW my interviewer recognized me and knew my name before I even checked and she specifically commended me on the question that I asked and said that it made me stand out as a candidate. She remembered the exact question too, even though I didn’t. I think what made my question stand out was that it was that it showed I had actively considered my given career path and also the challenges that usually accompany it. I think a lot of people ask question about the school in a “why should I go here” type of way (not that this is bad). I think asking for advice related to a career in law generally showed that I was going to pursue X career no matter where I was accepted, and I think that made me an attractive candidate. Who knows though.

I honestly don’t remember any of the questions that she asked me other than that hardly any of them were general or could have been expected. They were all very specific to my resume and to my personal statment. My GPA is below Harvard’s 25th by quite a bit, so one thing I expected to be asked was why it was so low etc, and she did ask that. I think this shows that it is important to know your weaknesses going in, and to prepare for how to address them. Other than that the questions weren’t at all the sort that could be prepared for. I interviewed in late January and got accepted about a month later.

I think the thing she was most interested in finding out was how competent I was as a person, student, employee and how secure I was in that competency. I made a point to answer confidently, take time to think when I needed it, talk slow, be polite but also lighthearted, and overall to just treat it professionally. I think a certain amount of deference to the interviewer is expected, but also that expecting them to run the whole thing can come across as a weaknesses. A tendency can be to treat the interview like a boss-employee relationship, but I think that treating it as a collaborative effort between two parties is more helpful and to both. I will reiterate that TACT IS NECESSARY in this approach.

A couple of times she interrupted me while I was thinking and I let her know, extremely politely of course, that I would appreciate a little more time to answer the previous question before moving on to the next one. Obviously this requires tact, but I think the message it conveys is one of confidence and respect. Those two things seemed especially important. To sum up this point I would say that I felt like Harvard was looking for “adults,” in composure at least if not in life circumstance (I’m pretty much a K-JD). Do not read this and think “oh, I just need to alpha this thing” because that is not what I mean by “act like an adult.”

Lastly on Harvard I will say this: I think they really appreciate both clearly defined and ambitious goals. Maybe others have some alternative experiences, but to me it seemed that, despite what they may say, “I hope to find my calling in law school” was not a good answer to the “why law” question. Additionally, they seemed to be looking for ambitious goals as well. For example, I answered that I wanted to work with juveniles and the immediate response was “have you considered policy?” From the tone of the question it was clear that the answer she was looking for was “yes.” I think it would have been fine to say, something like “actually no, I’m hoping to start an activist org etc…..” The main point is that big ambition seemed to be a clear value as did knowing what you wanted to study in law school. With this point please keep in mind that whatever you say needs to agree with your resume and with your Personal Statement.

Edit: KB kindly posted some thoughts on "Why Law" here:
http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... &start=330

General Advice:

-If you mess up a question it’s ok, just try to answer it again during other questions. At NU I messed up a “leadership” question, but used the subsequent questions as springboards to talk about leadership.

-Be secure in yourself and your accomplishments. If they don’t seem like a big deal on paper or if they in fact actually aren’t a big deal at all, try to convey the effort that went into them rather than making up other stuff that you might have done.

-Be coherent. Don’t let your story start with the LSAT or end with a law degree. Instead, start with a passion, and talk about what you want to do with your degree (even if you have to make something up).

-Act more like a colleague and less like a student. Collaborate with your interviewers rather than just sitting quietly until they ask you the next question. This does not mean that you should try to control the conversation, but just that you can have and should have a hand in how it develops.

-Own up to your weaknesses, and take responsibility for them. Don’t bring it up out of the gate like it’s something you're insecure about, but do be expecting the question at some point.

-Own up to your mistakes in the interview and to conversational faux pas: awkwardness is bad. During my Harvard interview I was very clearly using notes to ask some of my questions, and had a copy of my resume clearly in hand. I made a joke about both which I think is much better than trying to hide that you’re using notes or putting sticky notes on your screen.

-For skype interviews minimize the size of the window and put it near your camera. LOOKING INTO THE CAMERA IS HUGE! I had someone skype with me just looking at my “screen” eyes while I was testing my connection and it was much, much worse than when they looked into the camera.

-I think the “cutout a pic of your bestie” advice from in this thread is generally bad advice because body language is important and it’s important to see what your interviewer is doing. This is not at odds with the previous point.

-Don’t overprepare. No one is trying to trap you. They are just normal people that want to learn a little more about who you are as a person. You wouldn’t prepare a shit ton of notes for a date so don’t do it for this, it’s unnecessary and you risk coming off as overly prepared and weird. Imagine this in a date scenario and that is what I mean. If you’re the kind of person that has not been on a date and/or the prepping notes for a date thing seems like a good idea then try doing a lot of mock interviews rather than spending time writing out responses. They way people perceive you socially is a legitimate thing to work on, and mock interviews can help with that. Locking yourself in a room and memorizing stuff will do the opposite.

