Northwestern Interview Process: What's it Like? Forum

[MURPH]

My interview was really easy. She asked about my work experience before and after college, why I picked my major, why law, why Northwestern. All softball questions. Part of the reason for the interview is to sell northwestern to you so they won't make you squirm. I had a few questions prepared for them that I couldn't find the answers to on the web site.

[World B. Free]

Did you interview on campus, or somewhere else?

[MURPH]

Skype, I am in Hawaii.

[Thirteen]

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.

I intervieved Thursday. I wore a sweater, tie, and dress pants. The questions were standard interview questions, but be prepared to tell the interviewer why you want Northwestern. My interviewer didn't ask about recent legal controversies, but she asked me to discuss current events I've been following and a recent book I've read. The interview was very conversational and informal, and my interviewer did a great job of selling Northwestern. Good luck!

[Aeroplane]

Didn't read the whole thread, sorry if someone already said this: one thing that jumped out at me during the interview was that they asked explicitly where else I had applied. Be prepared to handle this question (which does not mean that you must answer it by ticking off all your other applications).

[Holly Golightly]

I had an off-campus interview with an alum, and it was actually a very pleasant experience. He asked me about my resume, and I actually ended up explaining a couple of the programs I'm interested in at Northwestern, because he didn't know about them. He also did a great job of selling Northwestern, and like other people said, he also asked what other schools I was applying to.

[roundabout]

This is all really helpful- thanks everyone. Beatrice, I take it you've applied to the JD-LLM in human rights? Me too. The guy I'm interviewing with works in the corporate world, whereas my experience is pretty strictly public interest, but from my Google stalking I think we can find common ground in discussing international law. The fact that we're meeting at his fancy corporate office is motivating me to dust off the suit I haven't worn since college.

[Holly Golightly]

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[scribelaw]

I would guess this varies signifigantly depending on your interviewer...But mine was a really pleasant experience. I interviewed with a NU alum who was a law professor at a TTT.

He really only had a few formal questions, generic stuff -- what do you want to do in law, why NU, what do you know about NU. And I have a lot of WE, so he asked about that and how it might fit in with my law goals.

At the end, he gave me his e-mail and offered to help me during the process with questions, etc.

I wore a suit to the interview. I figured if I want to be a lawyer, I'd dress like one.

My advice is to read as much as you can about NU beforehand, and come up with a few specific questions to ask the interviewer either about the school or specific areas of law. Also, I think more than with the PS, it's important to come into the interview with a coherent story on why you want to go to law school and what your after-LS plans are.