<p>I got a letter a while ago from the local Princeton Club around here saying that they were going to offer me an interview. I thought Princeton didnt offer interviews though. It seemed like this was just something for me to learn a little more about princeton. Is this something that could affect my application at all?</p>
<p>Yeah, the interview is evaluative as well as informative. It won't have a gigantic impact on your application, but it could probably tip you if you were on the brink. Most AOs say that your interview won't hurt you, but it could help you. You will learn more about Princeton during your interview, but in most cases the applicant will talk about him/herself more than the interviewer will talk about Princeton.</p>
<p>I think it depends a lot on your interviewer--in my interview, I would say it was about 60% her talking about Princeton and answering questions I had about Princeton and 30% talking about myself...and 10% talking about random stuff. She made it very clear from the beginning that the primary purpose was to help me learn more about the school. </p>
<p>I agree with j07 that I guess it could be a tip factor, but if used by AdComs at all, I would say the interview can help weed out applicants that have ABSOLUTELY no social skills/personality (which they will probably already know from your teacher recs, etc.) and those who have little interest in/knowledge of the school.</p>
<p>This</a> thread has some useful information about Princeton interviews.</p>
<p>Good luck! :)</p>
<p>Ahh well i guess it wont make a difference for me anymore...my parents misplaced the letter I got with the phone number i was supposed to call so I guess i cant do it now X-(</p>
<p>
You're an awesome poster so I will take it as a slip of the tongue but since when did having "social skills/personality" become a prerequisite for college admissions? When colleges say they value personal skills highly, they mean attributes like diligence, integrity, ability to overcome difficulties, organization skills, etc. and not a sense of humor for instance. College admissions is NOT a beauty pageant audition.</p>
<p>I think that the ability to communicate with others without being completely withdrawn or unbearably arrogant is definitely a valid criteria to look at. Btlesgirl is not speaking about winning a popularity contest--one of the factors that interviewers can legitimately comment about is whether the applicant speaks well, communicates ideas, seems enthusiastic and would be an interesting person in a classroom setting. If an applicant was noncommunicative or withdrawn, that would certainly raise a question about his/her ability to live and learn with others.</p>
<p>well believe it or not i have personally, face to face, discussed this with btlesgirl, and she very much agrees with what midatlmom has to say. She did intentioanlly post that comment and stand by the belief. I mean we dont want to go to school with robots or suicidal depressed manic people (you know someone that would show up great on paper, but would never talk to anyone once in college) They are developing a living community, not just a work place you can leave whenever you want.</p>
<p>
[quote]
You're an awesome poster so I will take it as a slip of the tongue but since when did having "social skills/personality" become a prerequisite for college admissions? When colleges say they value personal skills highly, they mean attributes like diligence, integrity, ability to overcome difficulties, organization skills, etc. and not a sense of humor for instance. College admissions is NOT a beauty pageant audition.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I disagree. Princeton is not Caltech. The adcoms are looking to find the people who will be the leaders of the next generation, (cheesy as it may sound,) and they are looking for strong personal qualities.</p>