-As I’ve alluded to I did not prepare very much at all for any of the interviews. I should note that in general I am shy and reserved and can definitely be awkward socially. The key to overcoming this is to see the interviews for what they are: the school and the interviewer are already interested in you, otherwise they wouldn’t be interviewing you. Yes the returns on a successful interview can be huge in terms of admissions, but stressing out about those returns is a great way to make sure you never realize them. Just be confident and be yourself. Talk slow and treat the process collaboratively. Use the other resources in this thread. You’ll do great!

[Mr. Elshal]

I figured I'd come back and add this little tidbit. I had a Skype interview this semester (with a law firm, not a school), and they actually asked me if I was wearing pants. Thankfully, I was in full interview attire. Just a heads up that you shouldn't risk being the guy in a dress shirt, jacket, tie, speedo, and flip flops.

[xylocarp]

bumping for the new cycle since I'm currently interview prepping. thanks so much to everyone who shared their thoughts here; there is some seriously great advice ITT.

[20141023]

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[KMart]

If I was an interviewer I would always ask the pants question just to laugh at the awkwardness of the outfit.

[ReadyforLawSchool]

Washington University- St. Louis

Those of you who have had an interview with WUSTL, what was it like? What types of questions were asked?

[phillywc]

Washington University- St. Louis

Those of you who have had an interview with WUSTL, what was it like? What types of questions were asked?

I've heard the WUSTL interview was much more of a sales pitch to the applicant than anything.

[mccllln2]

Could anyone elaborate on what the interview was like with UVA? It seems to be a different person conducting the interviews than last year, at least for me.

[smile0751]

Tag.

[FloridaCoastalorbust]

Interview w/ Chicago via Skype.

Why [Undergrad school] and [major]?
Tell me about your current job.
Why law school?
Why Chicago?
If you could redo one thing in your life, what would it be?
Greatest accomplishment?
How would your professors describe you?
If you could have a conversation with anyone, living or dead, who would it be and why?
Any points you want me to especially emphasize with the admissions committee?
Any questions for me?

[Moltenmama]

Interview w/ Chicago via Skype.

Why [Undergrad school] and [major]?
Tell me about your current job.
Why law school?
Why Chicago?
If you could redo one thing in your life, what would it be?
Greatest accomplishment?
How would your professors describe you?
If you could have a conversation with anyone, living or dead, who would it be and why?
Any points you want me to especially emphasize with the admissions committee?
Any questions for me?

Thanks for sharing. That conversation one would probably throw me off I hate those what-if questions.

[kadyevna]

this thread really helped me a lot, had my interview with reagan butler today.. It went okay, lasted 25 min (i know its LONG! good or bad sign?) she asked me for 11-12 questions, i don't remember all but here is a list (pretty much in this order)

Walk me through your academic history, Why [college] and [major]?
Why law?
Why law now?
Why Chicago?
What is your greatest accomplishment?
If you could go back in time and redo one thing in your life, what would it be?
How would your professors describe you?
Have you ever had a time when you were out of your element or comfort zone?
Any points you want me to especially emphasize with the admissions committee?
Do you have any questions for me?

she was very nice and taking notes, english is my third language so I worried that she couldn't understand everything I say (never used Skype before) there are few places where I could express myself better, but it went okay.. (just okay before i second guess everything)

PM for stats or any details, we also touched some other questions that she didn't asked me directly:

What are you looking for in a law school?
Who most influenced your decision to go to law school?
Resume related questions

hope this helps!! now the anxious waiting begin! best of luck to you all!

[kadyevna]

this thread really helped me a lot, had my interview with reagan butler today.. It went okay, lasted 25 min (i know its LONG! good or bad sign?) she asked me for 11-12 questions, i don't remember all but here is a list (pretty much in this order)

Walk me through your academic history, Why [college] and [major]?
Why law?
Why law now?
Why Chicago?
What is your greatest accomplishment?
If you could go back in time and redo one thing in your life, what would it be?
How would your professors describe you?
Have you ever had a time when you were out of your element or comfort zone?
Any points you want me to especially emphasize with the admissions committee?
Do you have any questions for me?

she was very nice and taking notes, english is my third language so I worried that she couldn't understand everything I say (never used Skype before) there are few places where I could express myself better, but it went okay.. (just okay before i second guess everything)

PM for stats or any details, we also touched some other questions that she didn't asked me directly:

What are you looking for in a law school?
Who most influenced your decision to go to law school?
Resume related questions

hope this helps!! now the anxious waiting begin! best of luck to you all!

oh the missing question here is

what would you do if law school is not an option?

