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Submitted for an alumni interview yesterday! I can't apply until I get my LSAT up a few points (fingers crossed for December!) but I'm excited to get the process rolling!

Anyone have any interview advice?

hamshotfirst wrote:Submitted for an alumni interview yesterday! I can't apply until I get my LSAT up a few points (fingers crossed for December!) but I'm excited to get the process rolling!

Anyone have any interview advice?

Alumni interviews can vary, but they generally seem to be pretty laid back. A big reason Vanderbilt stresses interviews so much is because they want to maintain the cooperative, chill atmosphere they are famous for, so just relax and be yourself. The questions are pretty standard, be prepared to talk about your work experience and significant educational experiences.

hamshotfirst wrote:Submitted for an alumni interview yesterday! I can't apply until I get my LSAT up a few points (fingers crossed for December!) but I'm excited to get the process rolling!

Anyone have any interview advice?

Just got home from my interview and it was super casual. Talked about why I wanted to practice law, what kind of law I was looking to practice, and why I wanted to go to Vanderbilt specifically. Also asked me why I chose my undergrad major and what career path I would have taken had I not decided to pursue law. My interviewer talked a lot about his time there and what clinics and clerkships helped get him in his current position. Lasted about 30 minutes. Good luck with yours!

hamshotfirst wrote:Submitted for an alumni interview yesterday! I can't apply until I get my LSAT up a few points (fingers crossed for December!) but I'm excited to get the process rolling!

Anyone have any interview advice?

My alumni interview was really casual, and he said that it was much more about them selling the school than anything else. He seemed to be excited that I had read up on the culture, and spoke mostly about how much he values the friendships he made and that it was the best part of his experience. I'd recommend trying to work in that you are excited about the community since if they are volunteering to be an alumni interviewer, they probably value that community a ton.

checkin in! Just submitted my app tonight, have my on-campus interview scheduled with admissions for November 8th!

Glad to hear interviews are going well and are fun and relaxed - I have mine next week. Just went complete yesterday.

Anyone else get a (huge) book from them?

Jack_Kelly wrote:Anyone else get a (huge) book from them?

Yup.

Yes, pretty standard. Where are the admissions decisions

I have my interview set up next week. Just wondering what everyone wore to their interviews? business, business casual?

kimi14118 wrote:I have my interview set up next week. Just wondering what everyone wore to their interviews? business, business casual?

I went business casual (slacks, loafers, a nice button down under a sweater). I would have dressed business formal, but I did a walking tour and sat in on a class before my interview, and I didn't want to be uncomfortable. Your interviewer will more than likely be dressed down, but I think it is a good idea to try and look as neat and professional as possible.

kimi14118 wrote:I have my interview set up next week. Just wondering what everyone wore to their interviews? business, business casual?

I went business formal because my interviewer wanted to meet at his firm's downtown office and I didn't want to look out of place.

Solicited merit-based fee waiver successfully (167/3.7+). Sent score report and academic summary in pdf form via email.

kimi14118 wrote:I have my interview set up next week. Just wondering what everyone wore to their interviews? business, business casual?

I wore a business suit but my interviewer showed up in jeans. Our meeting was on the weekend at Starbucks, though. He said that Vandy likes for their alumni interviews to happen at firms because it gives the feeling of a job interview. So yeah, I'd say base your attire on when and where the meeting is.

kimi14118 wrote:I have my interview set up next week. Just wondering what everyone wore to their interviews? business, business casual?

For my alumni interview I went with dress slacks and shirt, blazer, and no tie.

Checking in! App is submitted and complete and I did my interview way back in early September.

I've never been to Nashville but have heard good things. Hoping I can visit at some point (assuming im accepted).

Checking in! Interview on Saturday, will report back

dietcoked wrote:Checking in! Interview on Saturday, will report back

I've also got an interview coming up -- I'll be making a campus visit soon, and interviewing there. Has anyone else here done the on-campus option?

wmbuff wrote:

dietcoked wrote:Checking in! Interview on Saturday, will report back

I've also got an interview coming up -- I'll be making a campus visit soon, and interviewing there. Has anyone else here done the on-campus option?

I did. I really enjoyed it, the facility is amazing and I got a great feeling from the students and faculty I talked to. Also, if you haven’t been, Nashville is a great town. The interview questions are standard, they were the same others have had in alumni interviews (Why law school, Why Vanderbilt, work experience questions, etc.)

Had my alumni interview. It was really casual. She wore jeans to her firm, but I think that might be because her firm is more casual. Asked Why Law + just some basic stuff. I doubt she even read over my resume before she did it, it turned into a conversation real fast. I might have messed up though because when she asked me where I was applying, I answered honestly because I'm a bad liar and said NYU down to Vanderbilt + Fordham. Do you think that will knock me at all?

She really liked going to school there - super friendly community, etc. etc. She wrote down that I had done my research so I think it's important to think of at least one unique feature about Vanderbilt. Then she told me that she had to write a summary for Vanderbilt and fill out some questions, but that she wanted everyone who she interviewed to be accepted.

I should also report that for those visiting campus, while an on-campus interview will be with a member of the admissions staff, the format will be the same as the alumni interview. They don't have anything but your resume before they meet you, and the questions are largely the same. I'm still glad I went, as I really got a good feel for some of what makes the school so appealing (and if I hadn't had to drive back that night, they made it clear that visitors were welcome to stay for the Friday afternoon tradition of Blackacre, which involves a firm or student organization sponsoring food and adult beverages in the law school courtyard). The building itself is a touch older than some schools, but the classrooms are very modern. The law school is located just at the edge of campus, so it's easy to get to restaurants and the like. The career services office is a separate building, but other than that, the law school is entirely contained in one building. I got to sit in on a session of the Regulatory State class, which is something distinctive about Vandy's 1L program (it replaces Con Law 1 in the 1L program, though Con Law 1 is still a graduation requirement). Most of the other folks taking the tour opted for Contracts sessions, which I think may have been a mistake -- if you've got the choice, sit in on the class that makes Vanderbilt different!

Just had my interview and as everyone reported, the process was very casual we met at a coffee shop and my interviewer was wearing jeans. It was more just a conversation about my interest in school. My interviewer did not have any notes or write anything down. Nothing for anyone to worry about.

Yep, the interview process is very different from Northwestern. I wonder when the first round of decisions will be released. Vandy is one of my top choices!

HenryHankPalmer wrote:Does anyone have any insight regarding the timeline of the admissions process, and when Vanderbilt starts getting back to people? My interview isn't scheduled until late October, and the person I talked to from admissions made it sound like they really don't start making decisions until that time.

Applied first week in Oct. My interview was in early Oct and went super well (he brought up scholarships) but I haven't heard anything

On the status checker, is there an "Under Review" stage or does it go straight from "Application Complete" to a decision?