I was emailed about an interview opportunity on 11/8/17, and I politely declined because the interview is optional and I was busy that weekend. But since then I’ve read that declining is a bad idea because it shows a lack of interest. Is it too late to email the alumni who originally asked me and say I’d be willing to do the interview?
Bad decision. The Dean of Admissions at MIT told me (in a meeting with MIT faculty to give informal advice) that “You should take anything a college requests during the admissions process seriously. If they ask for an interview, you should accept it and give it the best that you have. You will never know if it matters or if it matters little.”
Colleges–especially colleges like Stanford–are looking for reasons to reject kids. After all, they can only accept 5% of the applicants.
Don’t worry. There are a lot of schools out there.
“…because the interview is optional and I was busy that weekend” is not a good reason. Especially not the busy part. It sure doesn’t show commitment to the college. (You haven’t said here that it conflicted with anything truly important. Nor did you try to reschedule.)
What do you expect them to think?
MIT is a different situation. MIT’s has a long history with interviews being important to their decisions. MIT’s website says interviews are strongly recommended with stats about low acceptance rate for applicants who decline interviews, and their CDS says interviews are important. In contrast Stanford was one of the last elites to offer interviews, just starting in the past few years, still not available in all areas. Stanford’s website says interviews are optional, not available in the regions with the highest rate of applicants (SF bay area), and “Declining an interview will not negatively impact an application”. Stanford’s CDS does not rank interviews as important, unlike nearly all other parts of the application that get discussed on this site.
I have been a Stanford interviewer. They make it clear that interview emails should state the interview is optional, and statements along the lines of interviews being optional without penalty were made in interview training. I have no reason to believe that Stanford is being misleading when they say declining the interview will not negatively impact the application.
The REA interview cycle ended this weekend, so it probably is too late.
The Dean at MIT was talking about colleges in general, not just MIT. He said that colleges are not always candid, eg honest. He said that as an outsider you will never know the truth. I won’t and neither will DAta10. Maybe interviews don’t matter (then why have them); maybe they matter a lot under certain circumstances. That’s why he said to take all requests seriously.
The same can be said for early admissions. Stanford claims it offers no advantage. Then why have it, and more especially why so limit where kids may apply?
It is sad that the college admissions process is so opaque and at times somewhat dishonest. But that’s life for you. I don’t think Stanford is worse than other schools. In some respects, it might be better. Here I’m thinking of not deferring a lot of kids from the early round (although the data on this seems now to be limited),
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The interview is an extra opportunity for you. When a college (or business, or organization you’re interested in) offers you an opportunity, you seize it thankfully unless you have a compelling reason (scheduled surgery, funeral, previously scheduled family or religious gathering…) and in that case you ask them whether they could kindly re schedule it.
Are you first gen?
And neither with the Dean of MIT for any college other than MIT.
If Stanford is telling their alumni interviewers differently, than I’m inclined to believe Stanford on things related to Stanford. Others may choose to believe or disbelieve. That said, if I thought a college was lying to me in the application process, I’d think twice it that college is right for me. YMMV.
We talk of lots of “optional” things that kids should do.
What bothered me was, “I was busy that weekend.” Since OP is a new poster and hasn’t come back to comment, we can’t know how serious he is about S.
There are lots of things colleges say that need to be processed and weighed. It’s not as absolute as “lying.” You need to put your best foot forward. You need that thinking.
I fear that skieurope would not be applying to any colleges today. I agree with the post above that it is not quite lying, but in life you have to read between the lines. If you are offered an opportunity, seize it even if it is “optional.” The admit rate is only 5 percent, to get to that level, you must be looking for any reason to reject an applicant.
Not that much has changed in 3 years. 
I certainly agree with this statement, which is why I often pull my hair out at the questions regarding sending/not sending Subject Tests to HYPMS. However, there are times when situations are outside of one’s control. While we do not know the circumstances surrounding the OP (who seems to have created a hit-and-run posting), there are valid reasons for declining, or at least attempting to reschedule, an interview. “Busy that weekend” is probably not the best excuse. “Death in the family” “playing in the state championships” or “long planned vacation” would be valid, IMO, and if the school had an issue with those reasons, than I stand by my earlier statement that I would feel that school is not a fit for me.
An issue is that the OP doesn’t seem to have rescheduled and “I was busy that weekend” seems to have been their excuse (not a legitimate reason), which is two strikes against him/her. Stanford would have zero issue with a student who has a legitimate reason and reschedules, but would seriously wonder a student’s commitment when they get that opportunity and turn it down for no specific reason.
