does it actually mean anything to get an interview?
My daughter had an interview, she had very high stats blah blah blah. The interviewer told her that she isn’t allowed to say this…but she knocked her answers out of the ballpark. She was waitlisted. 
To answer your question, we live in an area where there is an abundance of interviewers. I think it’s a great experience and it will help you to learn more about the school, but it will not necessarily help you gain acceptance. Regardless… it’s very exciting and I wish you luck!
but like does everyone get offered an interview if there is someone in the area?
When my daughter applied to Vanderbilt I believe everybody from her school received an offer to interview, but like I said there is no shortage of interviewers in our area. She received an email with a long list of interviewers and was asked to choose one to contact. The first two that she reached out to didn’t return her email.
ok, thank you!
Good luck to you!
My interviewer says he received a list of students that requested an interview and he chose as many as possible to do. I wouldn’t say it means you will be accepted, but if you do well and make a good impression at the interview it can only help your chances. Good luck and have fun!
My daughter interviewed in a local restaurant. The interviewer was there for a few hours and she had students lined up every 45 minutes. My daughter saw one student leaving as she was arriving, and another student arriving as she was leaving. Although her interview seemed to go very well and she received positive feedback, the process seemed a little generic…like a revolving door… and my daughter was somewhat turned off. Her interviewer kept suggesting that she join a sorority despite my D telling her three times that she had no interest. The interview process will give you another opportunity to learn about the school. Once again I wish you luck. Try to relax and enjoy the experience.
No interview offered means less chance of being accepted??
My son applied EDI, requested an interview but was never contacted. We read a lot into that, but he was accepted.
Last year my S had an alumni interview. I don’t remember him “getting” an interview. I remember the interviews were optional and we had an interviewer in our area so S requested one. S reported that the meeting was informal and low key, with the alum mainly giving info about Vanderbilt rather than asking a lot of questions. The interviewer did ask for S to bring a resume and commented favorably on it. S was accepted RD.
I just wanted to chime in as I am an interviewer for Vanderbilt. The selection for an interview is based on nothing more than availability so I wouldn’t read to much into it… The interview is just a chance for you to ask questions and get a feel for opportunities on campus that you may not be aware of. I fill out a sheet at the end and submit it to the admissions office and I personally try to advocate for the applicant unless they are a total jerk. I imagine most interviewers do the same but I don’t think it counts for too much in the process other than another data point.
On a side note - my oldest boy turned down Swarthmore and Johns Hopkins and absolutely loves Vanderbilt. There are so many opportunities to grow and expand who you are as a person (not talking the freshman 15). I wish everyone well in the process which is admittedly terrible but you will find a great place and make it yours regardless of whether it is Vanderbilt or not.
@GDadwith3more thank you so much! Then, what are the alumni interviews for?? They are very limited … even the interview result doesn’t count a lot … why needed??
@singingbear You are very welcome. I can give one specific example - there was an applicant interested in business and Vanderbilt was just starting a business minor (there is no undergrad business major) so I was able to highlight that interest in my write-up which strengthened his application. Other than something specific like that the interview is really just informative and mainly for your benefit which is why it is so flexible - it is optional without penalty for not choosing it as far as I am aware. I have seen some other schools’ interview processes and in my opinion many times it is really an unnecessarily stressful addition to an already very stressful process. Vanderbilt is very different from its peers and the optional interview process is part of that differentiation - we want to be available to answer questions in a time of uncertainty and advocate for the applicant if possible.
Thanks a lot @GDadwith3more ! I agree that an interview is an addition to the stressful process, but applicants including my D feel better with the interview. 
I’ve felt Vandy is different from its peers (first of all, the region admission counselor is so~ nice to answer questions in detail and he has been very helpful. Actually what you told me here about the interview is very similar to what I heard from him) … Hopefully my D has a chance to study there!