is there a round table?

[lostbunny]

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Just for curiosity's sake, and because we are/will be awaiting our fate for this year's cycle... how do they actually discuss the applicants? Do they sit at a round table and pass each one on, and then discuss the person together? Do they email points about each person and do it individually? Do they get drunk at the pub, then come in the next day hung over and hammer over the applicants?

Or is it done in a more systematic way, like one person looks at experience, gives the applicant the 'go', next person looks at references, etc?

Anyone know for sure? OR anyone have any thoughts, theories or suspicions? 🙂

 

[Coquette22]

As another poster said... Monkeys with a dartboard.

 

[lostbunny]

As another poster said... Monkeys with a dartboard.

Yes I remember that one too- though do you think they'd have to keep the monkeys separate? :S

 

[shortnsweet]

Yes I remember that one too- though do you think they'd have to keep the monkeys separate? :S

Must....resist...monkeys...and...things going bananas... joke.....😛

 

[JSpitz]

Must....resist...monkeys...and...things going bananas... joke.....😛

where are the poop throwing jokes? 😕

 

[Cautionary Tail]

where are the poop throwing jokes? 😕

Just glad I didn't have to be the one to say it... 😀

 

[jmo1012]

infectious diseases anyone?

 

[alwayslistening]

one person sits down and goes eenie-meenie-miney-mo

 

[libster06]

Do they sit at a round table and pass each one on, and then discuss the person together?

Yes.

Do they email points about each person and do it individually?

Yes.

Do they get drunk at the pub, then come in the next day hung over and hammer over the applicants?

Yes.

Or is it done in a more systematic way, like one person looks at experience, gives the applicant the 'go', next person looks at references, etc?

Yes.

Anyone know for sure? OR anyone have any thoughts, theories or suspicions?

Yes.

 

[Mohorsegirl]

I was on the committee for choosing Presidential Scholars (full ride) for St. Louis U, and how we did it was:

1.) Applicants were scored on academics and essays by different people

2.) Applicants who had highest scores on those were interviewed. Before the interview, we (group of three people) read over the applicant's stats and essays, made positive/negative remarks to each other, then ushered in the applicant. After the interview, we had a very candid discussion about the applicant and then each wrote down numerical scores for the applicant in different categories like "Presence", "Charisma", "Technical Knowledge," etc...

I had fun discussing each interviewee because each one was so different. And although we never made fun of anyone, some definitely stood out and we were very candid with each other when we didn't think someone was "right" for the scholarship. What we were looking for were people that were going to go out and do things, and make a name for SLU, not just "smart" people.

That said, even though we didn't let political views hinder our analysis of someone, we did "prod" them about said views if they wrote their essays on them (abortion, gay marriage, etc). One, because they're interesting, and two, we wanted to see if they could keep on their feet in an argument (and we always prefaced the question with: "There is no correct answer to this question.") Oh, and three, because if they want to be doctors (most people go to SLU for pre-med cause it's a medical school) they need to be able to interact with patients who have differing views than them.

So, if you're not comfortable discussing something, it's not a good idea to write it in your essays. Actually, it's probably not a good idea for your essays anyways in case you get someone who is REALLY one side or another. Some interviewees got very nervous when probed, some began to shine.

One that impressed us most kept on her feet even when us interviewers messed up, lol. Almost all applicants were on the pre-med track, but I had forgotten this one wanted to be a lawyer. So, even though we asked her things like "If you have a free clinic in Uganda, and you have somebody that keeps abusing the free care, such as someone who keeps smoking even though the have emphysema, while you are running out of money to care for the people that are actually making an effort to change to a healthier lifestyle, what do you do?" (yes, we asked tough questions- the 5 people who got the scholarship got a free ride to SLU, a top medical school in MO, and were expected to be leaders in the service of humanity), she still was charismatic and had very intelligent, insightful answers.

So... um, does this help? lol.

