I am just curious XD
Prob, unless the interview was required because that would be an auto-reject.
D got into good places without an interview but she was not asked. In some cases the admissions office strongly encouraged interviews but did not contact her. I think one place would have given her more merit money if she had interviewed. Her friend who attends a HYPS was wait listed at a Top 20 school that she declined an interview at because it did not fit into her schedule and was about 40 minutes away (which is not a big deal in our area, although not super convenient either). The friend got into almost every other school she applied including a couple of other ivies.
Yes.
Do you guys think declining an interview is a disadvantage for the applicant?
Yes unless you have a really good reason (will be away winning an international competition). Or there is something that you do not want them to know about you that would prejudice your admission in some MAJOR way. Off the top of my head I cannot think of anything.
Yes, it is a disadvantage because it demonstrates a lack of interest.
The only way it would not be an extreme disadvantage is when you live too far away, and cannot communicate via Skype or by Phone for an interview.
By “declined” do you mean the school actually reached out to you for an interview and you declined? Or do you mean you chose to not request an interview? Are interviews required at that school? Recommended? Suggested?
More info needed.
I know several people who got into top schools without interviews. The interview is more of a way for the student to get to know the college better. You should be fine.
I think it’s a bad idea to decline an offered interview. The school I interview for asks us volunteers whether or not we were able to conduct interviews with assigned students. If no interview is conducted, we are then further queried whether it was due to circumstances or did the student decline. I have no doubt that my school attributes something negative to students who decline an offered interview. My alma mater has >10% admit rate. ANYTHING negative is terrible, IMHO
A Cornell alumni sent me an email saying I can have an opportunity to informally chat with an alumni. Then the email goes on to saying that “this is a completely optional meeting. It’s not an interview nor is it part of the formal application process. However, after the meeting, we will complete a contact report if there is background or additional information that you would like to submit to Cornell that may not be captured in your application.”
Would it be ok if I decline this “interview”?
Yo, No! I think Cornell was one of the few schools that accepted D’s resume when she brought it to the interview.
Azwu, I know plenty of people who got into elite schools including HYPS without interviews, but they were not asked/invited to do an interview. If the school assigns an interviewer to you, do not blow it off without a really good reason, like you are in the Himalayas and there is no way to face time.
Yeah, if you want to decline an interview, make up a good and plausible excuse.
IMHO - you’re doing it wrong… You should develop a list of colleges that you want to attend - then find out if they require an interview - and not many colleges require an interview. At Northwestern, interviews are considered, but not required, and neither of my 2 kids admitted there interviewed.
You can view schools interview requirements by looking at the Common Data Set. As an example, NU’s CDS is at this link: http://enrollment.northwestern.edu/pdf/common-data/2014-15.pdf
Good luck!