<p>What’s the procedure for Brown? I know at Columbia they don’t entertain requests; it’s just whether or not an alumnus is in your area or not. I certainly hope this is not true for Brown, as I don’t know if there has been an Ivy graduate from my area in…well, ever, probably. Is there any way, do you think, to interview with someone at Brown? I would drive to RI, if I had to. So, what is the verdict? Are many students given interviews, or no?</p>
<p>Brown does not do any on-campus interviews. </p>
<p>I am an alumni interviewer, have been for years, and try to answer all questions about the Brown interview process here. </p>
<p>Once Brown has received your application, your name and contact information is given to a local alum who then contacts you. If there is no alum in your immediate area, you may be asked to travel some distance, or have a telephone interview with an alum.</p>
<p>We try to interview everyone, and contact the vast majority of applicants. The interviews for early decision start sometime in October and are due Dec. 1; regular decision interviews typically start in December and are due in mid to late February.</p>
<p>(A lot of this information is on the Brown website, so you might want to look there.)</p>
<p>Fantastic. Thank you. It’s good to know that I will most likely get an interview. How much weight does a good (or bad) interview carry? Can that be a deal-breaker?</p>
<p>I’m also an alumni interviewer, have been for a number of years now.</p>
<p>(My personal opinion, others may have a different view:)</p>
<p>Truth be told I do not know how much the interview impacts an applicant. The adcom reads the reports for sure, and yes, the increase in applicants might suggest using other metrics like interview reports to differentiate applicants. However, it is hard to say and depends on the sum of the application so its impact is sure to vary from person to person. As the interviewer’s report is highly subjective, I would presume that the interview imparts a qualitative rather than quantitative impression.</p>
<p>I’ve had many an interviewee who I thought was awesome and showed a lot of interest in Brown get flat-out denied while a few I thought less of were accepted. Yet sometimes my gut impression from the interview is highly correlated to their eventual admissions outcome, one gets a sense of these things after a while. Just goes to show that the interview is just one part of the whole.</p>
<p>When I meet the interviewee I always try to put her/him at ease by saying, in all sincerity, that the interview is here to help you, not weed you out, and we are trying to get a sense of who you are and what drives you and makes you stand out, no right or wrong answers. In light of this, if you have something you’re really passionate about, have had unique experiences, or have compelling opinions, do bring them out in the interview.</p>
<p>If your interview aligns with the impression that the adcom formed of you from the other parts of your application, especially the essays and personal statements, then the interview helps to reinforce this view and shapes you into someone tangible, for better or for worse. My advice is to think about how you wish to present yourself and focus on what you wish to emphasize as truly important and drive that message throughout all facets of your application, including the interview.</p>
<p>Because I applied ED, I had some worries that if I did get in, perhaps I had made the wrong choice. Once you send in that application, you really are stuck and the doubts do come. My interview actually relaxed me and reminded me why I like Brown–I got a really cool interviewer who went out of his way to explain how much he loved Brown. </p>
<p>So, if you have questions at the time of your interview, this is a really good chance to get someone else’s opinion.</p>
<p>A really good interview will not make up for gaps in your application. Don’t think that admissions will overlook that low SAT score or lack of ECs because of an amazing interview write-up. I see that opinion expressed here a lot, and I promise you that no matter how much you impress the interviewer s/he cannot persuade admissions to accept you if there are weaknesses in your transcript.</p>
<p>But a negative interview write-up will raise a red flag and cause admissions to re-evaluate a decision to accept. That student may still get in – but in other cases, a negative recommendation could affect the outcome. </p>
<p>I agree with most of what dontknowjack said. Many say the interview is worthless, but I don’t think Brown would try so hard to interview so many students if it meant nothing. It spends a lot of money on the interview process.</p>
<p>But it is mainly an opportunity for the student to ask questions and have a nice chat with someone who went to Brown.</p>