 

[lostbunny]

yeah kinda! thanks Mohorsegirl!

I was just wondering if after every interview/applicant assessment they just give you a score, and then put that into the computer. Later on they'll just check the list and email the top X number of people on the list?

 

[libster06]

I was just wondering if after every interview/applicant assessment they just give you a score, and then put that into the computer. Later on they'll just check the list and email the top X number of people on the list?

Seriously, no one knows.

 

[lostbunny]

Seriously, no one knows.

someone knows.

 

[heylodeb]

someone knows.

The queation is hard to answer for a couple reasons. The first is that the admissions process varies with different schools. At UC Davis, after all the interviews are done, the admin get together in one morning and hash through all the applicants to decide who stays. How do they figure out who gets to interview? No idea.

Other schools assign points to each of the areas (I believe KSU is one of these). They add all the points together at the end and whoever's are the highest are the ones that get in. (simplified explanation, of course!)

But really - does it matter? No matter how the admissions committee's decide, you are going to try your darndest to put forward your best possible application and let them take it from there! 🙂

 

[eventualeventer]

*ahem*

We're Knights of the Round Table,
We dance when ere we're able,
We do routines and chorus scenes
With footwork impeccable.
We dine well here in Camelot,
We eat ham and jam and spam a lot.
We're Knights of the Round Table,
Our show are formidable,
But many times, we're given rhymes
That are quite unsingable.
We're Opera mad in Camelot,
We sing from the diaphragm
a looooooot.
In war we're tough and able,
Quite indefatigable,
Between our quests we sequin vests,
And impersonate Clark Gable.
It's a busy life in Camelot,
I have to push the pram a lot.

 

[lostbunny]

But really - does it matter? No matter how the admissions committee's decide, you are going to try your darndest to put forward your best possible application and let them take it from there! 🙂

Yes I knowww it doesn't matter- but I was attempting to make a slightly light hearted thread.

And it also got me wondering (not on the side of "how can I get in", but more of "hmm, now that I think about it...") about how they actually physically review the applicants. If they communicate with each other and talk about it over dinner, or if its just passed on from one person to the next.

Its different for every school, but I was just curious to see if anyone had any insight/ideas/experiences! 🙂

thats all!

 

[Minnerbelle]

Its different for every school, but I was just curious to see if anyone had any insight/ideas/experiences! 🙂

thats all!

I dunno how they come up with who to interview and such, but Penn pretty much has a round table right after each interview (or at least that's how they explained it at my interview). They bring in batches of 30 interviewees on Fridays (right?). What I was told was that right after the interview, all of the interviewers plus the students who were intermingling with the interviewees that day sit through dinner together. Apparently, that's when they would discuss each interviewee and decide if that candidate is accepted, rejected, or put on hold. I had to bring a picture of myself, so I imagine they just hold that picture up and ask for input based on what they observed of me that day. Up until just a couple of years ago, interviewers were allowed to call up the interviewee as soon as the decisions were made so people would get their acceptance calls that night... but they stopped doing that because it sometimes got awkward when a bunch of the interviewees would be mingling together during Happy Hours and some would get calls and others didn't. It bummed some people out, and sometimes that was unnecessary since it just happened to be that their interview didn't feel like calling them that night.

I think there are some students on here at Penn who are involved in the process, so maybe they can clarify. Of all the schools I applied to, it seems like Penn had the strongest student involvement in the admissions process.

 

[GellaBella]

I dunno how they come up with who to interview and such, but Penn pretty much has a round table right after each interview (or at least that's how they explained it at my interview). They bring in batches of 30 interviewees on Fridays (right?). What I was told was that right after the interview, all of the interviewers plus the students who were intermingling with the interviewees that day sit through dinner together. Apparently, that's when they would discuss each interviewee and decide if that candidate is accepted, rejected, or put on hold. I had to bring a picture of myself, so I imagine they just hold that picture up and ask for input based on what they observed of me that day. Up until just a couple of years ago, interviewers were allowed to call up the interviewee as soon as the decisions were made so people would get their acceptance calls that night... but they stopped doing that because it sometimes got awkward when a bunch of the interviewees would be mingling together during Happy Hours and some would get calls and others didn't. It bummed some people out, and sometimes that was unnecessary since it just happened to be that their interview didn't feel like calling them that night.

