Letter of interest to clarify something wrong I said during interview?

[unleash500]

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So I might have said some things during a recent interview that may have sounded contradictory from my application. I sensed that the interviewer might have thought so but was not able to clarify the situation . Of course the reality is that I just misspoke and there was nothing contradictory.

Would it be ok to send a letter of interest with an explanation clarifying what I had said during the interview?

 

[georgearms]

Umm..wait, what happened? I think it depends on what you said and in what context. Well anyway, the interviewer probably already wrote notes and sent them to the admissions committee. I don't think your letter would get to him or her fast enough to impact much, and I'm not sure how the adcom would view this. Maybe your interviewer didn't even catch the inconsistency you're talking about, and your letter could bring attention to this or make you seem a little too anxious and hypercritical.

 

[anfleisch]

Yea you are not giving any insight on what the real situation is so we would only be guessing.

 

[Narmerguy]

I probably wouldn't send an update letter to clarify something but I suppose you could try to sneak it in. However, keep in mind that it's not necessarily going to be your interviewer who receives the update letter.

 

[mri5005]

I wouldn't worry so much, I mean what would that do anyway? Why did you say something during the interview that you didn't mean? Were you lying on your application to say what you thought they wanted to hear? Just work on your answers for you next interview, that's all you can do

 

[noshie]

After every interview I have been to, I have second guessed every detail of what I have said. Even though right afterward I feel good about it, days later I wish I had said and done something differently... Just don't worry about it so much, you are overthinking this because it is so important to you. You probably did well, and the interviewer probably didn't even think twice about what you said.

Sending a letter now will not help you. They have probably turned in their notes about your interview, and may have even had a meeting about it already. Just let the chips fall as they may. There are no do overs in this process... You have to be confident in what you do and say in the interview and know that everything will turn out as it should.

 

[SFO-IST]

It depends on exactly what was said and your judgement as to where the chips fall. That being said, keep in mind that giving a less than ideal presentation of yourself based on the questions is all part of the game. You're not going to answer all the questions PERFECTLY and that's OK. Just roll with whatever you say, look comfortable saying it, and smile.

 

[seelee]

If I were you I would wait by the interviewers car our outside his house. Hide and wait for him to come out. When he gets close run up to him really fast (wearing all black would be good), grab him by the collar, get really close to his face and yell as loud and and as fast as you can.

I THINK YOU MISUNDERSTOOD WHAT I SAID IS IT TOO LATE TO MAKE A CHANGE IN MY STATEMENT I REALLY WANT TO GO HERE AND ILL DO ANYTHING!!!! ANNNYTHING!!!!!!

I did this and I got accepted the next day.

Good luck 🙂

 

[noshie]

If I were you I would wait by the interviewers car our outside his house. Hide and wait for him to come out. When he gets close run up to him really fast (wearing all black would be good), grab him by the collar, get really close to his face and yell as loud and and as fast as you can.

I THINK YOU MISUNDERSTOOD WHAT I SAID IS IT TOO LATE TO MAKE A CHANGE IN MY STATEMENT I REALLY WANT TO GO HERE AND ILL DO ANYTHING!!!! ANNNYTHING!!!!!!

I did this and I got accepted the next day.

Good luck 🙂

Great advice... Maybe the OP should just climb into the interviewers bedroom window around 2am...? That would be much more effective!

 

[FrazzleSnazzle]

Calm down, take a deep breath, and stop being so paranoid.

You'll be fine.

 

[Avoidthetiger]

After every interview I have been to, I have second guessed every detail of what I have said. Even though right afterward I feel good about it, days later I wish I had said and done something differently... Just don't worry about it so much, you are overthinking this because it is so important to you. You probably did well, and the interviewer probably didn't even think twice about what you said.

+1

this happened to me at every single interview...even with interviews that I left feeling great, the next week I was like "ahhhh how could i have said that" or "Omg! i am so silly"... it was so bad that my mom (who was informed about all my second guessing, uncertainties, and fears) was positive I managed to mess up every interview and wasn't getting in anywhere. Glad to have proven her wrong.

I wouldn't stress what you said in the interview too much. It couldn't have been that bad.

 

[addo]

This also happened to me several times, but there was especially one instance where I felt the need to clarify something I had said. I just included the clarification to the interviewer in my thank you email the day after the interview. This obviously wouldnt work if the interviewers give their report on you that same day, but if they do so later on it might.

 

[LRAccord624]

Great advice... Maybe the OP should just climb into the interviewers bedroom window around 2am...? That would be much more effective!

Hide yo' wife, hide yo' kids, and hide yo' interviewers...

 

[Musclemass]

This also happened to me several times, but there was especially one instance where I felt the need to clarify something I had said. I just included the clarification to the interviewer in my thank you email the day after the interview. This obviously wouldnt work if the interviewers give their report on you that same day, but if they do so later on it might.

I think your tactic is a bad idea.

Questions and discussion topics allow the interviewers a chance to get to know you. The information you provide is rarely considered important, but how you conduct yourself is important.

If an interviewer had any impression that you had difficulty expressing yourself, sending a follow-up clarification would only serve to confirm it. Or, it would certainly plant the notion if it otherwise wasn't noticed. Do your best to have an engaging conversation, send a thank you if you want, and you're done. Don't overthink it.

 

[addo]

I think your tactic is a bad idea.

Questions and discussion topics allow the interviewers a chance to get to know you. The information you provide is rarely considered important, but how you conduct yourself is important.

If an interviewer had any impression that you had difficulty expressing yourself, sending a follow-up clarification would only serve to confirm it. Or, it would certainly plant the notion if it otherwise wasn't noticed. Do your best to have an engaging conversation, send a thank you if you want, and you're done. Don't overthink it.

It wasnt that. I answered one of her questions with a completely wrong answer, about what other schools I had applied to and why. I say I answered it wrong, because I came off as if the school that I was interviewing at was not anywhere near among my top choices, but it actually was my first choice. I simply stated this in the thank you email, she replied, and I got accepted. I obviously wont attribute my acceptance to clarifying myself, but it did not hurt.