interview weekend

[latenight]

does anyone know anything about Emory's interview weekend? I received the email with all the information, but I'm curious about what seems to be some sort of strange social experiment - all the finalists spend 3 days together, share hotel rooms, etc. have i been chosen to participate in a reality TV show?

i'm not really sure how to approach the weekend. it would be pretty bad to go through all of that and get rejected afterwards. any advice?

[rising_star]

You probably won't be sharing a hotel room with the other finalists.

[misterpat]

You probably won't be sharing a hotel room with the other finalists.

Yeah. Lawsuit waiting to happen.

[mraig]

You probably won't be sharing a hotel room with the other finalists.

A few years ago, I was flown out what sounds like a similar visit for a major university's Classics grad program, and we stayed in the same hotel rooms with the other finalists. It was a good way to connect and bond with the other students. Assuming you get into the program, some of them will be your friends and colleagues for at least the next half decade or so.

Anyway, if Emory's program is anything like ours was, you'll have dinner out at restaurants and at professors' houses, see the campus, sit in on a few seminars, meet the other finalists, meet the other grad students, meet the professors, get a chance to ask questions, be asked questions, and enjoy it a lot (but every once and a while feel this weird sense of panic that your every move is being evaluated and compared with the others. Just remember--they're also trying to impress you, to keep you from going to another school.)

Likely if they're willing to invest enough in you to fly you out and put you up in a hotel, they're seriously considering you, so it's yours to lose. Be authentic and friendly. Don't try to act like you know more than the other students and professors. (common mistake with candidates: you try to prove that you're knowledgeable, but you end up coming off as smug and condescending.) Be prepared to having to answer the same questions about three dozen times. Especially: What area are you interested in doing research in? Have a good answer ready for that one.

Of course, that's assuming that Emory's interview weekend is anything like the one I went to.

[latenight]

thanks for your advice, mraig. they are actually pretty specific about the hotel-sharing situation in the information they've sent me. i just hope my roomie doesn't suffocate me with a pillow in my sleep