How much can an interview help you at Northwestern? Forum

[gregthomas77]

I was thinking about applying to Northwestern (even though it is late in the cycle and I don't have the numbers) because I do have work experience, what I believe to be a unique background, and I believe I can make a compelling argument for myself. I can put all of that in a personal statement, but I am an excellent interviewer and I think it would help me.

But, the question is how much.

It is too late in the cycle for an off campus interview, so I would have to do one on campus (and drive 15 hours to do it). Does anyone have any idea how effective an interview can be as a supplemental tool for getting in to Northwestern?

[SMA22]

It's so late in the cycle that you are up against seats that have already been given away and every applicant that's been WL'ed or held. Many people interviewing now are WL'ed candidates. Your call, but I'd hate to see you drive 15 hours for a 15 minute interview with poor numbers. Try again next year?

[gregthomas77]

It's so late in the cycle that you are up against seats that have already been given away and every applicant that's been WL'ed or held. Many people interviewing now are WL'ed candidates. Your call, but I'd hate to see you drive 15 hours for a 15 minute interview with poor numbers. Try again next year?

Yeah, thats what I am thinking. It'll give me a chance to retake in June.

[joebloe]

The impression I've gotten is that if you don't interview, you probably won't get in unless your numbers make you autoadmit.

[09042014]

The impression I've gotten is that if you don't interview, you probably won't get in unless your numbers make you autoadmit.

There really isn't as objective data on the matter.

OP I wouldn't go unless your numbers give you a shot of getting in.

[gregthomas77]

The impression I've gotten is that if you don't interview, you probably won't get in unless your numbers make you autoadmit.

There really isn't as objective data on the matter.

OP I wouldn't go unless your numbers give you a shot of getting in.

Yeah, it was really more of a long shot thing. Like I said above, I think I will retake in June and use that to decide whether to apply. Plus, next cycle I would have the oppotunity to set up a much closer interview.

[09042014]

The impression I've gotten is that if you don't interview, you probably won't get in unless your numbers make you autoadmit.

There really isn't as objective data on the matter.

OP I wouldn't go unless your numbers give you a shot of getting in.

Yeah, it was really more of a long shot thing. Like I said above, I think I will retake in June and use that to decide whether to apply. Plus, next cycle I would have the oppotunity to set up a much closer interview.

Yea I just stalked your post history. Don't waste the money. Get that LSAT to a 170+ and then try to ED if you can.

[ahduth]

It helped me decide not to apply there.

Note to Northwestern: do not let HR people conduct your interviews.

[09042014]

It helped me decide not to apply there.

Note to Northwestern: do not let HR people conduct your interviews.

You got an HR person? I got a 2L, but she was hot.

[ahduth]

It helped me decide not to apply there.

Note to Northwestern: do not let HR people conduct your interviews.

You got an HR person? I got a 2L, but she was hot.

Yeah, some admissions person. She was really hot too, but she was also a goddamn robot. She had some canned list of questions that I could have filled out on a form on the internet. No concept of how to interpret my resume, and when I asked how Northwestern would help me fulfill my career goals, she appeared to draw a complete blank.

I dunno, the whole thing left me really irritated that Northwestern decided it was cool to just waste my time by putting her in front of me. My irritation is probably pretty obvious at this point. All that being said, I probably should have found out if she was single.

[SMA22]

Now I'm angry that I didn't get a hot guy...

[jswilson27]

...but she was also a goddamn robot. She had some canned list of questions that I could have filled out on a form on the internet. No concept of how to interpret my resume, and when I asked how Northwestern would help me fulfill my career goals, she appeared to draw a complete blank.

I've been sitting on my own frustration since I interviewed at the beginning of October. Now that I've been "held" and subsequently withdrew my application, I feel like it can't hurt to vent a little.

I drove 7 hours to Chicago because I thought it would make an impression that I was more than moderately interested in the school. I was a little annoyed that they didn't ask for my resume in advance, but even more annoyed that the (hot, robotic, and probably one in the same as the above poster's) admissions rep didn't seem to care at all what was on the piece of paper in front of her once she actually had it. After she finished with her 15 canned questions, she did take a peek at my (not insubstantial) work history and then procedued to ask me a) if, having lived in DC, I thought the Real Housewives of DC were an accurate portrayal of the city, and b) what my employee discount is at the retailer I'm currently employed by.

I went into the interview thinking Northwestern was a pretty cool place with an appealing approach to legal education; I left feeling... very different.

[Holly Golightly]

I had an off-campus interview with an alum, and I thought it was a great experience. The guy asked me to email him my resume in advance, he asked me about my previous jobs, told me what professors and classes he liked there, and had a lot to say about Northwestern versus other T14 schools. I guess it just depends on who you get.

(Full disclosure: my alum interview was overseas and I think the guy was really excited to get to interview someone for them. He was also just an awesome person.)