I think there are some students on here at Penn who are involved in the process, so maybe they can clarify. Of all the schools I applied to, it seems like Penn had the strongest student involvement in the admissions process.

👍 This is correct, although I don't think they tell students anymore that their fate is being decided that night, I know I was chatting with an interviewee last year at happy hour and she was so stressed once the students from the admissions committee came down after the discussions, knowing that they knew whether she was in or not and then over analyzing whether they were avoiding eye contact with her or not. It is stressful knowing that information, but it is true.

 

[LetItSnow]

And it also got me wondering about how they actually physically review the applicants.

Palpation.

 

[LetItSnow]

but Penn pretty much has a round table right after each interview

I do know how UMN does their interview piece, but I would imagine each school does things differently.

Interviews at UMN are done by two interviewers. They lean toward closed file interviews, meaning the interviewers have not reviewed your application; they don't know anything about you prior to the interview. Because of the way it was explained to me I suspect that's not a hard and fast rule. (I asked at my interview, and they said "We try not to review your file beforehand, so don't assume we know anything about your background.")

They have a packet of info with them; each page has a quality/trait that they are evaluating along with applicable behavioral questions. Not everyone necessarily gets exactly the same questions. How the interview is conducted - who asks questions, whether they rotate, etc. - is up to the interviewing team. Some teams will interview a few candidates, some will interview a few dozen.

When the interview is complete, the interviewers talk through it to arrive at a consensus score on a scale of 1-5 for each 'trait'. It is not an average - it's a consensus. If they can't arrive at a mutually agreeable score, there is a multiple-step arbitration process that can, if necessary, actually lead all the way to re-interviewing. IIRC, the person who explained the process to me also said she's never seen that happen, though.

Once they've arrived at a consensus for each trait, it's a simple matter to add up the numbers to get your final numerical score.

I do not know if the interviewing team submits more than just a score; for instance, whether they submit their notes and observations as well. I don't know if they weigh certain questions in the interview more highly than others.

Either way, those numbers go back to the admissions director/staff, who tally up your academic score, 'subjective' score, and interview score. It must be a very quick process at that point, because they let us know, via email, within a week after the last interviews.

 

[deleted387118]

Palpation.

👍 That may have made my day!

 

[shortnsweet]

Palpation.

Wait so the monkeys throw darts (or poop) and then perform the palpation?? Geez, no wonder infectious disease is such a concern. I never knew....

 

[heylodeb]

Wait so the monkeys throw darts (or poop) and then perform the palpation?? Geez, no wonder infectious disease is such a concern. I never knew....

Wow. I must have been really stressed at my interview to not even NOTICE being palpated by monkeys. hm.

 

[breenie]

For what it's worth, Mizzou does a sort of numerical score. It's still pretty black box, though. 🙄

None of my interviewers looked like monkeys... and I wasn't palpated... to my knowledge.

 

[LetItSnow]

None of my interviewers looked like monkeys... and I wasn't palpated... to my knowledge.

That's the midazolam speaking.

 

[eventualeventer]

And the monkeys shave for the interviews as part of their cover. Darts and poo come after the interview.

 

[thaowey]

just curious, i know most schools look at GPA & GRE as the first deciding factor, but do y'all know which schools look at all GPA, GRE, and PS simultaneously and then make the decision for an interview invite?

 

[lostbunny]

just curious, i know most schools look at GPA & GRE as the first deciding factor, but do y'all know which schools look at all GPA, GRE, and PS simultaneously and then make the decision for an interview invite?

I thought Ross and SGU do that?...