<p>Is it possible to still get accepted into a school even though you messed up your interview but have great essays, extracurriculars, etc.?</p>
<p>I’m not positive, so don’t take my word for it, but I think it is still possible to get in.
It could definitely slim your chances of acceptance, but I wouldn’t think it would be an absolute deciding factor or anything, unless it was absolutely horribly dreadful or whatever.</p>
<p>But good luck, I think you still have a chance!</p>
<p>Without a doubt you still have a chance, many people have horrible interviews and they know that it is natural to be nervous. If you are the type of student they are looking for then an interview won’t keep them from accepting you</p>
<p>I am going to play wet blanket here and say that, IMO, “flunking” an interview is probably worse than “flunking” any other component of the application. </p>
<p>The interview is an opportunity for the AO to see what a student is like in person, in real time, not through the lens of stats and ECs listed on a page or an essay that has had the luxury of revisions, editing, spell check, etc So I’m much more inclined to think that Great Interview>Subpar Grades/SSAT than I am to think Great Grades/SSAT>Bad Interview.</p>
<p>That said, I think many candidates’ perceptions of their interviews may be quite different than that of the interviewers. What may have seemed like a horrible interview to you may have totally par for the course for the interviewer…what may have seemed amazing to you could have been ho-hum for the interviewer.</p>
<p>Am interested why you think it was “horrible”…feel free to PM.</p>
<p>AND REMEMBER, I AM NOT AN AO, SO TAKE THIS WITH THE USUAL GRAIN OF SALT.</p>
<p>^^Nice advice, SevenDad. Thanks for all the help you’ve given me and other posters! :)</p>
<p>Sorry to be a debbie downer here, but I agree w/ SevenDad. (why is it that everyone always steals my answers? hahaha) The interview is the best way for the AOs to gain a sense of what you’re really like in person.</p>
<p>However, they know you were nervous- heck, isn’t everyone nervous at their interviews? I’m sure you still have a chance, though- interviews aren’t everything.</p>
<p>Interviews are an integral part, but I’m reminded of the AO who told my son at Exeter 2 years ago, that the application is “stand alone,” meaning the interview is only a place to ask questions, not a place to assess you or your fit. Still, the schools where the AO appeared to like my son, and vice versa is where he got in. </p>
<p>Now fast forward to Red Blue daughter (aka Purple Daughter). When she had her interview at brother’s current school, she happened to be the interviewer’s very first interview. She thought the interview went horribly bad. The interviewer (or should I say interviewer in training) appeared more interested in dotting her i’s and crossing her t’s than in my daughter’s passions, leadership positions, EC’s and community service. Only March 10 will tell whether having a newbie for an interviewer made a significant difference. </p>
<p>After two years of direct “field work,” I truly believe the interview plays a major part in getting in. However, whom you get as an AO is totally luck of the draw. In some cases, she had the Director of Admissions him/herself, or the deputy Director. In other cases, she had total newbies. In her brother’s school’s case, she had the newest of the newbies. Only March 10 will tell, but I think it makes an enormous difference if you get someone who has experience and pull and who when they all sit around the table will carry some clout in pulling for the candidates they want. But hey, what do I know? I’m only a parent…</p>
<p>The only problem is that you can’t pick your interviewer…hence, the crapshoot theory. You can only hope that your preparedness curve bisects your opportunity curve at the maximum touchpoint with your interviewer. But who you get for your interviewer is still very much up to Lady Luck. Luck be a Lady on March 10…
please!</p>
<p>Yes, there really does seem to be an element of wildcard in all of this. Some people just click with each other, some just don’t click. If the interviewer/interviewee aren’t a good match on a personal level, I would hope that the interviewer would be professional enough to see beyond that, but we are all human. Guess it’s good for our daughters and sons to get used to this…that’s what it will be like in job interviews, too.</p>
<p>I agree fully. However, if only one interview feels like a disaster, and several others feel they went well, it is undoubtedly either the interviewer or the chemistry. Either way, one must wonder who that interviewer would click with, and if the answer is no one, then, well… some of his/her interviewees must get put in the “yes” pile, no?</p>
<p>One interview, the only “bad” one, was so awkward that both son and I thought it must have been some kind of test to see how he’d handle it… quite bizarre. Not what typically happens, nor a very “nice” way to treat a potential student. I felt awkward also, so it was definitely the interviewer. Made me want to run from the room. Felt it was a definite “no”, but applied anyway, out of hope because we love the school, and out of sheer curiosity. You never know…</p>
<p>My favorite (and most likely best) was with an AO. We had a very similar background, and I don’t know if he was just personally charming/charismatic but I felt like we hit it off immediately. My worst so far was with an alumnus… she was a stereotypical lawyer and didn’t smile once after she opened the door. It was really hard to keep my thoughts and stay unflustered when I felt like she was cross-examining me. Oh, and she basically shuttled me out of her house immediately after the interview ended, leaving me on an unfamiliar street at nine o’clock at night.</p>
<p>A high-level AO told me recently that in this schools process, the interview process represents a significant component of their selection process (weighted heavily).</p>
<p>Ah, hopefully your interview went better than you think. I also think the interview is an important part of the pie. </p>
<p>I think there is an old post that was recently bumped back up yesterday about an applicant who was told the reason why they didn’t get in last yr was because of the interview part. I do not mean to alarm you and again I am hoping your interview was indeed better than you perceived it to be.</p>
<p>If any adcoms are eavesdropping out there, why not move to what medical schools do? Candidates are interviewed by at least two to three admissions staff, during the course of their stay, not one. Although its more labor intensive, shorter and more interviews may be more effective. I would think that there would be a better chance at concensus and any negative patterns coming to light could signal trouble spots. If a candidate doesn’t “click” with one particular interviewer, there’s still another chance for him or her to make a good impression.</p>
<p>Or…hmm. Radical idea. What if the interviews were routinely taped by the school, just in case another AO wanted to see the candidate in action? Even if they hardly ever reviewed a tape due to sheer lack of time, maybe knowing they were ‘on record’ would keep experience like eileenbeth’s to a minimum.</p>
<p>It might decrease your chances but it won’t kill you.</p>
<p>Can you tell us exactly what happened in the interview that made it bad? bc maybe we can help you fix it…</p>
<p>After interviewing at 10 schools, we concluded: AOs vary greatly, from those that were rude, disinterested, disorganized, desperate, spent the whole time talking about a sport my child would never play, got our name wrong (repeatedly)… to awe inspiring gracious highly educated, caring and curious folks that had us ready to sign on the dotted line that instant, and brought out the very best in our family effortlessly.</p>
<p>Some are very, very good. Some are polite and OK. Some should find another field.</p>
<p>The very, very good AOs were NOT always at the schools you would expect. Try to separate your experience with the AO from your feel for the school (which is pretty hard to do but very worth it). Once you get to the school, you are unlikely to ever see the AO again.</p>
<p>The all time worst interview my daughter had last October was at a HADES school. The interviewer left the room apologetically stating that she just HAD to go talk to a family who said hi to her, who was a big donor whose student did not get admitted the previous year and who was reapplying, and was there interviewing with a colleague. </p>
<p>Although I guess we understood, it still felt extremely uncomfortable, because it took time away from DD’s opportunity…what was my daughter, chopped liver?</p>