Northwestern Interview Process: What's it Like? Forum

[Rurik]

Mine was very laid back in the attorney's biglaw office (I think he was only a year or two out of graduation). I wore a suit, but could probably have gotten away with a shirt and slacks. Very friendly chat, no trick questions and the attorney gave me some good advice on law schools and applying.

[elliefont]

just wanted to add my experience from my recent on-campus interview. The adcoms were in non-suit business clothes, but all the applicants were wearing suits except one undergrad girl who was in a turtleneck and dress pants, with somewhat silly dangling earrings. It hurts my creative soul to say this, but she definitely stuck out and not necessarily in a good way.

The other applicants I talked to described their interview as laid back and conversational. Mine was a bit more intense. The questions were mostly standard (describe your undergrad experience... tell me about your leadership qualities... what about you isn't on this resume?) but the delivery was definitely not conversational. I tried to keep the tone relaxed despite feeling under a magnifying glass, and I think I succeeded, but my interviewer was somewhat inscrutable. about 45-50 minutes, 1 page resume.

overall had a great student-led tour, eavesdropped on conversations in the atrium and sat in on a very entertaining Civ Pro class. Felt pretty good about the whole experience and would recommend the on-campus interview to anyone who can make the trip. PLS LET ME IN NU!!

[monkeygirl]

I had my interview on Tuesday with an alumna in New York. Yes, I wore a suit (and yes, I'm female), and so did she. We met at her office but the interview took place at a Starbucks.

I got the two questions already mentioned here: "Why law school?", "Why Northwestern?"
The interview was incredibly friendly and positive. No, probing questions, no abstract questions, and no "traps."

We talked a lot about my resume, which is extremely non-traditional, but I was prepared for that and brought up most of the questions that she was planning to ask before she asked them, at least I think I did. She seemed extremely positive about the school, and she seemed like she was really there to find out why I should get in, instead of why I shouldn't.

My interview was long, almost an hour an a half, but it was such a positive experience that I had no idea that so much time had gone by.

Now, I just have to hope that they take me!

[clint4law]

for those who have already interviewed what kind of questions did you ask your interviewer?

[Dignan]

I had an off-campus interview with an alumnus. We met at his law office. I wore a suit and tie; my interviewer was dressed business casual.

The overall tone was very relaxed. I think the interviewer talked more than I did. He spent a fair amount of time discussing the positives of Northwestern. It made me wonder whether these interviews are supposed to be, among other things, a marketing exercise for the law school. If it is a marketing exercise, I must admit that it worked worked on me: I walked out of the interview more excited about Northwestern than before.

As for the questions that I asked, I asked him his thoughts on the differences between the learning environments at Northwestern and U of C. I also asked him his general thoughts on the job prospects for law school grads in today's economy.

At the end of the interview, the interviewer told me that he sincerely hoped that I got into Northwestern and that he thought I would be a great fit for the school, which I thought was nice. The whole interview was a pleasant experience.

[clint4law]

I had an off-campus interview with an alumnus. We met at his law office. I wore a suit and tie; my interviewer was dressed business casual.

The overall tone was very relaxed. I think the interviewer talked more than I did. He spent a fair amount of time discussing the positives of Northwestern. It made me wonder whether these interviews are supposed to be, among other things, a marketing exercise for the law school. If it is a marketing exercise, I must admit that it worked worked on me: I walked out of the interview more excited about Northwestern than before.

As for the questions that I asked, I asked him his thoughts on the differences between the learning environments at Northwestern and U of C. I also asked him his general thoughts on the job prospects for law school grads in today's economy.

At the end of the interview, the interviewer told me that he sincerely hoped that I got into Northwestern and that he thought I would be a great fit for the school, which I thought was nice. The whole interview was a pleasant experience.

Impressive! Best of luck.

[clint4law]

for those who have already interviewed what kind of questions did you ask your interviewer?

what kind of questions did those of you who interviewed on campus ask?

[ChaotiCait]

My interview is set for December, and in an email my interviewer told me that dress was casual. Not business casual, but casual. I'm a girl, I was thinking I might wear some khakis, a sweater, and some heels? Any thoughts? I feel like this is some sort of test or something even though that sounds rather paranoid

[pissantvache]

Had my interview yesterday with an alumna--I was wearing a suit, and she was wearing professional clothing (but defining women's clothing is always difficult for me).

Interview lasted about an hour, and was fairly intense. Definitely conversational, but some of the questions were about abstract things like the underlying qualities of leadership. There was of course the 'what draws you to NU' and the 'why are you considering law school,' but the others were more difficult.

All in all, I think it went well, but I'm notoriously bad at deducing how my interviews went after the fact.

[ruleser]

Interviewed today. Just basically a +1 to everything that's been said here so far - very nice interviewer, checking to make sure your a normal person, sharing some good points about the school.

[clint4law]

-

[clint4law]

what kind of questions did those of you who interviewed on campus ask the admissions officer?

[texaslawyer]

I'm definitely a non-trad. I see the question being asked "Should I wear a suit ?" Emphatically YES ! Northwestern is a big time school and Chicago is a big time area. Look like you belong there. I usually do well in interviews and I wonder if the questioning would be different for me as opposed to a new graduate ? What do you all think ? Any advice you care to offer, I care to listen.

