UChic's Exclusive Interview With Kaavya Viswanathan, Author of How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life

* *_There's new buzz since this was published regarding parts in the book that are supposedly similar to parts in Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty, published in 2001. Us girls at UChic are very interested to see how this all shakes down. So we've got Exec Editor, Stacy on the case. Stace, who reviewed Kaavya's book, has decided to read Sloppy Firsts for herself to see what's up._* *When I first heard that Kaavya Viswanathan published a book while she was a sophomore in college I was impressed.* After I finished reading the book, I was blown away. Not only is it zany, silly and hilarious...it's also witty , insightful and well-written. I spoke with the easy-going 19-year old about the book, her studies at Harvard and most importantly, what she loves to do for fun. Read on to find out about her own experience applying to Harvard, her favorite handbag _(Chanel)_ and much, much more!

*Opal Mehta desperately wants to be admitted to Harvard University.* And believe me, she's good on paper. She has a high GPA, she's involved in student government and she has a vast repertoire of extra-cirricular activities. But when the Dean of Admissions asks Opal what she likes to do for fun, she's stumped. Now, Opal has only a few months to prove to the Dean, her parents, her school and herself, that she has what it takes to be the most popular girl at Woodcliff High School.

My Interview with Kaavya Viswanathan

*Kaavya Viswanathan:* Hello? *University Chic:* Is Kavvya there? *KV:* Hi, it's me. *UC:* Hey, it's Stacy from UniversityChic.com How are you? *KV:* I'm good.

