<p>neatoburrito, I happened to be thinking of the issue of interviews in college admissions this week. A relative’s applying to colleges, and his parents advised him to skip the interview, where possible. He’s a quiet kid who’s careful with his words, and they were afraid the interview would hurt him. I think the lack of an interview also hurt him. Just because something’s optional doesn’t mean there isn’t a cost associated with not doing it.</p>
<p>I think the BS admissions process does select for students who will interview well as seniors. I don’t think it’s an attempt to game the system, though. I suspect experience has shown the schools that some temperaments handle living away from home well, and they look for those sorts of people.</p>