I requested an interview for Johns Hopkins on like December 21st and I have not received a reply yet. I helped a friend request an interview a day or two after I had requested mine for Johns Hopkins and they received a response from an alumni on Sunday. Should I be worried about this? Should I e-mail admissions or someone? We both go to the same school and our zip codes vary slightly. Is the 30-minute difference in location having us zoned to different alumni or is there some type of criteria for who they select when they look for people to match? I’m worried I won’t receive an interview for Hopkins and that would suck. I never will withhold information from people who ask just to get a competitive advantage because I believe that it’s mean-spirited. But, honestly it would suck if I just got bumped out of an interview because I helped someone else out…
You shouldn’t worry too much. I did not receive an interview either and i got in and i know a plenty of people who didn’t get interviews who got in. Also, depending on the area, there will be multiple alumni interviewers assigned to the same region so different student would get assigned different interviewers. IMO, interviews have little or minimal impact on application and is meant more for you to find more about Hopkins.
JHU doesn’t do interviews, though they should. It seems like they picked a fair share of students lacking in strong character this year.
Hopkins offers optional interviews, as do most undergrad programs. The burden of interviewing tens of thousands of applicants would be quite an undertaking. Most interviews are conducted by alumni throughout the country, though you can have an interview on location with an admission representative if you schedule it in advance. The interview is optional, but it most likely will help your case since they now have more information on you and you have gone the extra step by showing additional interest. Of course if you are an awkward interviewer or say inappropriate things then it may be in your interest to not interview and keep your awkwardness a surprise for your future classmates.