An invitation to interview is never a bad sign. At first, he told us to lose our grim faces. Then, he asked us to go around and say where were from, where were at, and a fun fact about ourselves. I highly recommend international students that they request interviews because it gives us chance to meet an alum living in the country and to connect with lawyers with American J.D. What are you planning to do in your upcoming semester of undergrad? General thoughts: The Dean appreciated decisiveness; he did not like it when interviewees were in between little impact and big impact. He cares a lot about integrity, so I would be sure to highlight that in your answers. Name a failure that turned out to be a success. What is a misconception you think that civilians have of military people? Lastly, the dean presented two candidates, A and B. A is a better candidate in terms of LSAT and GPA, but not too much better than candidate B. What would you have done differently if you were that person? how does your master's work inform your decision to study law? My interviewer did not take out the prepared list of questions until the very end of the interview. They mostly asked questions, recorded answers, and moved on to the next question. Describe a relationship that went from adversarial to amicable. The leading theme was clearly "integrity" and how to deal with questions about candidates' integrity. Talk about a time where you worked with someone that had a different work style than you, and how did you keep a good relationship? [She asked about philosophy on the interests section of my rsum.]. The Law School Admissions Test, or LSAT, is a standardized test administered by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) for prospective law school candidates. Dean didnt like that because a whole years suspension from the undergrad institution is a pretty big penalty, and she seemed to not be portraying things very honestly. What is the relationship between your successes and your failures? The student was an ED applicant. (He called out people that reached for the paper before he finished speaking.) Tell me about a significant academic project you completed during undergrad and why you chose that project. Hes not going to assume Amy is disinterested because that could be totally off the mark. Any hobby that you picked up during the pandemic? Dean Cornblatt said during one of the interview that he was conservative on his numbers this year due to the high applicants and so movement will happen on the waitlist. According to US News & World Reports, Georgetown Law was ranked the 14 th best law school. Even though it's a big law school, we work very hard to make it a big law school with a small law school feel. And in this Covid world, I am particularly happy to get the chance to connect with so many of you all over the world. Think of a time where you had to overcome bias. He took a more Socratic approach. He asked for a one word answer to: "If you had to pick the single most important quality to look for in an application, what would it be?" The early deposits were spurred by a clause in Notre Dame's acceptances that closed their deposits on the earlier of (i) all seats taken or (ii . What do you think about how she framed the story? ), Fourth Scenario: Student A has slightly better stats than Student B, but Student B wrote an unsolicited Why Georgetown essay. What do you expect to be the biggest challenge? Before the hearing, he decided to withdraw from school. Tell me about a time you were part of a team with low morale/motivation. How would you advise the president on this topic? Describe a time where you had to deliver difficult news to someone. Left time for two questions and spent about five minutes answering them. ), (The interview lasted 16 minutes total, and had time to ask 2 questions. Tell me about a time you overcame an obstacle. Think of a time when you had to do something you didnt want to do and what was in your head? Think of a situation where someone else just did not get how you were feeling. Your co-worker, whose work is integral to the team, is having a bad day, how will you help them to feel better. why law?but the written questions may be hypotheticals about current affairs. Also, having a solid answer on why you want to go to law school is definitely a must. You should always treat it like the latter. Whats your backup plan if you dont go to law school? What do you think you want to do after law school? Toward the end, she explained a bit about the process. When asked why, he admitted that he had failed to include citations in his dissertation, and there was going to be a disciplinary hearing about the issue. Student A (Group interview with Dean of Admissions in person). What influenced your decision to go to law school? He asked us to rate this issue in her app from "no problem" > "minor" > "major" > "automatically disqualifying" and explain why. Here are the questions she asked me: She asked more questions than I expectedI am not sure if it was a bad sign. Characteristic you hope to develop over the next 5 years? Why is that? Finally, the Dean asked us to describe in one word an adjective for successful applicants. I had thought that when I heard it, but didn't want to take a stance after I heard a few people play it safe. Talk about your current job - what do you like and dislike the most? One thing you would like admissions to know about you, What is motivating you to pursue law? He thinks that she is not telling the full story. Second scenario was about a student who had already been accepted, and was currently in a graduate program at Oxford. Some, like Northwestern, offer interviews to all students. Explain your journey from your previous career to law. A major revelation about someone you worked with, and how did that change how I see the situation/person? Tell me a time you were part of a team with low morale/motivation. How did it feel? So, we started with the first scenario, talked amongst our group for