<p>So I applied for Princeton Class of 2014, and got a request from a Princeton Alumnus in my area do a phone interview. In his email, he gave me information like what is usually asked in the interview, what dates he'll be free and asked for my phone number. He basically made it sound like i had to take the interview, although he did say 'the interview is not mandatory though 95% of applicants take it' </p>
<p>So CAN i reply and tell him i don't want to take the interview? Will it have a detrimental effect on my application if i just refuse even though there's a person willing to take the interview? Also, how much weight to Admissions committees put into Alumni recommendations? Will it be bad if i don't take the interview??</p>
<p>Unless you will come across as being incompetent or arrogant in the interview, it is in your best interest to do it. In order for the interview to hurt you significantly, you would have to do really badly.</p>
<p>Unless you have a legitimate reason not to accept the interview (another appointment or something), I don’t see a reason why you should decline it, but I can’t clarify for certain that it would present you in a poor light.
I suppose you could decline it. From what I have heard from numerous colleges, interviews do not weigh heavily on your application; it won’t make or break your application.
If the reason is that you would prefer a face-to-face interview, it wouldn’t hurt to ask him if he would be available to meet with you somewhere.</p>
<p>My interviewer was more informative than questioning (I could hardly find time to say anything without feeling like I was being rude and interrupting), but I also don’t know if my application is strong enough. But as I said, it won’t make or break your application from what I’ve heard.</p>