[09042014]

...but she was also a goddamn robot. She had some canned list of questions that I could have filled out on a form on the internet. No concept of how to interpret my resume, and when I asked how Northwestern would help me fulfill my career goals, she appeared to draw a complete blank.

I've been sitting on my own frustration since I interviewed at the beginning of October. Now that I've been "held" and subsequently withdrew my application, I feel like it can't hurt to vent a little.

I drove 7 hours to Chicago because I thought it would make an impression that I was more than moderately interested in the school. I was a little annoyed that they didn't ask for my resume in advance, but even more annoyed that the (hot, robotic, and probably one in the same as the above poster's) admissions rep didn't seem to care at all what was on the piece of paper in front of her once she actually had it. After she finished with her 15 canned questions, she did take a peek at my (not insubstantial) work history and then procedued to ask me a) if, having lived in DC, I thought the Real Housewives of DC were an accurate portrayal of the city, and b) what my employee discount is at the retailer I'm currently employed by.

I went into the interview thinking Northwestern was a pretty cool place with an appealing approach to legal education; I left feeling... very different.

The interview isn't supposed to be like a job interview. It's to screen out social retards, to gauge interest, and to sell you on NU. I bet interview performance is nearly irrelevant to admissions.

[JD2014]

I had the same experience with my Northwestern interview. They asked me a couple of canned questions (describe a leadership experience, where do you see yourself in 5 years, why are you interested in Northwestern, etc.), discussed my resume briefly, and then told me about some programs at Northwestern. I could have filled out a form and read a view book to get the same exchange.

I think the only point of the interview is to confirm that you’re capable of putting on a suit and acting appropriately, maybe to ensure that you aren’t some kind of brilliant but socially inept person. A good interview is the equivalent of not having any typos on your application: it’s a positive thing, but it’s not going to move you from being waitlisted to being admitted.

The experience also really soured me on Northwestern. For all their talk about being the combining business knowledge and real world experience with a legal education, they really are terrible at conducting interviews and marketing themselves. It really makes it seem like their whole image is just a smokescreen for another overpriced education ($49,444 per year for 2011). My only interest in them now is their ranking, which would lead to better job opportunities. I would probably take a non-t-14 like Vanderbilt or GW over them though.

[Holly Golightly]

The interview isn't supposed to be like a job interview. It's to screen out social retards, to gauge interest, and to sell you on NU. I bet interview performance is nearly irrelevant to admissions.

See: our classmate who vomited twice or three times a the law school before her interview because she was hungover/still drunk.

[gregthomas77]

The interview isn't supposed to be like a job interview. It's to screen out social retards, to gauge interest, and to sell you on NU. I bet interview performance is nearly irrelevant to admissions.

See: our classmate who vomited twice or three times a the law school before her interview because she was hungover/still drunk.

ummm. wow.

[09042014]

But she had big tits and a 173. So fair is fair.

[ahduth]

I went into the interview thinking Northwestern was a pretty cool place with an appealing approach to legal education; I left feeling... very different.

The interview isn't supposed to be like a job interview. It's to screen out social retards, to gauge interest, and to sell you on NU. I bet interview performance is nearly irrelevant to admissions.

The issue here though is that the process is actively excluding people with extensive work experience (like me), who are the very people they're purporting to want.

Everyone who interviewed with an alum seems to have had an entirely different experience. At a corporation, you have that HR person there to screen out the retards, but then you have a real person from the business interview them. That person gauges the true depth of the resume and "sells" the corporation to the candidate.

Here, they seem to have an inadvertently bifurcated process that's screwing them out of some strong candidates. I get HR, and I'm left thinking, Northwestern seems like a bland, degree-granting machine. Holly gets an alum and is left with the impression that Northwestern is a dynamic institution of higher learning. It's a pretty bad set up on their part.

[09042014]

I went into the interview thinking Northwestern was a pretty cool place with an appealing approach to legal education; I left feeling... very different.

The interview isn't supposed to be like a job interview. It's to screen out social retards, to gauge interest, and to sell you on NU. I bet interview performance is nearly irrelevant to admissions.

The issue here though is that the process is actively excluding people with extensive work experience (like me), who are the very people they're purporting to want.

Everyone who interviewed with an alum seems to have had an entirely different experience. At a corporation, you have that HR person there to screen out the retards, but then you have a real person from the business interview them. That person gauges the true depth of the resume and "sells" the corporation to the candidate.

Here, they seem to have an inadvertently bifurcated process that's screwing them out of some strong candidates. I get HR, and I'm left thinking, Northwestern seems like a bland, degree-granting machine. Holly gets an alum and is left with the impression that Northwestern is a dynamic institution of higher learning. It's a pretty bad set up on their part.

TBF the "Northwestern Difference" is all about tricking firms into hiring people. I bet the big difference between NU and a regular school is the lack of K through JD's.

I dunno, the 2L I interviewed with did a good job selling the school.