a while (only 3 or 4 minutes), and then we would bring it all together. If you had a million dollars but could not spend it yourself, how would you spend it? Whats not on your resume that you think I should know? Does anyone have any stats, data, inside scoops or top secret info related to the waitlist situation this year? Her addendum made it seem like it was a very casual and light incident, but she was suspended for a semester. A 24-year-old applicant with a solid LSAT and graduating in the top 20 of her class had been suspended for a semester for plagiarism. Student B (Skype interview, very informal), Student C (Skype interview but switched to phone because of technical issues). What follows are accounts of Dukes financial aid interviews, offered to applicants who have already been accepted. You can choose from Skype, Google Hangouts, or in-person. Four scenarios: plagiarism, Oxford withdrawal before honor hearing, personal statement with mistakes/mention of wrong school. Questions about my research, especially in artificial intelligence. 10 years from now? What lesson did you learn? since you already have an education background in law and are qualified to practice law in China? Overall, it was informal, conversational, and everyone was really friendly. Summarize your life up until this point. In fact, when my interviewer walked in (after a brief banter about the ties we were wearing) he explicitly said "This interview is very informal, so don't be stressed." 2. He finished by asking us one of his intended optional application prompts for this year that they didnt get to add in: "What was something youve done that was hard but so worth it?. He asked one more question on the Oxford case - he explained the issue in a different way in his own words with a bit more integrity and honesty, and asked if we would still rescind the offer. Some schools, like Georgetown, also offer Zoom sessions where their admissions folks talk about what's happening with the waitlist. How did you motivate them? Is there anything you want us to know about you? What challenges do the communities you work with experience? From friends, I had heard that the tone of their interviews at UVA was pretty conversational, whereas I felt like it was pretty formal (though very friendly) in my experience. What are you afraid of, and what motivates you? Why did you study [something you studied at grad school] and how will it inform your career? Who should you admit if you have to choose one over the other? Yours was an exceptional group. Think of a time you had to overcome bias? Her next two questions were Duke-specific: are there specific offerings such as student orgs and clinics Im interested in, and what makes Duke law a good fit for me. Theres no excuse for being late. Damn this cycle is hard Note: During the first two scenarios, he randomly called on people, and he asked them specific questions. He then walked us out, thanked us each individually as we got onto the elevator, and we all breathed a sigh of relief! Yea I was a little surprised at my waitlist to, given the consensus on this website that I would get in (3.6 171). Overall great experience. What is a characteristic or personality trait that you want to work on in the coming years? You should be thoughtful, confident, warm, and encouraging of other people as well. Then we would progress onto scenario 2, and so on. After we all went, he told us what he thought and his decisions. Whens a time you applied for a job and didnt get it? Describe yourself to the admission committee. (The Dean said that this was game over because the student would not give him a lot of information, and he felt that he lacked integrity.). How serious is this on a scale of 1 "who cares" to 10 "disqualifying." He explained that his process is to read through apps once (I'm assuming the committee distills out some of the worst ones, but he said nothing about that), interview those he is interested in, and then read the apps again before making a final decision. What are the pros and cons of Harvard Law? Hypothetically, what do you think youll be doing after law school? This might be because it was with the director of admissions or maybe because my friends did their interviews a few years ago Duke uses a service called InitialView to interview prospective international students. What is the one thing you want admissions to know about you? I was asked why I didnt choose to first go to law school in Japan and then to try to enter an LL.M. Each response can be no more than one minute long. My answers were quite brief. Could you tell me about a humbling experience? Tell me an experience when you stepped outside your comfort zone. Discuss a challenge and how you overcame it. Describe a situation in which other would say you exhibited a level of maturity beyond your years. How long did you live in New York and what do you think is the difference between the city that you live in and the city of New York? Explain a time when you have to change yourself to accommodate someone else. Describe a time where you had to tell someone difficult news. When someone comes to you with a problem, how do you respond? But that because she didn't, it showed a level of carelessness - and a lack of interest in Georgetown; so why would he waste a seat on her? She was familiar with my file and clear on my "why law," so her questions focused on skills I've learned / challenges I've faced while working in finance and which activities, clubs, courses, etc. If I were to ask your best friend what your three best qualities are, what would they say? Note: I was allowed 1 minute and 30 seconds for each question so I had plenty of time to provide some depth. Have you had a mentor throughout your life? Difficult time with a co-worker and how you resolved it? First scenario was about a student who had been suspended for a year on account of plagiarism. Its okay to give yourself time to think by saying something like, Wow! We were told that we would be playing the