What impact does an interview have on admission? I know interviews hold very little weight in the admissions process for some colleges, so why are they still conducted?
- A poor interview report may be a "defect" that gets you rejected, though a good interview report probably won't help because lots of other applicants will have good interview reports.
- Some schools may use interviews as a way for applicants to express a higher "level of interest".
- They may be used to keep alumni connected with the school.
I would like to add 1 more reason to ucbalumnus’ posting.
The interview can add new and additional information about the applicant. New info, such as winning an award, that occurred after the application deadline is important. The interview serves as the last chance for the applicant to keep the college informed of any changes…
For colleges that recommend but don’t require interviews, they have impact. For colleges where they are truly optional and informational they have very little impact, unless the candidate makes a really bad impression.
At some of the LACs where they recommend an interview, I have heard adcoms say that the acceptance rate is higher for those that interviewed. If you have 2 candidates who are fairly even but one interviewed and one did not, the advantage is with the student who did.