<p>Hi everyone!
Georgetown is my dream school, and I had my interview back in October. (I sent part 1 of my application in June, but I am applying RD.) It went fabulously--my interviewer and I really hit it off and we talked and laughed together for a full hour and a half. I left feeling really good because she told me she would give me top marks in everything.
Here's where it gets interesting (maybe): my interviewer ran into my dad (they work the same profession and we live in a small town) and told him that she was recommending me with flying colors and telling Georgetown that they would be "crazy not to snap [me] up." She told my dad she doesn't usually tell applicants this unless it's a special case. My dad does alumni interviews for Dartmouth and told me he wouldn't tell anyone related to an applicant this kind of thing either unless he was really sure about them.
My question is, what does this mean for me and my chances? Does anyone know how much this can really factor in?
If it helps, my CR+M on the SAT are 750 and 720, my subject tests are 800 Lit, 730 Bio E, and 650 USH (ouch), I have a 3.7 UW (94) GPA in "Most Rigorous" course load, my dad went to Georgetown law, and my subjective stuff is exceptional (loads of leadership, work experience, volunteering, and I have research experience.) I selected the Neurobiology option for major on the application.
Thanks for any insight!!!</p>
<p>I don’t think it means much. I know of one alumni interviewer for an Ivy who has written amazing things about several of his interviewees, and he’s never gotten one – not one – of “his” kids in. My ds, a freshman at Gtown, thought his Gtown interview was his worst one, and yet he got in EA.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>My child had a similar experience. “I have been doing this XX# of years and I will look for your name on the accepted student’s list”. No uncertainty there but not just because of how well the interview went (and it was tough as nails). It was more about the total package. You can’t get the certainty you are looking for here on CC but I would continue to do what you are doing in life because at least one adult (and likely more) sees something in you and calls it like they see it.</p>
<p>@hbombwait That was such a nice reply, wow! Thank you so much! I guess I’ll walk away from this taking it as a compliment, and nothing more. Arrogance is an ugly trait and overconfidence leads to tragedy anyway.
(By the way, I’m fairly sure like your child this statement was made on the total package that she saw in the interview (I brought a resume and we talked about basically everything) and not “just” the interview…)
Quoth the collegeconfidential parents, just a compliment, and nothing more. ;)</p>
<p>It IS a compliment! And a testament to your accomplishment and poise, no doubt. Good job! I just think the interview is one of the least-important aspects of the application process.</p>
<p>Personally, I hope interviews don’t count for much. My D’s was terrible, though not her fault. They were supposed to meet at a Starbucks. The interviewer showed up 1/2 hour late, dressed in dirty jeans and a ratty flannel shirt. According to D, she seemed in a big hurry and distracted. She did not seem very interested in learning about D or in promoting G’town. D was very disappointed with the whole thing. I told her that she should report her experience to the school (maybe after decisions are out). They may want to find another alum to do the interviews around here.</p>
<p>I also think the interview doesn’t count for much. I think it’s mainly an opportunity for the school to sell itself to the prospective student.</p>
<p>I’ve gone through the admissions process twice in the last three years with two daughters. The oldest daughter is a senior at Georgetown in SFS. The younger daughter is a freshman at Columbia (she was accepted at Georgetown also). </p>
<p>While both daughters I’m told did well during the interviews, I saw no correlation between the interview “success” and college acceptances.</p>
<p>Short answer: it can make a difference on the margins and serve as a tipping point, but it is rarely a decisive variable.</p>
<p>Longer answer: The main benefit to the interview is humanizing an application, imparting a sense of the real person behind the statistics and polished essays. It also provides another opportunity for an application to communicate information and context about themselves, their background and circumstances, that might not be communicated elsewhere. So it definitely can be very valuable. But much of this is contingent on the quality of the interviewer, how well the student interviews (something most applicants don’t have a lot of experience with), etc.</p>
<p>And yes, it does also function as “an opportunity for the school to sell itself to the prospective student.”</p>
<p>Congratulations! I received an ASTOUNDING recommendation from my interview to Georgetown last year and was unfortunately denied. I believe you should still have a great shot! However, you are not a shoe-in by any means. Keep your options open! Just remember, having those interview skills are some of the most vital skills you will need in life. So if you are accepted to Georgetown, all the glory to you, but if you are WL or Denied don’t worry because you have some very important skills that many people could only desire to have.</p>
<p>Regardless, you will end up at a good school. I promise that.</p>
<p>mine was with the assistant director of admission and I think it went fairly well… we will find out how much it actually helped in a few days!</p>
<p>Interviews can help/hurt if:
- You are to the far right or left on the interview bell curve.
- You are on the bubble of in vs. wt. list (many students are here).
- The interviewer is a friend of the regional adcom and makes a call to his buddy to get you in.
- The interview is with an adcom member not an alumni and goes very well.</p>