<p>it's obviously too late now, but about how much will not interviewing hurt my RD application? i know the website says that an interview is highly recommended, and i regret not interviewing. basically i found out about my columbia deferral after the interview scheduling deadline, and i wasn't totally positive where i would be applying RD until recently. poor planning, i know, but not much i can do now...so, any ideas?</p>
<p>EDIT: sorry, i didn't see the very similar topic below. still, if anyone has more concrete estimates of the affect not interviewing might have, i'm still not very clear about it.</p>
<p>No, it won’t. My son did not interview and got in RD to Swarthmore in 2004. Although that was 2004 and this is years later, but I still think it won’t.</p>
<p>This seems fairly intuitive, but if you haven’t interviewed, the best thing you can do to maximize your chances for acceptance is to write a very compelling “Why Swarthmore?” essay, making sure you reference very specific aspects of the school that appeal to you. Talking about what Swarthmore can give to you and how you can maximize your experience with those resources is not a bad idea, either. Basically, it needs to be clear why you are a great fit for the school. Good luck!</p>
<p>There is an expectation that you will interview on campus if you live within a 2-3 hour drive from Swat. If you do live relatively close by and did not come to campus for an interview, I agree with rover2792 that you need to write a Why Swat essay that is compelling.</p>
<p>Columbia and Swat don’t seem to have a lot in common. Would you care to comment about what is now drawing you to Swarthmore?</p>
<p>i live about 5 hours away from swarthmore…so here’s hoping that they take that into account (although i know i should have requested an alumna interview). </p>
<p>w/r/t what draws me to swarthmore after being deferred from columbia: columbia drew me in primarily because of its core curriculum (strong emphasis on locations) and location (infinite cultural opportunities), but not because i was necessarily searching exclusively for large universities in metropolitan areas with relatively rigid curriculums. likewise, i am attracted by swarthmore’s reputation for rigor, political activism, and its proximity to philadelphia because of the combination of those three things along with many other smaller factors that swarthmore provides, not necessarily because i was focused on finding a college with a small student body and green, tree-filled campus. in other words, the major differences between swarthmore and columbia are not areas of particular concern to me. i’m focused on the considerable, if different, strengths of each institution; otherwise, i’m not too picky. in some key areas, too, columbia and swarthmore are not too different. both have politically active student bodies and, more specifically for me, strong dance programs (columbia’s is run through barnard). </p>
<p>all that’s a bit vague, and of course i’ll working on expressing it better for the supplement essay, but i hope that’s at least an adequate answer to your question…?</p>