So you lucked out, you got an interview at a top college. You didn't have the best SAT scores, but something caught their attention. As a rural candidate, they offer to cover your expenses to attend. But...
Poor kid:
No one can help prepare you for the top-tier interview process! If you're lucky, a couple of your high-school teachers got doctorates from smaller universities. But have no idea on interview process. You worry about the interviews for weeks.
Rich kid:
You get a dedicated coach, who knows the school's interviewers names, styles, and preferred questions. You're prepared, practiced, and experienced in avoiding any rough patches. You feel confident.
Poor kid:
You're overwhelmed by the top-tier experience - everyone you met on the way, in the dorms, during the tour - was richer, smarter, better dressed. Many of them treat you with an odd kind of pity. You feel like an imposter.
Rich kid:
You're relaxed and at ease with your other interviewees. They are your sort of people. There are a few "farm boys", and you're curious about them, but you know they're probably not going to make it, and if they did, how could they afford to stay!? You're getting a good feeling about this place.
Poor kid:
In the interview you're stuck when they ask about your outside interests... you work at weekends, and study in the evenings, along with helping out at home. Outside interests are hanging out with your friends, reading and riding your bike. You know this isn't very impressive, and this makes you feel tiny.
Rich kid:
When your asked about your outside interests, you've been coached no to say too much. You have so much free time in evenings, weekends, and holidays - due to your parents hiring cleaners, etc. that you do an overwhelming amount of stuff. A chance to show off the community work that you do, inbetween being a state level competitor in <insert any sport>.
Poor kid:
When you're asked where else you applied, you look at the interviewers a little blankly... you applied here and a bunch of 2nd tier colleges. Frankly you're ashamed to list off the 2nd tier colleges. The interviewer must have figured out by now - you are an imposter.
Rich kid:
When you're asked where else you applied, you reel off a list of top schools, dropping references to alumni of these schools that you've met or worked with.
Poor kid:
When you're asked to work through a problem with the interviewer, you don't know where to start... you've never worked 1-on-1 with a teacher/educator in your life! You were the smart kid in school who was left alone to get on with it. The closest thing you've done to this was when your parents wanted to know what you were working on... and you knew they were only asking to show interest... not because they would understand - neither of them having high-school diplomas. You do your best... but it was awkward, you barely said a thing. You're now sure you've flunked the interview, and basically, you just want to cry at how badly you've screwed up, all those people who believed in you who you've let down, why did no one prepare you for this ordeal! And there's another 2 people lined up to speak to you today??!?!?!?!?
Rich kid:
When you're asked to work through a problem, this is something you've done 1000s of times with your after school tutors, your AP class teachers, and most recently the interview coach. You jump at the chance to show off your knowledge. The interview is going well so far, all the weeks of preparation are paying off.
OK. So this wasn't quite me, but leans heavily on my personal experience, coming from a household with no high-school diplomas, a below average household income, and a school which, to their credit, pushed me to apply to a top tier university. But they didn't prepare me in any way for the interview - the only interview I'd ever had to that point was the one for my 12hr+ a week supermarket job.
> If you're lucky, a couple of your high-school teachers got doctorates from smaller universities
???
You're joking right? I went to school in rural MN. Teachers have a BA degree from a state college and thats it. The only people with a doctorate at a high school would be a Principal or admin of some sort. Rarely, a teacher might have an MA in education.
Your cheesy neighbor to the east requires (required?) X number of graduate level credits per Y years to renew a state teaching license, along with "most" districts having a tuition reimbursement benefit AND dramatically increased pay per educational level in the union contract. Its possible for a 22 yr old teacher to only have a BA-Ed but its almost impossible for a teacher with more than 5 yrs experience not to have a masters or higher. Usually in a completely useless unrelated topic making it unusual and noteworthy that my high school calc teacher actually got his education doctorate by doing some relatively hard core research into quantitative comparative results of different techniques of teaching kids some small aspect of calc, which he was in fact really good at. Usually completely unrelated in that I had an english lit teacher who had a masters in history and her thesis was some really obscure corner. It turns out that demanding credentials and therefore handing them out like toilet paper doesn't magically make anyone smarter or more effective, but a lot of money is made in the process, so it'll continue and expand until it can't anymore.
Poor kid: No one can help prepare you for the top-tier interview process! If you're lucky, a couple of your high-school teachers got doctorates from smaller universities. But have no idea on interview process. You worry about the interviews for weeks.
Rich kid: You get a dedicated coach, who knows the school's interviewers names, styles, and preferred questions. You're prepared, practiced, and experienced in avoiding any rough patches. You feel confident.
Poor kid: You're overwhelmed by the top-tier experience - everyone you met on the way, in the dorms, during the tour - was richer, smarter, better dressed. Many of them treat you with an odd kind of pity. You feel like an imposter.
Rich kid: You're relaxed and at ease with your other interviewees. They are your sort of people. There are a few "farm boys", and you're curious about them, but you know they're probably not going to make it, and if they did, how could they afford to stay!? You're getting a good feeling about this place.
Poor kid: In the interview you're stuck when they ask about your outside interests... you work at weekends, and study in the evenings, along with helping out at home. Outside interests are hanging out with your friends, reading and riding your bike. You know this isn't very impressive, and this makes you feel tiny.
Rich kid: When your asked about your outside interests, you've been coached no to say too much. You have so much free time in evenings, weekends, and holidays - due to your parents hiring cleaners, etc. that you do an overwhelming amount of stuff. A chance to show off the community work that you do, inbetween being a state level competitor in <insert any sport>.
Poor kid: When you're asked where else you applied, you look at the interviewers a little blankly... you applied here and a bunch of 2nd tier colleges. Frankly you're ashamed to list off the 2nd tier colleges. The interviewer must have figured out by now - you are an imposter.
Rich kid: When you're asked where else you applied, you reel off a list of top schools, dropping references to alumni of these schools that you've met or worked with.
Poor kid: When you're asked to work through a problem with the interviewer, you don't know where to start... you've never worked 1-on-1 with a teacher/educator in your life! You were the smart kid in school who was left alone to get on with it. The closest thing you've done to this was when your parents wanted to know what you were working on... and you knew they were only asking to show interest... not because they would understand - neither of them having high-school diplomas. You do your best... but it was awkward, you barely said a thing. You're now sure you've flunked the interview, and basically, you just want to cry at how badly you've screwed up, all those people who believed in you who you've let down, why did no one prepare you for this ordeal! And there's another 2 people lined up to speak to you today??!?!?!?!?
Rich kid: When you're asked to work through a problem, this is something you've done 1000s of times with your after school tutors, your AP class teachers, and most recently the interview coach. You jump at the chance to show off your knowledge. The interview is going well so far, all the weeks of preparation are paying off.
OK. So this wasn't quite me, but leans heavily on my personal experience, coming from a household with no high-school diplomas, a below average household income, and a school which, to their credit, pushed me to apply to a top tier university. But they didn't prepare me in any way for the interview - the only interview I'd ever had to that point was the one for my 12hr+ a week supermarket job.