Vanderbilt Interview Forum

[beachbum]

I'm looking for stories and advice. I have an in-person interview with a Vandy alum on Tuesday and I'm not quite sure what to expect. We're meeting in a coffee shop in my current city (this is not an on-campus interview). First, what should I wear? I was thinking that, since the atmosphere is a little less formal, I'd go with a button-down and khakis. Does that sound about right? For what it's worth, I only own one suit and it's black.

Second, should I bring anything else besides a current resume?

And third, any general stories and advice would be more than welcome, particularly from those who've already interviewed. Again, my only interview experience is from the handful of jobs I've held since high school, so this is mostly uncharted territory for me. I consider myself fairly easy-going, but my resume isn't overly impressive and I'm eager to make a good impression (Vandy is high on my list). Thanks a lot.

(I did a forum search but most of the related threads were fairly old and unspecific. Thought I'd get a new one rollin'.)

[rundoxierun]

I did one on-campus earlier this week... pretty standard interview questions. Why law, why vandy, interesting things about yourself, challenge overcome, etc. The one I had was really more for my information than anything else. From the way the interview was conducted I got the idea that it wasnt a huge part of the admissions decision. The current students I spoke to said they didnt even interview at all.

As far as dress goes, just use common sense. No jeans, no t-shirts, no tennis shoes. I wore a sweater, button-up and slacks.

[cesmoc]

I had an in-person interview with an alum last week. My experience was similar to the above poster's, typical interview questions- Why Vanderbilt, why law, what got you interested in law originally. They will ask about your undergraduate experience and your resume in detail.

Really the interview was more of an opportunity to learn about the school so I wouldn't worry too much about it, just research the school beforehand so you can ask questions about it.

In terms of dress, I wore a full suit, but I was meeting my interviewer at his office.

[leopardRAWR]

I did an alumni interview a few weeks ago over breakfast at a casual restaurant. my interviewer told me a suit would not be necessary. We pretty much just had a conversation. I was asked a few questions but nothing super specific. It was incredibly laid back and afterward I felt silly for being so nervous. Very low key.

[AreJay711]

Mine was extremely casual. I don't think that she asked me any of the questions you would think other than the "why law". I think the real reason for the interview is so they know were not some super awkward or asinine person that would make a terrible lawyer. The thing I talked most about was my senior thesis and I really think that I asked more questions that she did. I guess in reality the questions you ask might reveal more about you than the answers you give (which are probably some variation of exactly what they want to hear).

[txsunshine]

I was interviewed by an alum at his law practice. I wore a suit and brought a copy of my resume. The interview was less formal than I expected, with him wanting to know more about my personality and goals than my work history or numbers. I was very fortunate to be interviewed by an alum who shared the same interests I did and we had a great conversation about my extracurricular activities. Essentially, he said Vanderbilt was asking him to assess how I would fit in at the school, intellectually and based on my personality.

[tazmolover]

Does vandy require an interview? FML.

[hipstermafia]

Does vandy require an interview? FML.

Not required but you should interview if you can (and want to go there, of course).

[tazmolover]

Does vandy require an interview? FML.

Not required but you should interview if you can (and want to go there, of course).

So one of those recommended but unless you have a 4.0/180 it's required?

[hipstermafia]

Does vandy require an interview? FML.

Not required but you should interview if you can (and want to go there, of course).

So one of those recommended but unless you have a 4.0/180 it's required?

I'm going to go with highly suggested, rather than required, but yes you should interview if you can interview.

[2014]

Does vandy require an interview? FML.

Not required but you should interview if you can (and want to go there, of course).

So one of those recommended but unless you have a 4.0/180 it's required?

Plenty of people get in without it.

I did an interview with an adcomm at my UG and it was really painless. As was said above, she asked me why law, but was most concerned with why I thought Vandy was a good fit for me. They are proud of their community and atmosphere, so if that entices you, stress that I would say. Their faculty is also apparently really good with communicating with students and helping out with their connections.

Overall I prepared for like 20 minutes reading their website and such, and it was more than enough to show that I was engaged with the process and did my research. Having educated questions is very important too, but TLS should have provided you with no less than 100 questions worth asking.

Some of that will be different given that you are interviewing with an alumni, but it will just be easier as a result. Definitely don't worry.

