<p>I know of one student with Asperger’s who is doing well at Harvey Mudd. I’ve heard Carnegie Mellon is also Aspie- friendly if you want to consider it. I agree with not having any parent intervention during an interview. That would not come across well.</p>
<p>I’m sorry, intparent; I wasn’t suggesting that YOU address it. I assumed your daughter would. My suggestion was intended as a way to deal with cases where an interview actually is an important part of the decision-making process. I’m not sure why you assumed I was suggesting that you go helicopter. I now regret having shared what I thought was a reasonable approach. I hope your daughter has a good outcome.</p>
<p>Ah, I see. Sorry… I think I assumed you meant parent intervention because I can’t imagine her formulating or getting out a helpful sentence that would convey to the interviewer that she isn’t much of a conversationalist and this just really isn’t going to go well (I suspect that is probably just how she would phrase it!). Not sure it would help… :)</p>
<p>As someone who also sometimes does some interviewing for work, I am not sure that would help me. I can already see if someone is awkward, shy, unable to respond reasonably quickly and articulately to questions in an interview situation. I am not sure what they could tell me that would make me more likely to hire/admit them. I suppose it shows some self awareness to mention it, but I actually don’t think she gives the impression of lacking that. I could see if it were a one time thing with a physical excuse (“I am mumbling today because I was at the dentist and my tongue is numb.”) But not sure what else she could say that would be helpful. (“I am mumbling today because my brain is numb because I freeze up in social situations”). Hmm…</p>
<p>I should add that she is very like to say the WRONG thing if she speaks, too. She just doesn’t hear how it sounds to other people. So she might do something you and I would never do… dunno, like compare their college to another unfavorably in passing, or talk down her own accomplishments (“well, I only did that because my older sister did it, too”). Etc… It is very hard to predice what she will say, or rehearse enough to offset that tendancy. I sort of think the interviewers want to knock them off any “script” they may have, and trouble lurks there.</p>
<p>I was thinking she could address it in advance through a method she IS good at, such as writing. Again, I suggest this only for cases where the interview is known to be important and where she is particularly eager to be admitted.</p>
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<p>Take a look at the school’s common data set, section C7, or the admissions tab under the school’s listing at [CollegeData:</a> College Search, Financial Aid, College Application, College Scholarship, Student Loan, FAFSA Info, Common Application](<a href=“http://www.collegedata.com%5DCollegeData:”>http://www.collegedata.com) . See if “interview” is listed as being considered or important, if you want to know about the effect of formal admissions interviews. For talking to college recruiters, “level of applicant’s interest” may be the relevant category.</p>
<p>I am very impressed – you have found a source for the hidden U of Chicago Common Data set! We had reviewed all the others, but never found that one. Thanks for the link!</p>
<p>With 10,000 EA apps. I don’t think it will be important for Chicago. My D has an alumni interview scheduled with them, but I get the impression they are more informational than evaluative. For Carleton and Swarthmore, the CDS says they are ‘considered’ but not important. My D was contacted by a Carleton alumna after she filled out the part 1 on their website, and met her at a local Starbucks, very low key. Their acceptance rate being around 30%, we are hopeful there. Swarthmore is very high on her list, and she interviewed while visiting the campus this fall, their acceptance rate is so low, I’m not sure how much of a difference it could make.</p>
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<p>I might very well be in the minority, but I have yet to see any reason to change my opinion that interviews are … best avoided at all costs. Unless the school makes it an absolute requirement, I would do everything to avoid the exercise? </p>
<p>Why? For starters, interviewers are not admission officers and play no role --or at least should play no role-- in the decision process. Then, one has to realize that the interviewers are rarely trained or expected to know how to evaluate candidates. </p>
<p>All considered, the primary function of the interviewers is to play the role of cheerleaders and “sell” the school to the successful candidates. From the school perspective, this is important as it accomplished two things: push the school and keep a number of alumni involved and happ, which might trigger continuing financial support. </p>
<p>However, from the candidate perspective, most of the process is hardly positive. In addition to increasing the nervosity of “meeting” an adult and the potential waste of time (if not money) you might stumble onto the interviewer of … hell, namely that one person who erroneously thinks his or her job entails googling the poor soul for information and secretly hopes to be a hero who uncovers some hidden stories or can identify a fib in the application. If you do not think they exists, just search a few past threads posted by such people who proudly described how they caught someone. Hint … check Harvard interviewer!</p>