*UC:* So are you in school right now? *KV:* Yeah. I'm a sophomore. *UC:* Are finals coming up? Are you studying between doing press for the book? *KV:* Well, finals are in the end of May, so it's just regular classes right now. *UC:* First of all, I read the book, I love it. Congratulations, it's really really funny. I read on the back of the book that you were born in India. How long did you live there? *KV* I lived there until I was three and then I moved to Scotland and then I moved to New Jersey when I was eleven. *UC:* Wow. So Opal _(the book's main character)_ and her parents really want her to go to Harvard and you go to Harvard, so I wanted to know how much of the book is based on events that actually happened to you. *KV:* Oh, none of it. It's completely not autobiographical. Nothing like that ever happened to me. *UC:* Did you always want to go to Harvard though? *KV:* Um, yeah, when I started thinking about college, it was my number one choice, but I was never neurotic about it. *UC:* How was your own experience applying to college? *KV:* It was really smooth, really easy. I applied to Harvard early and I got in early so I just didn't apply anywhere else. *UC:* Okay. Did you have an admissions interview because I never did. *KV:* Yeah, I had an interview, but you know, they just asked normal questions like, "Why do you want to go to Harvard?" *UC:* It wasn't as stressful for you as it was for Opal? *KV:* Definitely not. _(Opal has a terrifying interview with the Harvard Dean of Admissions that prompts her get kissed, get wild and well...get a life)_ *UC:* So what made you decide to write the book? *KV:* I started writing it the summer after I graduated from high school. And all of the admissions and college prep was still really fresh in my mind. So it was just kind of natural to write about that subject it was something that I felt very close to. *UC:* So why did you want to write it? *KV:* Well, I've always liked writing. Writing was really natural. The subject came out because I'd just finished my admissions too. *UC:* Had you always wanted to write a book? *KV:* I guess. I never specifically thought I want to write a book. I just always liked to write. So writing a book was kind of like a normal step. *UC:* Okay. So if you had to define the moral of the story, for your book, what would it be? *KV:* You know, that you should be true to yourself. Follow what you're passionate about and not live for other people. *UC:* Do you think there needs to be a balance between having a good GPA and having fun? Or is it okay just to do academics? *KV:* It's definitely not okay to just do academics. I mean, in the long run your grades don't really matter. No one is going to ask you about them when you're thirty. You're not going to remember sitting in your room studying for a test. You might as well have fun when you can. *UC:* So how similar was your own high school to Woodcliff. _(The fictional high school Opal attends)_ *KV:* Oh, not at all. I went to a magnet school that focused in science and technology. There weren't really any cliques. I had a great high school experience. *UC:* Okay, so you weren't an HB or HBz? _(in the book a popular clique of girls refer to themselves as the Haute Bitchez, or HBz. They pretty much rule the school and Opal is determined to get on their good side)_ *KV:* No, I wasn't an HB, but I wasn't like a dork. I was just normal. *UC:* Did you fit into any one social group? *KV:* Not really. I didn't like party all the time, but I didn't study all the time. I just hung out with my friends. *UC:* So you were into the sciences too? Like Opal? *KV:* No, I went to a science school, but I wasn't really interested in sciences. I've always been interested in English. *UC:* So how are you liking college compared to high school? *KV:* I love it. I really, really like Harvard. It's amazing. *UC:* What specifically do you like about Cambridge and Harvard? *KV:* I really like all the people. I love my friends. I just like being in college, the freedom, the entire environment. *UC:* Do you know what you're majoring in yet? *KV:* English. *UC:* Oh, okay. So do you have plans to write more books then? *KV:* Yeah, eventually that would be great if I could. *UC:* So in the meantime, what are some of the things you're working on. Do you have new goals right now? I mean, what do you want to "be when you grow up?" *KV:* I guess right now I'm interested in finance. So I'm taking a lot of econ classes. I'll take investment banking this summer. So I'm thinking of going into Wall Street initially when I graduate. That's the plan right now. Hopefully. *UC:* Well, I don't know if you've looked at our site, but we are a resource for women who are either applying for college or going to college. What would you say...what would your advice be to girls who are in high school right now who are just beginning to apply for college. *KV:* I guess that it's not really as big a deal as everyone thinks it is. I mean, almost everyone is happy no matter where they go to college. So just because you don't get in your first choice, it's really not the end of the world. And there's no point in changing who you are just for some college. Because if you go there under the pretense of being a different person, you're not going to enjoy yourself either. *UC:* What have been some of your favorite classes that you've taken? *KV:* I'm taking a creative writing class right now that I really like. Let me see, I'm taking beginning Arabic, which I really like because I like learning languages. So those have been two of my favorites. *UC:* Oh yeah? Are you bi-lingual or tri-lingual or, what was it, Opal spoke like five languages didn't she? *KV:* I guess technically I'm bi-lingual because I speak Tamil, which is like an Indian language, at home. I speak French, I'm not exactly fluent, but I speak it. I speak a little bit of Russian and I'm learning Arabic now. *UC:* How did your parents feel about the book? Were they worried they were going to be perceived as very driven people determined to get their daughter into Harvard? Or were they really like that with you? *KV:* Oh no, my parents were never like that. They always been completely normal and chill. They were just really excited about the book. I don't think there were worried about how they would be perceived too much. My mom will sometimes be like, "I'm not like that woman Kaavya!" It's like, "Okay." *UC:* In the book there are a lot of teen culture references with fashion and TV and music and different kinds of makeup. How into all of that stuff are you, or did you have to do research? *KV:* _(Laughs)_ I never really liked doing research. No, I'm really into fashion. So all that stuff was really easy. I'm not so much into pop culture, but my roommates are like devoted US Weekly readers. So I kind of got most of it from them. *UC:* Yeah, I was wondering about that. *KV:* The fashion yes. Definitely that is something I'm really interested in. *UC:* What are some of your favorite designers or stores, or do you have a favorite handbag? *KV:* Oh, okay. Well, my favorite handbag, my mom bought it for me before I started school this year. It's one of those black-quilted Chanel ones. So that's my all-time favorite handbag. In terms of clothes, I generally shop, well, I don't shop that much while I'm at school just because it's such a pain to go into Boston. But I shop a lot at department stores like Saks, Neiman Marcus. I like Theory, I like Tahari, Robert Rodreguez. Pink Tartan, is one of my favorites. *UC:* What are some of your favorite bands? *KV:* I really like Coldplay. I like Travis. *UC:* I love Travis! *KV:* Yeah! Keane too. *UC:* I LOVE Keane! I've seen them three times. *KV:* You have? I've never gone to their concert. I'm really mad because I wanted to go to a Coldplay concert and my parents bought tickets for themselves and it was really bizarre. They ended up going while I was in school. Okay. That's so not cool. *UC:* Isn't that funny? I lived in London for a while and I saw Keane there and then I came back to the United States and they were playing back where my mom lives in Salt Lake City and I didn't have anyone to go with so I was like, "Mom, why don't you come to Keane with me?" And she was like, I don't know, I don't know if I'll like your kind of music. And she is obsessed with them now. *KV:* They're so good. I guess I like the old classic Brit pop like Oasis. I'm really a big fan of that. And I guess everyone likes the Beatles, but I like the Beatles. *UC:* So what are some of your favorite books? *KV:* Books, hmmm, what am I reading? I really like Kazuo Ishiguro. I really like reading trashy romance novels. Is that something I can admit? *UC:* A guilty pleasure? *KV:* Seriously. *UC:* Do you watch any TV shows like that, like reality shows? *KV:* I love The Real World. I think it's gotten kind of bad now. But The Real World Las Vegas was like the highlight of my life. I really like the O.C. and I like Grey's Anatomy. My roommate is trying to get me into Lost, so I'm gonna buy it on DVD and then start watching that. *UC:* I heard that's the way to do it. To watch it on DVD so you can do it fast. *KV:* Yeah. I'm always behind. I never have time to watch a show regularly at school. So I usually just end up buying the DVD when it comes out and watching it the summer after. *UC:* So I guess I just have one last question for you. It's kind of just a little fun question to do with the book, but what do YOU like to do for fun? _(in the book, that is the one question that Opal cannot answer in her first Harvard admissions interview)_ *KV:* Oh God. I like shopping. I like sleeping. Eating. I like to cook. I really like reading Vogue and Elle. I like going out. I like partying. Who doesn't? *UC:* Well, I think that's about it. You're very easy to interview. It was great talking to you and I wish you all the best. The book is great. We're doing a promotion with it and giving five of them away to our readers. *KV:* Oh cool! *UC:* It's great. Really really fantastic. *KV:* Thank you very much. *UC:* So good luck with everything and thanks for talking. *KV:* You too, Thanks. *UC:* Bye. *KV:* Bye. delicious | digg | technorati
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