<p>I just an an email from UPenn to schedule an interview... I find this really strange because my grades are so bad and this is probably my highest reeach school. I'm really shocked..though i read somewhere that they choose people randomly for interviews.</p>
<p>Anyways, I was wondering if the interview actually helps for admissions. Were there any people out there who got an interview but were rejected?</p>
<p>You get an interview as a result of having applied. Had your SAT been a 1200/2400 you still would’ve had the same chance at getting an interview (enough alumni in the area is the only condition).</p>
<p>Well is there anyone who had really low marks who had the interview and got in ? lol i wanna know if i shold be excited or not.</p>
<p>Don’t be excited. The interview means almost nothing.</p>
<p>My friend applied to Columbia with multiple Cs and maybe some Ds, around 2000-2100 on the SAT, and left almost all of the supplemental questions blank. He was applying as a film student with supplemental materials and all that, but I doubt the admissions office took the time to look at these and find out who he was before they offered him the interview. While he did apply a month before I did (first week of December versus the last), he’s had an interview already and I haven’t even been contacted yet. Getting contacted for an interview means nothing about your application imo.</p>
<p>I know not everyone gets contacted to have an interview, but do those who are contacted get contacted at the same time?</p>
<p>This is unrelated, but, hume15, your friend applied to Columbia with those grades? Is that acceptable as a film student or is there something else fantastic about his/her app or something? lol</p>
<p>The interview means nothing? So even if it goes well, it won’t mean anything? :(</p>
<p>sorry but probably not. of all the schools i applied to harvard was the only one to give me an interview and that was the only one that rejected me. don’t get discouraged and have a ****ty interview because you think it doesn’t matter though still put forth effort.</p>
<p>Who get’s chosen for an interview is completely random. The effect the interview has on your application is completely minimal. According to another reliable poster it’s a way to keep the alumni happy and involved. </p>
<p>I for one, never got an interview, and have gotten accepted ED. Another one of my friends who did get an interview got rejected, and a different one got accepted.</p>
<p>So basically, simply receiving one doesn’t mean much.</p>
<p>
He admits that he has no shot at getting in. I think he only applied because he was really smart (good enough grades in middle school/natural ability) but didn’t try in high school at all, plus his parents were Ivy grads and put a lot of pressure on him. Most of the schools he applied to were film specialty schools (e.g. Cal Arts) that don’t consider grades.</p>