<p>IS that going to hurt my chances tremendously?</p>
<p>it will appear as if you don't care enough about the school to attend the interview. why do you want to decline an interview, other than it's too far away?</p>
<p>if it's too difficult to attend or something, let them know and request a phone interview...not as effective, but i guess still acceptable</p>
<p>What's your reason? Unless it really is not possible to get to the interview, then declining will probably hurt your chances. The college will either think you have something to hide (such as an extreme lack of social skills) or they'll think you're not interested.</p>
<p>What college is it with?</p>
<p>Declining an interview is BAD. It essentially sends the message that you aren't serious about the school. This is bad like taking an interview and doing horribly. It just sends the wrong message. Like everyone else said, if it's a timing issue just ask to reschedule it.</p>
<p>Time/location is not a huge problem, I've just heard that these alumni interviews do not play a significant role in the admissions process at all, and my speaking skills are not the best to be honest.</p>
<p>well, speking and writing skills are so important in college life. if you lack severely either, or both, then college is not for you.</p>
<p>I do interviews for my alma mater, which includes alumni reviews during the reading process. I recently asked one of the admissions reps how they regard students who decline interviews, and he essentially said 1) it shows a lack of interest, and 2) if the student declines because they don't feel comfortable in a one-to-one conversation with an adult, the student certainly lacks social skills that are vital in a college setting.</p>
<p>When I interview students, I know most of them are going to be extremely nervous - that's OK. I also expect that they will come to the interview prepared to talk about themselves and their passions, and also have a basic understanding of the college they're applying to. If nothing else, it's a great way for the students to get an alum's viewpoint. ("Why did you choose ABC College?" etc.)</p>
<p>As I told my kids: You will have many, many interviews during your life. The first one is the hardest, but it will get easier with each one you do.</p>
<p>Declining an interview sends and obvious message to the school. If there are extenuating circumstances and you attempt to reschedule that is another story.</p>
<p>Most interviews are informational and not evaluative. However, not taking one when offered is a BAD thing. Woody Allen said 90% of life is showing up.</p>
<p>I think this is something that may vary from school to school. I talked to a friend of mine in the admission world ... she said that she's conducted some excruciatingly painful interviews. More to the point, she told me that each one of those students would have been better served to have declined the interview. Their paper applications were amazing, and they were absolutely admissible. The interviews didn't keep them out, but they did ensure that a conversation about the student took place ... and it wasn't as sure a thing that they'd be in as it would have been had they not had the interview. </p>
<p>I'd say you know who you are. If your interview will cast you in a less flattering light than your paper application, you might want to decline.</p>
<p>abe1957's post reminds me of the saying that "It is better to be thought an idiot by being quiet than it is to open your mouth and remove all doubt." I can't really argue with that, but at a school that cares about it, declining an interview is a bad thing. A lot of colleges do care about the "interest" shown by the candidate. If you live with two hours of a colleges and you don't visit, that might be held against you.</p>
<p>There are two kinds of interviews: informational and evaluative. Informational interviews are for the benefit of the applicant and you are not evaluated. There are also two overlapping kinds of interviews: adcom and alumni. On-campus interviews are giving by adcoms. Alumni interviews are given by volunteer alumni who live in your area. The college will find an alumni who lives near you. Unless they can't find somebody who can do it, you are pretty much required to go to the interview. Think what it looks like if you don't. On-campus interviews can probably be avoided more easily since a lot of people visit the campus and not everyone necessarily takes an interview. You may be able to judge how much pressure there is on you to show up.</p>
<p>In general, interviews do not factor that much into most admissions decisions. There is the odd case of an applicant coming in and is totally obnoxious, or somebody who is so shy that they can't speak. Except in those cases, the difficulty of curriculum, gpa/rank, standardized test scores, EC's, essays and recs all count for more.</p>