Tell the candidates:

“Welcome to the interview, I am going to ask you some questions, and when I finish, I will ask them again in case you want to improve upon your answers. Can you please identify which of you is the one here for the interview? I will speak to you, and you can confer with your colleagues between my asking the questions. This interview will potentially determine whether you will be able to advance to the rest of this puzzle. If you do not succeed, you will not be able to interview again for at least another twenty minutes. Good luck.”

Questions:

OK, welcome, do sit down and relax. Oh, before we get into it, I must compliment you on your scent/cologne/perfume. It’s vaguely flowery. What is that scent you’re wearing?

So MIT can sometimes be a stressful place. What do you do to relax?

How long did you spend preparing your application apart from this interview?

Have you had the opportunity to wander around the MIT campus at all? What architectural feature of MIT’s neoclassical or modern architecture has most struck you?

Is there any part of studying at MIT that worries you at all? What factors would lead you to consider not carrying on with your studies here even if you are accepted to the rest of the puzzle?

There are a wide variety of food options on the MIT campus. What is your favourite soup? And your favourite kind of pizza?

Do you do anything artistic, any of the visual or performing arts? And do you perform this at home or do you go out and seek the limelight?

When you began your previous studies in puzzle arts and sciences, what nationality was your faculty advisor? And how would you characterise your relationship with your advisor today?

We arrange summer internships for our students to work and study abroad. Are there any German companies with whom you would like us to try to arrange a placement?

That’s great. I think that we already have your application fee on file. How much did you pay to apply to the rest of the puzzle?