Advice appreciated about horrendous Northwestern interview

[A_guy]

hmmm...


since i was not there and only have ur side of the story its hard to say what u should do.  if it truly was a bad interviewer then i would call and talk to someone in admissions.  let them know what happened and see what ur options are.  the thing is, who will they believe a "respected almunus" or one of the thousands trying to get in.  

if there has been other complaints then that will help add validity to ur complaint.  if u r the only one u could possibly be seen as someone that had a bad interview and is now trying to shift the blame.

not trying to be mean, just pointing out the other side.

[clora]

I am with KGD2B1 on this one.  I would call back and say:

"After my interview I realized I still had some unanswered questions about Northwestern.  Would it be possible to schedule a follow-up interview with a member of the admissions staff?"  If they grant you a follow up interview you may be able to get a second, more positive, interview evaluation in your file.

Whatever you do, ABSOLUTELY DO NOT SAY ANYTHING NEGATIVE ABOUT THE INTERVIEWER.  As a JD applicant it is your respnsibility to smooth things over and act like any "misunderstanding" was your fault (even if it clearly wasn't).  You never know who that interviewer is and who's feather's might get ruffled if there is a complaint about him. 

That sucks, and I'm truly sorry that happened to you.

[rwhitman]

That's why it's good to apply to 6-10 schools, just in case.  It sounds like the interviewer was narrow minded on the work experience, but who knows maybe the adcoms are the same way this year with few exceptions. That sucks it didn't go well but I would say f* it and spend your time on your other applications.

Did you apply to Georgetown as well? They have similar admissions criteria as northwestern with regards to the Lsat and gpa, AND are similarly ranked. Georgetown however, does not have focus nearly as much on WE.

[Tom]

That whole thing with the WE plus I won't be 20 until the end of the month is the reason I didn't apply there.  I figure it's their loss not mine.

[JRG83]

Did you apply to Georgetown as well? They have similar admissions criteria as northwestern with regards to the Lsat and gpa, AND are similarly ranked. Georgetown however, does not have focus nearly as much on WE.

yup, i applied there as well.   
i'm just SO pissed that i spent so much time and effort working on the Northwestern app, and this stupid interview is going to screw it up.  Northwestern was quoted in Richard Montauk's book saying "we still admit a number of college seniors, but not without an interview."  so, if my lack of work experience didnt already do me in, the interview will do just that.  Hopefully this guy is just socially inept and didnt realize he was being rude- and that the interview went so poorly.
i guess after all this advice maybe i will just cross my fingers and hope for the best-- calling the admissions office would probably just cause more problems.
good luck to all of you who have yet to be interviewed-- hopefully yours will go better than mine!!

[cutcut]

That interview sounds miserable. It's shameful that that guy treated you that way. Still:

1) this guy is clearly an ass, but you don't know what he actually thought about you. Maybe he was testing you to see how you reacted in a pressure situation (lots of employers do this in interviews), and maybe you did well. No matter how you feel about it, you just don't know what he is going to say about you.

2) Be professional! That means not saying anything bad about the guy at all. I agree with those who suggest possibly calling up with "unanswered questions." Turn it into a positive.

[joeorgan]

I have my own fun story about Northwestern. Back before receiving my LSAT score in Oct., I was looking into NW seriously. I went to a Law Fair and had a nice conversation with an admissions rep. about how they value physical maturity in their candidates. I laughed and asked him if it would help me to grow a beard (I'll be a 3-year graduate as it is and I do kind of have a baby face). He looked me straight in the eye and told me "yes." I went home and laughed. Even if I did end up with the numbers to score a seat at NU, I don't think I could have accepted it--some serious mundane bulls#@$ going around there. Good luck with your application, however, and congrats on the numbers that presumably should land you in at NU. Just go to U of Chicago instead.

[UofIEng]

Just go to U of Chicago instead.

I wish...

[superiorlobe]

I find the new emphasis on teamwork and collaborative learning to be very compatible with my learning style, and I think its important to build on interpersonal skills as well as legal skills.

That sounds like a crock of bull.  I'm not impressed, and I'm siding with the interviewer.

[matt510]

Bad interviews are just a part of the professional world. My three worst interviews are

1. Campbell's Soup: VP went clubbing the night before until 4 am. He asked 1 question and then fell asleep while I gave my answer. I walked out.
2. BigWords.com: Interviewer bragged about how everyone would get rich off of stock options, told me I really didn't have a chance, and thanked me for coming. They went belly up 6 months later.
3. Saturn (GM): They brought me in for an interview and told me they were hiring MBAs. I asked why I was brought for an interview when there is no mention of MBA on my resume. They couldn't really answer my question ... just shrugged their shoulders.

You will have interviews like these in your life. Toughen up.