@goggleguy Don’t worry. As another trained Stanford alum interviewer, they tell us there is no penalty for declining an interview, and I have no reason to believe that they aren’t being straight with us when they say that. Anyone who says otherwise is either unfamiliar with our admissions process, or knows something I don’t (i.e., either works in Montag Hall or has a friend who does).
Sometimes schedules just don’t work out–tryst me, we’re busy too and we get that. It’s a shame that you weren’t able to use the opportunity to learn more about the university from your interviewer though, as there are few better ways to assess fit in this process.
Stanford accepts under 5% of applicants. I would have recommended that you take every opportunity available to make yourself stand as an applicant. But what’s done is done.
According to Stanford’s 2016-2017 Common Data Set, the interview is "considered. I would not pass up an opportunity to have one if it were offered unless there were some major mitigating circumstances. It’s another opportunity for them to get to know you and for you to shine.
That said, @Era991 and @Data10 are correct in that declining the interview won’t hurt you. From the website:
“Declining an interview will not negatively impact an application, and all applications are considered complete with or without an interview.”
They do, however, suggest that you offer alternative times that could work for you and to communicate with the interviewer. I certainly hope you didn’t say you were “too busy” to interview. And don’t say now that you’d now “be willing to” do the interview.
I have to agree, not a smart decision. Stanford is so tough to get in, you should be taking any and every opportunity available to differentiate yourself and stand out. I ll put it bluntly, if I were a Stanford interviewer and you replied to me with “sorry I am busy”, without offering to reschedule, then I would write in my report that you are not serious about Stanford. i actually have done this for a Penn applicant who had a similar attitude regarding the interview.
Duke alumni interviewer here. Sorry to pile on, but I agree with @penn95 and @lookingforward.
I’ve had several ED students over the years who decline politely. None of these students have ever gotten in. Duke is similar to Stanford in that they publicly state that the interview is optional and doesn’t count for much. But @fredthered has a good point. There is often a big discrepancy between what the schools state publicly, and what happens behind closed doors during committee deliberations.
But in either case, I would suggest that you contact your alumni interviewer and ask if an interview can be scheduled. If you are deferred to RD round, having an interview is definitely better than not having anything.
I wouldn’t worry. Chances of getting in are slim at their best. If they really want you, they’ll admit you.
Duke also has a lot of key differences from Stanford in regards to interviews. Stanford’s website says, “Declining an interview will not negatively impact an application…” Duke does not have such a statement. Stanford tells some alumni interviewers the same thing about not being penalized for declining interviewers. Duke apparently doesn’t make such statements to alumni interviewers. Duke’s CDS says interviews are “required of all.” Stanford’s CDS does not give any indication of interviews being required. Duke has been interviewing applicants for decades and offers interviews in areas that have large numbers of applicants. Stanford intentionally chose to not offer interviews for decades due to some associated negative tradeoffs with interviews, making a different decision from Duke, Ivies, MIT, etc. A few years ago, Stanford decided to start offering optional interviews as part of a pilot/test program, which has been gradually expanding. This application year is probably the first year in which the majority of Stanford applicants were given the option to interview, although interviews still are not available in the SF Bay Area, which gets a large number of applicants… I wouldn’t assume that Stanford treats interviews the same way that Duke, Penn, MIT, … does.
Sure it’s possible that Stanford is being misleading when the say “Declining an interview will not negatively impact an application…”, when they tell interviewers that applicants will not be penalized for declining, when they repeatedly tell applicants interviews are optional and instruct alumni interviewers to do the same, etc. However, I choose to instead believe the college. In any case, it’s a moot point for the original poster. The REA interview period ended in Nov 19th.
All I know is I am glad interviews were not available to CA kids when (last year) my kid was applying. Interview could be good for some kids but bad if you don’t hit it off. One of my friend long time ago who I did not think was good enough for MIT interviewed for 4 hours about robotics and artificial intelligence by hitting off with the interviewer. He got rejected from every lower ranked school but got into MIT. I got into only school (Ivy) which I interviewed. The interviewer was a young white guy with a nice wife and a cute baby. I went to his house to interview, and his wife and the baby happened to be near. I struck a long, animated conversation with his wife about Wimbledon and certain tennis players because I showed up after playing tennis and did not have time to take shower and played with the baby holding it and saying how cute the baby was, joking the baby had all the makings of a great tennis player with its strong grip. Lol. Turned out she was a tennis fan. I hardly talked to the interviewer husband. Looking back, I am certain the wife said nice things about me and that influenced the husband to write good things about me.