Interviews and Admissions

Applying to College
1

<p>I was reading another post in the Princeton forum about interviews and I was concerned that people were saying that getting an interview does reflect on your chances which makes sense. They would not interview someone who has no chance, haha which kind of worries me since I didnt get one for Princeton, Yale, Columbia, etc, and some of my classmates have. Does anyone have any insights on whether this is true?</p>

2

<p>its pretty much random who gets one and who doesn't. Assuming the applicant isn't terrible (below 2.0 GPA)</p>

3

<p>It is entirely dependent on the school. Most top private universities will try to interview everyone they can. They rely on their extensive alumni networks. Getting an interview offer does not mean they like you any more or less than any other applicant. By the same token, not receiving an interview does not mean they aren't interested in you. More than likely, there was not an available alum volunteer in your region (or you missed a deadline). They don't penalize you for this.</p>

<p>Other schools may have different policies regarding who gets an interview. Most schools will put this information on their website along with other admissions info.</p>

<p>Btw, the following is pulled from Princeton's website:
[quote]
We try to offer all applicants the opportunity to have a conversation with an alumnus or alumna as a way for them to learn more about the overall Princeton experience. Our interviewers, who are volunteer members of Princeton’s Alumni Schools Committees, will contact applicants and arrange a convenient time and place to meet in the student’s local area. Interviewers write down reflections about the conversations, which we then include among the various other components of the application. Interviews are not required as part of the admissions process, but we encourage candidates to accept the invitation. Applicants who live in parts of the United States or around the world where there are no available Alumni Schools Committee members should not be concerned if an interview is not possible. We can give an application full consideration without an interview having taken place.

[/quote]
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