Hello Everyone,
Are there any benefits of having an on-campus interview than a local alumni interview for UChicago? I live in NC, and I am applying EA.
Thanks!
I think that the only difference is that on campus you’ll talk with an actual UChicago student (3rd or 4th year most likely) rather than with an alum. My friend had an on campus interview and she talked with a 4th year student. I guess the advantage of an on campus interview is talking with someone who is currently studying at the college so you can talk about current classes and clubs and possibly have more of your questions answered. Plus if you go for an on campus one you have a chance to walk around the university and surrounding neighborhood–it can act as a first or second college visit (though I’m not sure if you’d get a tour or anything like that).
Just be aware that you don’t need an interview --it’s totally optional and definitely won’t make or break your admissions decision (unlike a school like MIT where interviews are supposedly a bigger deal and most admitted students have one). I got in without an interview and have a friend who was rejected with one.
Good luck! 
If you have any other questions about admissions stuff feel free to ask! I’m an incoming first-year.
I stumbled upon a thread about interviews and thought this answer might help you:
“you may have an on-campus interview before you submit an application; we begin interviewing rising seniors on campus in May. