<p>I had my Yale interview a few days ago and my interviewer talked less about me than he did about the school. He was quite old, so he spoke slowly which I guess took up a lot of time (45 mins - I thought the interview was soo much shorter than it actually was). He talked a lot about the campus layout, how it was when he was there, etc.
I was just wondering if that's a bad thing? I mean I don't think I was shy or quiet or anything; some of the topics we talked about just kind of trailed off and I didn't have much to add :/
I'm worried he won't have anything to write about in his report? Does the interview really count a lot?</p>
<p>Don’t worry about it. Yale sees interviews as being an opportunity for you to learn about the school (and to convince you that it’s a great place so that you will attend if you get in) as much as they are meant as information for your admissions file. Plus, they aren’t that important a factor in admissions.</p>
<p>I have heard that the alumni interview is also important <em>to Yale</em> as a way to keep alumni connected with and invested in the school. It counts for nearly nothing in terms of the applicant.</p>
<p>I won’t say it counts for nearly nothing. It can raise red flags that sink an application. I think they can negatively impact an application–a reason not to admit with all the great students in the pool–vs. really helping someone get in.</p>
<p>I absolutely agree that Yale views it as a way to keep alumni connected, but a lot of alumni are frustrated and burned out because none of the great applicants they interview get in. The newsletter to alumni interviewers acknowledges this in almost every edition.</p>
<p>Thanks, everyone! So do you think my situation with my interviewer talking way more about the school is a negative thing?</p>
<p>Also, this is random, but do you think I should hand-write or email the thank you letter? I usually email it just because I don’t have the interviewer’s address, but this time I was interviewed at his house, so which do you think would be appreciated more? And do you think he has already sent out the interview report? (Not that my thank you letter would make a difference, or that I’m doing it so he can include it in the report – I genuinely want to thank my interviewers for taking their time to meet with me.)</p>
<p>I really don’t think the interviews have much bearing in the admission. My son applied to 3 different schools which I will call A,B and C. He tried unsuccessfully to interview for school A, was never called for an interview for school B and was able to arrange an interview with school C that went very well in his opinion. The end result was he was admitted to school A and waitlisted at both B and C. He was eventually accepted to school B and rejected at school C.</p>
<p>The bottom line is the two schools he didn’t interview with accepted him and the one he did interview with rejected him. My opinion is the interview is only for informational purposes for the interviewee to get questions about the school answered and does nothing to enhance or hurt one’s chance at acceptance.</p>
<p>My interviewer also spent most of the time talking to me about Yale but it’s fine. I wouldn’t worry about it. Do, however, send a thank you note afterward; it’s a nice gesture and shows that you appreciate what the interviewer did.</p>
<p>My son had wonderful interviews with Georgetown, Harvard, Cornell, and Princeton. Will they matter? I hope so. Then Yale happened. The interviewer asked odd questions related to goodness knows what such as, “Why do you think the US entered WWII?” S was not even discussing this or anything remotely related to it–and he’s not going to be a history major. He felt like he was taking the APUSH test all over again. Sigh.</p>