<p>S got a letter from the man who will interview him for Princeton. Basically he said it was optional to have the interview, and that the purpose was largely to give the student a chance to ask questions and add to their application information. Did any of you have similar experiences with your interviewers? I can't imagine just looking at this as optional. Thanks!</p>
<p>yes the interview is optional. for princeton the interview plays close to 0 weight; however, if u are offered one you should accept it =D it looks better than rejecting one. it is optional because not everyone is offered one and interviews are not given on campus</p>
<p>Yeah, the interview doesn't carry much weight. I just had my interview today and it was very informal. My guy stated at the beginning that it was going to be more of an informational Q&A session rather than an interview. He did most of the talking during it.</p>
<p>I'm glad it's not weighted very much--1) it seems a bit questionable for an alum who may or may not be a thoughtful person (and who has met with an applicant for only an hour) to affect the ultimate decision; and 2) I never got one. ;)</p>
<p>Thanks, folks! S left word on interviewer's voice mail that he'll call Monday to set something up.</p>
<p>i haven't got any newd from them. no way i could call tehir office (my residential line cant make IDD calls). shld i worry?</p>
<p>Alyssa09, the interview is optional. Valdez was accepted ED without an interview, see post #17 in the link below, and there is still time for one.</p>
<p>Alyssa, don't worry. When you get an interview depends entirely on when the alum who was given your name decides to call you before the end of the month (or later if they're disorganised). My ED interviewer missed the ED interview deadline and I still was accepted, so clearly it has little to no weight at all.</p>
<p>Ooh Great. Strange Though That I Don't Even Know Who Is Supposed To Be Calling Me. Yale Gave Me The Name, Mit Said To Call My Interviewer Myself, Harvard Had Only One Interviewer For The Entire Country. But Princeton Don't Seem To Love Me Anymore <em>sniff</em></p>
<p>it is optiona, but the guy didnt tell me that.. he did say the whole point of the interview is to add another side of me to the big picture and blah blah.</p>
<p>Feeling good about an alum who called, left a message, then proceeded not to return FOUR (count 'em) FOUR phone calls! Way to rep the school!</p>
<p>my interviewer actually said <em>i NEED TO have a interview with u.</em> i was like......I will come at this MOMENT</p>
<p>After talking to many people, I have come to the understanding that the interview is the least important component of the application process. Unless you show yourself to be a bigot, cheater, or some other terrible thing, the interview will not make a difference. One alumni interviewer's son told me that his dad said the interview would only make a difference if everything was EXACTLY equal between two candidates - that is to say, grades, scores, essays, extracurriculars, recommendations. I think you'd find it very hard to say two candidates had completely equal essays and recommendations, and I think it was the idea of the alumni interviewer that the interview would simply not make a difference, unless something went horribly wrong.</p>
<p>I personally think that the interview should be taken much more seriously. I believe the interview is much more heavily weighted at Harvard, which is what I prefer in terms of admissions. Again, that's not a criticism of Princeton itself, I just believe a school should at least give added consideration to candidates that interview very well. The interview is a great forum for displaying passion and charisma, and I feel that such a valuable indicator should not be side-shunted.</p>
<p>Joey</p>
<p>With 66 spots left for 15,700 people, there ought to be a lot of cases where 2 people ARE exactly the same, so any edge you can get will be critical. Also, I got the impression from my (very seasoned) interviewer that the interviews are taken quite seriously/important...but then again, there is a new director this year...</p>
<p>I meant 600 spots, not 66...but that's not much better anyway, is it?!</p>
<p>I've been offered an interview by five of the nine schools I applied to, and I believe each school has the interview down as an option. However, each time I was contacted, it was treated as though I definitely was going to get an interview. Instead of "Do you want to interview?" it was "When do you want to interview?"</p>