Complete MIT and Ivy+ Interview Prep Package
In this prep, you get me acting as we MIT Educational Counselors do for real interviews. You get a mock interview (I won't break character until the 2nd call), your own mock interview report I walk you through, and application-tailored coaching to ensure you bring your best self to the real deal.
While I primarily interview for MIT, I've been an interviewer for the Ivy League school Columbia in the past as well - we're not allowed to interview for more than one so-called "Ivy Plus" institution during the same admissions cycle, so I stick with MIT. Regardless of where you're applying, MIT's meticulous approach to the interview will thoroughly prep you for anything thrown your way in the real thing. Because MIT's interview process is so extensive and involves your assigned interviewer ("Educational Counselor," aka EC) writing a report to the Admissions Office about what they learned about you from your conversation, it's in your best interest to go through an actual full mock interview process, which gives me time *afterwards* to reflect on our talk, write a report tailored to you in the same way I do for applicants I'm assigned to do real admissions interviews for (so that you know where you stand and how you'll be evaluated), and go over with you everything else you can bring to the real thing - which will almost certainly include things you hadn't thought of. In this type of prep, I will more or less be 100% playing the role of your EC - so I won't break character or coach you until the 2nd call. If any prep is needed before the first call, I'll message you beforehand as needed, the way your real EC would. If you're on a tight schedule or budget, though, the alternate Mock Interview Only Tier will give you just enough experience with the interview to ensure you don't go into it in the dark. If, however, you want the real deal without leaving anything to chance, I highly recommend my Full Prep tier described above. The Mock Interview Only Tier is based on the Full Prep experience, but is necessarily less authentic because it does not leave any extra time for interviews that need longer than normal (which often happens in real life if the applicant isn't well prepared), does not include time for you to practice asking questions about the school, and does not give me the time after the interview, which the Admissions Office encourages us ECs to take, for reflecting in order to give you fully realistic tailored feedback in the form of a report. I only offer the Mock Interview Only Tier as a compromise, to help people in tight spots. Lastly, some free advice: don't wear formal clothes to your MIT interview! It's meant to be an actual, comfortable, safe conversation (yes, really). If nothing else, relax. My biggest regret from my own undergrad applications was how nervous I let myself get in the interviews.
What's included
Full Tier: For an ACTUAL interview experience + tailored feedback (30% discount off hourly rate)
- We start with an up-to-2-hour fully-simulated mock interview (real MIT interviews last 30-120 minutes) - In the following day or two*, I spend 4 hours(!) on my own crafting an Admissions Office-ready interview report *because, in reality, after doing an initial brain-dump of notes the same day, we interviewers usually sleep on the conversation first to help us reflect and be more objective - We then conclude with a 2-hour follow-up call on another day, where you get your report and a walkthrough, plus interview question response coaching tailored to your resume and application
Mock-Interview-Only Tier: Already fully prepped/just need general advice? (18% discount off hourly rate)
Don't need tailored feedback? Is your interview next week and you're out of time to prep properly? This tier is for you. This tier is an ultra-compromise from the real, full interview prep option I offer. It's only here to give a decent option to people that are looking for interview help who would otherwise accidentally sign up for only 1 hour of consulting. Let me repeat that - this tier is just here to make sure nobody uses my generic hourly consulting for interview prep (because 1 hour is far too little time). If that would be you, then great! Welcome aboard. If, however, you'd have at least 7 days between our first session and your interview, I recommend my full prep tier instead. I made this lower tier to accommodate people even though the reality is the 8-hour tier (4 hours talking and 4 hours offline) is what's needed in almost all cases. So please, check that other tier out too if your interview is even slightly more than a week away. What you'll get in this tier and why: - Full* 75-minute mock interview (*minus time for asking me questions about the school and such that a real interview would include) - Invaluable explanations of what interviewers are really looking for - Unorganized shorthand notes I jot down during your mock interview that I would normally use to help write an applicant's interview report - My first impression* tailored feedback *The Admissions Office encourages us MIT interviewers ("Educational Counselors") to sleep on our conversation before writing the report. We **don't fully form our opinions until after the interview is over** and we think on it. Therefore, on-the-spot specific feedback is necessarily not fully reflective of how I would normally evaluate you. This is why I recommend the higher tier if you have more time, so that there can be an intervening day where I can actually reflect and write your report, plus another day where I can share specific detailed feedback with you. Please choose your tier after careful consideration and acknowledgement of the above, so that you know what you're signing up for! **YOU CANNOT CHANGE to the 8-hour Full Prep Tier if we are already 1 hour through our session at the 2-hour Mock-Interview-Only Tier, because after the 1st hour the content of the two tiers will diverge. In particular, the mock interview in the 8 hour tier will be a bit longer, and at that tier, you won't receive specific feedback until our 2nd session.**
Frequently Asked Questions
Meet your expert
Robert R.
MIT Interviewer for 10 Years | Columbia Transfer | APAC | New on Leland!
Let me help you with your admissions interview, your transfer application, your grad school apps, and more. With 8 years living in Tokyo, I'm also an expert at helping international APAC applicants. PLEASE READ: My 1-hour/custom hourly consulting option is for help *other than* interview prep. For undergrad interview prep, please select the 2- or 8-hour tier from my interview prep package (I recommend 8 unless you're pressed for time). 1 hour is too short for proper interview prep, and in my interview package I offer a substantial discount to my custom hourly rate.