role of an admissions committee, and that we were to discuss the scenario in our individual groups and figure out how much this impacted the decision, on a sliding scale. What is a characteristic/personal trait that will serve you well in law school? An alumni interview offers the Office of Admissions an opportunity to learn more about candidates beyond the written application. How will you use your skills gained after law school? He also asked a follow-up question, "what if he had written from the start that he was under academic investigation for plagiarism and apologized sincerely for the incident and said he hoped the committee could forgive him?" It was a Skype interview but the connection was terrible so the interview ended up being over the phone instead. What is one question you were prepared to answer but were not asked? The first is from Anon, who is currently waitlisted at Georgetown. Preferred Wait List for Georgetown. Suck-up questions are designed to show off your knowledge of a program or convey your eagerness: I see that your Immigration Rights Clinic helps clients mount detention challenges, and Im wondering how successful those challenges have been in the current political environment. You can also lob softballs at your interviewer: What does Harvard do to promote a sense of community in its large student body? Make sure that the answer to your suck-up question isnt easily available online. It shows a huge disinterest in Georgetown, so hes not about to waste an acceptance on someone whos not serious. I submitted my application on 4 February 2025 and the application was marked complete on 8 February 2022 and had an interview with them in March 2022. Why did you choose to go your undergrad institution? What do you want to do career wise with a law degree/5-year plan? Since it does not seem to be useful in gaining employment (Note: this is a summary, Interviewer said it MUCH nicer than this). What is your communication/teamwork style like? I stated I would give it a 5 with an asterisk, and I stated that a few spelling mistakes are inevitable for all applicants, however the reference to a different law school was more egregious and showed carelessness. What was the most memorable class you took in university? Which candidate should we take? What is the one thing you want the Admissions Committee to know about you? He wrapped up the interview by asking us to give one word that describes an ideal candidate. Name a book that changed your view on a social issue. The experience that has most prepared me for law school, One word that family and friends would use to describe me (I picked curious), What have I changed my mind on in the past. I got a unique question that was along the lines of recall a time where you received new information and used it to make a different decision than you had originally intended on making. I love these group interviews as it allows me to get to know applicants a little more and makes you more than just a file. what job current or past has prepared you most for law school? How have you facilitated a disagreement between two teammates? If you could teach your fellow students at Chicago a class in anything, academic or not, what would you teach them? What is a criticism you have been given and how did you respond to that criticism? What was your initial reasoning to join the military? What is an achievement you're particularly proud of, personally, professionally, or academically? Why were you rejected, and what did you do afterwards? An experience that prepared me for law school, One word my friends, family, and work colleagues would use to describe me. What is something you want the admissions committee to know about you? Student A What do you want the admissions team to know about you? What is something I have changed my opinion on? How did you like your undergraduate experience? (Except tuition). What charitable organization would you donate to and why? I see youve been working in the publishing industry for a while. A student with a stellar GPA and LSAT, with glowing references that describe her excellent writing abilities, applies but her personal statement has typos and refers to the wrong school in the text. Are there any areas of law that youre interested in other than copyright law? We write about InitialView interviews here. Tell me about your current role and what you do and do not like about it. Schools are swamped. Oh well. To prepare, you might think about what qualities would be important to you if you were admitting students (passion? Then he split us up into groups. Student As video interview (2018/2019 cycle), Student Bs video interview (2018/2019 cycle), Student Cs in-person interview with Northwestern (2018/2019 cycle), Student Ds alumni interview (2018/2019 cycle), Student Es alumni interview (2018/2019 cycle). What's an accomplishment that makes you proud? A time you got frustrating news - howd you deal with it? What programs/extracurriculars am I interested in at UChicago law? Where do I see my role in the social justice movement? She had a high GPA/LSAT, and shed won awards for her writing before. by Instrumental Sat Mar 18, 2017 5:03 am. Scenario 2: A top applicant has already been admitted to Georgetown and paid to secure his seat. What would teammates and coworkers say about you? What are you looking for in potential classmates? What prompted that interest? What did you do in your graduate program? What do you want to do with your law degree? What is something that you think differently about or has changed about you personally as you have matured? At the end of the interview, theyll probably ask if you have any questions for them. What am I looking forward to about law school? Why did you pick your undergraduate institution? If I were to ask your best friend what your three biggest weaknesses are, what would they say? Your co-worker, who is integral to the team, is not having a good day or getting work done. 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