<p>Again, unless it absolutely unavoidable, walk away from the interview. Actually, no, run away as fast as you can! There is always something to lose, and hardly anything to gain in that flawed and irrelevant process.</p>
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<p>Someone who has good in-person sales skills (selling oneself effectively, but without any dishonesty) may be able to turn an interview into an advantage. However, that seems to not describe the student in question in this thread (rather the opposite), and is likely to describe only a small minority of high school seniors.</p>
<p>The student in question in this thread definitely seems like the type who could only hurt herself with a formal admissions interview.</p>
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<p>CollegeData has been a source of valuable information for a long time, but it is not the Common Data Set. This is their source:</p>
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<p>Now, I can stop nitpicking. :)</p>
<p>xiggi, imo you are describing a scenario that may be true for an ALUMNI interview, but I don’t think your theory can be similarly applied to an on-campus interview. My S–who is comfortable interviewing–had an interview in the admissions office at U Chicago the summer before his senior year, applied EA, and was accepted in December. I was shocked and delighted when his area admissions rep and grad student interviewer both remembered him from his interview when he approached them at Admitted Students Day in April. </p>
<p>That said, I otherwise agree with most of the posters here: if an interview will be that stressful for your kid and the school doesn’t require it, pass! There is probably little to be gained and enough to be lost in that scenario. For schools where an interview is required (and, I agree, an effort should be made when the school is close to home), I do think it’s more than OK if the OP’s D opens with a self-deprecating remark about her lack of interview skills. She is not going to be the only interviewee who presents that way.</p>
<p>Yes, I eagerly clicked through to the U Chicago data since their CDS is as elusive and mysterious as the Loch Ness Monster 
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<p>That person could also convince the McDonald’s cook, the gas station owner at the corner, or his Aunt Clotilda with an equal impact. </p>
<p>The question is really not about the skills of the applicant; it is all about the relevance and POSITIVE impact of the interview on the final decision. Unless the interview is one the few that are with an ADMISSION OFFICER and not with one of the freelancers alums, I maintain that there is little upside, if any. OTOH, the chances of a disaster are much higher. </p>
<p>Here is a simple test and question to ask. Does the interviewer have any part of the application in his or her hand when talking? If the answer is NO, the interview is futile.</p>
<p>A significant amount of the information on collegedata.com does appear to be the same information as what is found in common data sets (e.g. the criteria used for admission), but not all of the common data set information can be found on collegedata.com .</p>
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<p>I though I made that distinction pretty clear in my first post. But, just in case, I clarified it further in my answer to UCBalumnus.</p>
<p>PS I also shared that I expect to be in the minority, and not trying to convince anyone. This is what I would do, and advise all my good friends to do!</p>
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<p>Unless things have changed in the last years, my recollection is that the primary impetus for the Common Data Set were none other than the USNews and Peterson’s. CollegeData and Peterson’s were very decent substitutes for the colleges who believed in the FYI power. The biggest drawbacks were that the information would be posted much later than the schools’ own CDS. </p>
<p>Of course, as we know, the transparency has greatly improved. Safe and except the few “smoke and mirrors” schools and others who look at their own websites with hesitation.</p>
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I think it might help, even if it’s awkwardly worded. It would give the interviewer a reason for the lack of talkativeness that’s something other than a lack of interest in the school. I agree with others, however, that it would be better to not have the interviews at all unless the school strongly pushes them.</p>
<p>If you end up with another school that requires interviews, read about them carefully. One that my D applied to allowed skype and email interviews. Skype might not make any difference but the email interviews allowed student to respond in writing to questions and might be just the thing if your D has to do another one. I’m sure not every school does this but something to check.</p>
<p>When my son, who is on the spectrum, went elsewhere to interview, as in, not at his own school, he did shockingly well! Maybe the change of scene would help.</p>
<p>I think it is better to response and go to the interview (meeting), even if it turns out badly, then not doing it. By not taking up the offer, the interviewer may check off - Contacted the applicant, no response or declined. The adcom may view that as an indication of lack of interest, whereas a bad interview may not matter that much.</p>