[CreativityKing]

I had an alumni interview last week. It was in a coffee shop; I wore khakis and a polo and felt slightly overdressed.

My interviewer looked at my resume briefly, said it looked great, asked me "Why law school?" and then said, "Do you have any questions for me?" It was actually really informative for me, but if I hadn't thought about questions I might ask ahead of time it could have been awkward.

[hipstermafia]

I had an alumni interview last week. It was in a coffee shop; I wore khakis and a polo and felt slightly overdressed.

My interviewer looked at my resume briefly, said it looked great, asked me "Why law school?" and then said, "Do you have any questions for me?" It was actually really informative for me, but if I hadn't thought about questions I might ask ahead of time it could have been awkward.

This was almost my exact experience, completely harmless interview.

[beachbum]

Awesome, thanks a lot everyone. My interview is scheduled for tomorrow morning in a coffee shop, so any last-minute advice would be appreciated. Does anyone have any unique/particularly effective questions they asked their interviewer?

[rundoxierun]

I'm going to go with highly suggested, rather than required, but yes you should interview if you can interview.

Even "highly suggested" is too strong. It is completely, and literally, optional. Spoke to about 10 1Ls when I was there. Only one of them interviewed.

With that said, I highly suggest you visit Vandy's campus and sit in a class. Student body was AMAZING. Great location. Overall fabulous school. I would definitely be happy attending.

[hipstermafia]

I'm going to go with highly suggested, rather than required, but yes you should interview if you can interview.

Even "highly suggested" is too strong. It is completely, and literally, optional. Spoke to about 10 1Ls when I was there. Only one of them interviewed.

With that said, I highly suggest you visit Vandy's campus and sit in a class. Student body was AMAZING. Great location. Overall fabulous school. I would definitely be happy attending.

eh, maybe. My interviewer said they are very proud of the culture at vanderbilt and they are trying to interview more in order to maintain that.

She's just one person though so take that for what its worth.

[beachbum]

Update: the interview went really well. This was the first one my interviewer had conducted, but she was very cordial and easy to talk to. It was pretty informal: it felt much more like a law-oriented conversation than an admissions interview. I wasn't asked anything unexpected- had the usual why law/why Vanderbilt type questions. The whole thing took place at a coffee shop and I came wearing a button-down and khakis, which I felt was appropriate. It lasted a little over an hour: most of the time was spent talking about me, but I was able to ask her some questions (i.e. work/legal market/Vandy experience) towards the end of the interview. Overall a great experience. For a potential boost to my application, it was well worth it.

[almostfamous]

Just scheduled my interview. It's going to be at the office of a partner of a local firm near the town where I live. He's older (i.e. has been practicing for the better part of 50 years) and its going to be in his office, so I'm assuming its going to be more formal. Would dress pants/skirt and a jacket be necessary or would I be okay with nice pants and a blouse?? Either way I'm definitely going to have to go shopping, I don't have any dress clothes

[Lwoods]

Just scheduled my interview. It's going to be at the office of a partner of a local firm near the town where I live. He's older (i.e. has been practicing for the better part of 50 years) and its going to be in his office, so I'm assuming its going to be more formal. Would dress pants/skirt and a jacket be necessary or would I be okay with nice pants and a blouse?? Either way I'm definitely going to have to go shopping, I don't have any dress clothes

I'm guessing you're female. If so, I would err on the side of caution and wear a conservative dress or skirt suit with hose (full disclosure: I did not wear hose with my skirt suit for my NU off-campus interview, but the alumna who interviewed me is in her 30s and it was a 90-degree day). You may be overdressed, but better over than under, particularly when meeting with a 70-something gentleman. If you go the skirt suit route, I'd recommend a nice blouse over a button-down. That way you can make a last minute decision to keep or lose the jacket based on the weather and/or firm atmosphere.

[DaveBear07]

I've just scheduled mine as well. 'Tis over skype, Monday afternoon. He works in the region I grew up in and went to my undergrad so I'm hopeful it will go well.

[almostfamous]

mine went to my undergrad too. I'm hoping it'll lead to a pretty good "is such-and-such still there" discussion or talking about basketball/football. guess i'll have to fork over the cash for a suit then :/