<p>I know that for some schools, mostly LACs, the interview is important, but since Stanford can't interview all applicants, does the interview carry any weight at all?</p>
<p>My daughter has hers next Saturday, at a coffee shop, as usual. (Why do interviewers always pick a noisy Starbucks or Panera for these things?) She's not sure how well her application stands out (high scores, 4.0, just like the other 38,000 people applying) and is hoping that the interview will tip her over into the yes pile.</p>
<p>They interview at Starbucks and places like this because they are safe, public, neutral places. Most parents prefer their D/S interview in a public place. My kids preferred their Starbucks type interviews over the office ones (meeting at interviewer’s office). They felt more relaxed to be on neutral turf.</p>
<p>The absence of an interview can’t hurt you, but the interview helps to give a face to your application and illustrate a real person’s opinion of your personality. While the interview may not hurt, it can definitely help you out. I was recently accepted, and I think that my interview definitely helped with that given how much the alumni liked me. The interview could make a difference</p>
<p>This is sort of the flip side to what you said, but honestly don’t stress about it too much. I had a pretty average interview for Yale (probably because I found out about it the day of) and I ended up getting in.</p>
<p>Re Stanford: I think only a few areas of the country are given interviews? Please correct if I’m wrong.</p>
<p>That’s interesting, CAMOM. My daughter said she would prefer going to an office to a noisy place because it’s hard to sound thoughtful when you’re yelling to be heard over the noise! I overheard one interview in our public library and I thought that would be an ideal place to conduct these things, assuming your library doesn’t have super strict rules about silence, and most don’t these days.</p>