<p>I'm sure admissions do come to luck sometimes, but isn't that what the interview is for? Subjective evaluation?</p>
<p>Well, he/she wasn't the only one who was/being subjectively evaluated. I don't see what your point is entirely.</p>
<p>I'm not that smart; my writing is pretty terrible. I'm saying the interview is the most subjective part of the application, the part most influenced by chance, and so it's okay for him to feel happy about having an excellent interview (because presumably there are more ways for something to be bad/neutral than good). I didn't get the impression he was boasting.</p>
<p>I've never given a 9 and can't imagine what it would take for me to be that impressed. I think I've given one 8.</p>
<p>The admissions committee cares more about the substance of the interview report than the number rating. They know when an overeager/inexperienced interviewer gives a 9 that should really be a 7 or a tough interviewer assigns a 4, but the report summary sounds more like a 5. The admissions officers read so many interview reports that they can "recenter" interview scores, just like they do with GPAs from different high schools.</p>
<p>I think I come across as a very positive/accessible/supportive interviewer and I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of applicants go away thinking they killed the interview when they are really going to get a 5 and a report that says really nice kid but nothing extraordinary in the Yale applicant pool.</p>
<p>Mal, you may have knocked it out of the ballpark, so I'm more just musing on interviews and interview reports for any interested readers.</p>
<p>Ah, but if you're a good applicant and have decent communication skills, you should be fine. It's a chance for you to truly prove yourself ( on this I think we agree?).
Nevertheless, what remains is a report, to be compared with other, often equally positive, reports, hence my reference to it being a game of luck nonetheless.
Saying "I'm fairly sure the least I could have gotten was an 8 :D " is a little obnoxious, but i'm glad he did well and wish him the best</p>
<p>AA: Your advice is always extremely helpful. I got the impression my interviewer was relatively new- so I hope the report gives off a good vibe.</p>
<p>I didn't mean it to be obnoxious at all. And to be quite honest, I find those boasting their grades to the extreme- in comparison to an excited interview recap- to be obnoxious.</p>