[OxOx19888]

Just received a Harvard Skype interview offer...how long does it generally take to get a response after the interview?

[nothingtosee]

Just received a Harvard Skype interview offer...how long does it generally take to get a response after the interview?

At this point ~2 weeks-5 months

[Tr3]

Chicago interview was lackluster, but I suppose that's my fault. I got most of the questions listed in this thread with the addition of "describe yourself in 3 adjectives and why".

Chi interviews are 20 minutes, but I've read other posts reporting shorter actual lengths; but mine went 25 mins (not sure if that's good or bad). Who knows what will come of it! Good luck to everyone interviewing.

[Pneumonia]

A response to a PM, regarding HLS interviews specifically (to be taken as perspective not gospel):

As far as leadership goes I would say that the kind of things B-schools look for would be excellent in an HLS interview, but waaaay more than necessary.

The introduction of the interview was a trend towards more b-school style admissions criteria (at least that was the goal), so it would be a mistake to think of it as an intellectual rather than operational hurdle. It is true that law school admissions generally are academically driven, but the interview at HLS is a one piece of the a larger application. It has a distinct purpose (just like PS is different than resume and LSAT) and that purpose is to see who you are as a person.

Person-ability and confidence are the two big things their looking for in my opinion, followed by leadership, teamwork, and articulate thinking. As you can see these are all very traditionally thought of as b-school skills, and again that is intentional on the part of HLS. They will not dive too deep into anything, and the vast majority of applicants experience is that the interviewer is trying to help you show your strengths rather than root out a hidden weakness. In this way it is non-adversarial, and thus less high pressure/stress than a b-school interview.

The same kind of experiences that b-schools would value or highly valued by law schools, but again most law school applicants have much less of that kind of experience than their b-school counterparts so it is not a necessary component (ie b-school wouldn't care if you co-managed a Panera, whereas law school would see that as valuable work experience). You will not be expected to provide as much detail about what you did, but you should think about how to explain it clearly and concisely so that the interviewer gets an idea of what was accomplished and what you contributed to that accomplishment.

For your last paragraph, tact is huge. I didn't really take notes, but my interviewer did (interviewers are random, but come from a list of 4-5 people in the admissions office; you can find out who on the website). I said things like "may I think for a moment," or "that's an interesting question, may I consider an response before answering?" All very conversational, the same way that I would talk to a respected adult or peer. I don't think I ever paused for more than a few seconds, and certainly didn't write out a response (again, think how strange that would be if you were having coffee with a friend).

For making sure I completely answered questions (I only did this once or twice), I just said "I'd like to add something to my previous response before moving forward" after the interviewer had asked a question. This again is very conversational, but accounts for the increased formality of the interview.

So short points I would say that

1) law schools introduced interviews almost exclusively to have an opportunity to assess applicants person-ability, professional demeanor, poise, and ability to articulate ideas simply and quickly. They are not looking for the facts you will tell them, but how you tell them. Content is not unimportant, but it is secondary to form in this case.

2) Part of your professional demeanor is how well you are able to make someone feel comfortable yet respected. This is something attorneys must do with their clients- you want to be subordinate yet conversational. It can be difficult, but that's what you're going for. I'd say overly formal is superior to the reverse, but candidates should make an effort to let their personality show through and make the interview feel enjoyable.

[terrier27]

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[qgprhtnf]

One UChicago interview I got that's (I think) not in the thread yet was: Which person do you admire the most?

[ChemEng1642]

I got another interested Chicago one that's not been previously mentioned:

"If you were in a court room and had to decide which member to be - Judge, Jury, or Lawyer - who would you pick and why?"

[dweldon]

Had my HLS interview a few weeks ago. My interviewer was a 20-something year old guy who works in the admissions office--I think he was a Harvard grad student…The whole thing seemed kind of weird. One of his questions was him essentially asking me how I was going to emotionally deal with leaving college.
I thought there were only two women who ran the interviews? Any thoughts on what this means for my application?

[hillz]

Had my HLS interview a few weeks ago. My interviewer was a 20-something year old guy who works in the admissions office--I think he was a Harvard grad student…The whole thing seemed kind of weird. One of his questions was him essentially asking me how I was going to emotionally deal with leaving college.
I thought there were only two women who ran the interviews? Any thoughts on what this means for my application?

There is a male staff member in the HLS admissions office, as well as several females. The person who is chosen to interview you has no bearing on the admissions decision, i.e. just because someone has Dean Soban herself doesn't mean that they are a stronger candidate.

[Oskosh]

I don't have a suit. Would a nice dress shirt/plaid shirt suffice?

[KMart]

I don't have a suit. Would a nice dress shirt/plaid shirt suffice?

Depends on the school and location. Alum for coffee? Sure. Alum in their office? No.