There is a 3 year old thread here that says not getting an interview is not a bad sign, but it doesn’t say why some are given interviews and others are not (besides saying don’t expect one if you live in a small city.) So the question is, what does it mean if you don’t get an interview and you live in a large city? Does anyone have any information about how people are selected for interviews at Yale? Thank you in advance.
@myyalieboy, do some more searching on this and other similarly selective schools with holistic admissions, and you can probably find dozens of relatively recent threads that describe the issues around interviews. There simply are too many applicants and the interviewers often have a day job.
“it doesn’t say why some are given interviews and others are not”
Here’s why. I live in a large metropolitan area. We expect to only be able to interview 2/3 of applicants due to the number of apps vs. volunteers. I’d say living proximate to alumni volunteers will increase your chances.
Where I live, it’s first to apply, first served. Applicants who get their applications in early (and whose names are therefore processed to our local alumni interview coordinator first) are the first to be offered interviews. I think there are around 6,000 alumni interviewers, although I bet a meaningful percentage of those aren’t truly active. There are around 30,000 applicants. As IxnayBob notes, most of these people are volunteers with jobs, families, and other commitments.
In our area we pride ourselves on trying to interview all applicants. There are tons of applicants but also lots of interviewers. I got 3 interviews today. And yes, I have a day job and other responsibilities. We do this cause we love our alma mater and want to share this enthusiasm with applicants (along with getting to know you beyond your app). You can be admitted to Yale without an interview. It happens all the time.
Thank you.
My son finally will have an interview next week:)
He just activated his Eli account two days ago. Do you have to have your account activated to be contacted for an interview?
For anyone who is worried about not getting an interview I’ll ease your fears: I was admitted to Yale SCEA and I was never offered an interview. Did I worry about my lack of an interview? Absolutely. In the end though, it’s really what your application looks like and how you present yourself through essays and transcripts. Moral of the story: if you don’t get an interview, don’t worry!
Hope to see you guys next year at Yale! Good Luck!
Nicely said @Royboo. I think coming from a student who successfully went through the current cycle without an interview, this will allay a lot of anxiety.
Welcome to the Yale family! Boola Boola!!!