[09042014]

what kind of questions did those of you who interviewed on campus ask the admissions officer?

I didn't even get an admin officer, I got a 2L.

[Rose Tyler]

I recently interviewed on campus and thought my interviewer was extremely friendly and the interview itself to be rather relaxed. The questions she asked were about my resume, leadership experience, current events, etc., although we definitely got off topic somewhat, and then at the end there's time for you to ask questions.

Definitely dress professionally, as I saw one person come out of the interview wearing jeans and a t-shirt, which shocked me.

And, in case the reminder in the email isn't enough, bring your resume! The guy that came in after me for an interview for some reason didn't bring his resume, but instead asked the guy at the front desk for a blank piece of paper and then proceeded to sit down and write out what I assumed was his resume...

[texaslawyer]

Didn't have his resume ? What the fuck was he thinking ? That's like bringing a knife to a gunfight ! I mean, Northwestern, top school in a top city. C'est la vie ! I guess.

[Rose Tyler]

Didn't have his resume ? What the fuck was he thinking ? That's like bringing a knife to a gunfight ! I mean, Northwestern, top school in a top city. C'est la vie ! I guess.

I was definitely shocked that someone would show up to an interview without a resume copy, but he definitely came in empty handed, said to the guy at the front he didn't have one, and then sat down with a blank piece of white paper and was writing when I went back for my interview, so I'm assuming he was actually writing out his resume.

[MC Southstar]

You should really just figure out what your interviewer expects by having light correspondence ahead of time. I was told to be completely casual and we met in a diner and she didn't even have a copy of my resume out to look at. I was just wearing what I normally wear to work (nice button down, fitted jeans, nike classics) and she was dressed pretty casual as well. I was only asked 3 preprogrammed questions: Why Law? Why NU? and In an ideal world, what would you be doing with a law degree? The rest was just normal conversation, my interviewer was really a pleasure to speak to.

[texaslawyer]

Didn't have his resume ? What the fuck was he thinking ? That's like bringing a knife to a gunfight ! I mean, Northwestern, top school in a top city. C'est la vie ! I guess.

I was definitely shocked that someone would show up to an interview without a resume copy, but he definitely came in empty handed, said to the guy at the front he didn't have one, and then sat down with a blank piece of white paper and was writing when I went back for my interview, so I'm assuming he was actually writing out his resume.

That's like going to home plate witout a bat in your hands. Handwriting a resume ? I would so reject this yahoo for lack of class and not being prepared. I have heard of some outrageous faux pas, but that takes the cake.

[Rose Tyler]

Didn't have his resume ? What the fuck was he thinking ? That's like bringing a knife to a gunfight ! I mean, Northwestern, top school in a top city. C'est la vie ! I guess.

I was definitely shocked that someone would show up to an interview without a resume copy, but he definitely came in empty handed, said to the guy at the front he didn't have one, and then sat down with a blank piece of white paper and was writing when I went back for my interview, so I'm assuming he was actually writing out his resume.

That's like going to home plate witout a bat in your hands. Handwriting a resume ? I would so reject this yahoo for lack of class and not being prepared. I have heard of some outrageous faux pas, but that takes the cake.

Haha, yeah I've read about people doing interesting things at interviews, but this definitely shocked me. I told my dad about it after the interview and asked him what he'd do if someone showed up to interview with him without a resume and he laughed and thought I was joking. Who knows, maybe the guy has a 180/4.33 and thinks resumes are trivial.

[texaslawyer]

Chigal that maybe true, but just because his numbers walk on water doesn't mean he can do things half way.

[texaslawyer]

I recently interviewed on campus and thought my interviewer was extremely friendly and the interview itself to be rather relaxed. The questions she asked were about my resume, leadership experience, current events, etc., although we definitely got off topic somewhat, and then at the end there's time for you to ask questions.

Definitely dress professionally, as I saw one person come out of the interview wearing jeans and a t-shirt, which shocked me.

And, in case the reminder in the email isn't enough, bring your resume! The guy that came in after me for an interview for some reason didn't bring his resume, but instead asked the guy at the front desk for a blank piece of paper and then proceeded to sit down and write out what I assumed was his resume...

I run an insurance practice for a large international insurer. I have literally thrown many job seekers out for not being properly dressed and not having a resume. YOU JUST DON'T DO THAT ! I plan on applying to Northwestern and I WILL COME PREPARED TO DO BUSINESS!!

[regatsrj]

I'm interviewing next week when admissions reps are in DC. Has anyone had one of these off-campus interviews with staff? I'm curious if they're more intense than the typical off-campus alumni interviews.

[washingtonian]

I am also interviewing this week in DC. Would appreciate any tips/feedback from people who have gone through this process. It sounds like the interviews are with Admissions staff, versus alumni.

[roundabout]

Bumpin' it like Snooki. Does anyone else have any comments or suggestions for NU interviews? I'm outlining my interview objectives, answers to common questions, going through stuff on my resume the interviewer might want to discuss . . . it's an off-campus interview with an alum. Any other suggestions from people who've done it? Did anyone get asked questions about legal controversies/recent Supreme Court decisions/anything like that? I'm not as much in the loop as I used to be, living abroad, and wondering if I should just hang out on SCOTUS blog all day tomorrow.