<p>Are they that important to getting into a competitive university? What if it's impossible to interview?</p>
<p>Some schools consider it, others dont. Stanford doesnt.</p>
<p>They won't be the sole determining factor in getting into a school, but an outstanding interview that confirms things that the admission office has been seeing in your application may just push you over the edge if you're bordering between an admit and a reject. You should accept all interview offers, just because it's poor form to turn down an interviewing opportunity, and you are also inherently implying that you don't want to interview because you can't handle speaking to a stranger (of course, this might not be the reason at all, but it's natural to assume).</p>
<p>If it's impossible to interview, they won't count it against you. At schools like MIT, you can get your interview waived if there's no way you can get in contact with one of their ECs. Keep in mind, however, when schools like HYP say to you that "they have no interviewer available" in your area, it is not necessarily the case. Sometimes they might think that you're not a candidate they are interested in interviewing - but you really can't do too much about this because it's the school's decision. I know this because I was interviewed for Harvard, Yale, and Princeton this year, when some of the other people I know are applying got turned down in their requests for an interview. So I guess you can only hope for the best for the school to provide an interview.</p>
<p>^ Stanford does not offer interviews, either on campus, or off-campus.</p>
<p>So should I request interviews from some of the colleges that I'm interested in?</p>
<p>Generally you don't need to "request" - an interview will be offered automatically if they are interested in you (an alumni would contact you through email or phone after you apply). Some schools (like Harvard) do require you to indicate interest on your application, so if they do, just put yes. At other schools (like MIT) - you have to take the initiative and contact the EC (educational counselor) listed on your my.mit.edu page, so just pay attention to what the colleges require and it should be okay.</p>
<p>Alright, thanks.</p>
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Generally you don't need to "request" - an interview will be offered automatically if they are interested in you (an alumni would contact you through email or phone after you apply).
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<p>What seemed standard among the schools I'm looking at (small LACs) is that interested applicants schedule their own interviews, usually between spring/summer of junior year and January of senior year. But at almost all of them they expected students to express interest, call, and schedule their own interviews, before applications were due.</p>
<p>This certainly isn't the case at all schools, but if you assume that admissions will contact you once you apply, you may end up missing your chance without knowing it. If interviewing is important to you, you should go straight to the websites of the schools that you're interested in and find out what their specific policies are.</p>
<p>Interviews are not that important. They can be good opportunities to ask questions about the school and demonstrate your interest in that school. Just sign up for interviews at all schools that offer them and relax.</p>
<p>Varies at each school, some like em others dont care</p>
<p>Caltech is another school that does not offer interviews.</p>