Fletcher Interview

[kasbah]

Anyone do the Fletcher evaluative interview or will be doing it? What is it like? Do you recommend it?

[StyLeD]

I did it for the Spring 2016 application season. Tufts has several grad interns that help interview students, and occasionally an actual staff member will help out. This was the first time they allowed interviews by Skype, instead of requiring a campus visit. Unfortunately, my Skype interview didn't work, so we switched to an interview by phone. 

It's a standard interview that pretty much repeats word for word the questions asked on your Statement of Purpose. Why you chose Tufts, what programs will help you excel, how you think you can contribute, what things you've done to help you prepare for grad school, what you plan on doing after completing your M.A., etc. I think it's an opportunity for the Office of Admissions to get a better sense of the person behind the computer, if you will. Keep in mind that they will only have a copy of your resume, which you need to send before the interview.

Perhaps the most important benefit of the interview was that they briefly saw that I took the time to prepare and dress up in formal wear, and that I got to speak 1:1 with a graduate student already enrolled at Tufts. The questions they asked were surprisingly straightforward. I left thinking I spent too much rehearsing my responses to potential questions/concerns on my resume, none of which they asked. 

________

Facts aside, they sure picked the wrong person to interview me. It was his first semester at Tufts, so he knew little to nothing about Tufts I couldn't find on Gradcafe or in a quick purview of their website. My area of interest is in the Asia-Pacific and maritime territorial issues; my interviewer was an international student who spoke passable English and studied migration (I think) in Germany. 

Outside of a cursory knowledge of the issues currently happening with the EU and refugees from Syria, I had no questions to ask about his specific work and he had no insight on professors that I should target. He couldn't even answer basic lifestyle questions like, "Where is the best place on/off campus to study?", let alone more nuanced questions about the Fletcher Neptunes (a student group committed to maritime studies). We had some difficulty communicating, especially with Skype breaking down, and it left me with a worse impression of Tufts (These are the students Fletcher has talking to applicants???).

I think Gradcafe dashed my expectations, given Tufts' reputation as a close and personable program on this forum. Tufts did everything as advertised - wrote a nice letter, followed up with me after acceptance, and allowed a 1:1 interview, but it all seemed a bit formulaic. In their supposedly personal letter of congratulations, the person who sent me an email wrote to commend me my 3-month temp job experience working as an *afterschool tutor* instead of my research internships at two think tanks in D.C., or my internship with the Department of State? It's like they didn't even care to look at my SOP or why I was applying. 

Edited November 26, 2015 by StyLeD

[Elvidi]

Hi! I actually just had mine this week. as far as the general structure, I don't have anything to add from what StyLeD said - pretty standard "why fletcher, what are your interests, what will you bring to the campus, what experiences brought you here" - it's basically an opportunity to touch on things you might wish you could have put in your SoP.

 

Experience-wise, I was very happy. Aside from my own nerves/flustered-ness that completely threw off my own performance, the interview was great. I was interviewed by a MALD student who's in one of the areas of focus I plan on doing. It was a pretty casual interview, although not as "conversational" as other interviews I have had (again, that was probably more my fault). I spent a solid half of the interview asking him questions about everything from the social environment to faculty to specific aspects of the curriculum, and he was very knowledgeable and seemed genuinely excited to share the information with me. 

Overall, I'd say if you go in confident, with a few things in mind you want to share and specific questions you have, you should be fine. Good luck!!

[kasbah]

Ah, never mind. It looks like the only Skype interview date they have left is when I'll be traveling. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to rely on the rest of my application to make a good impression!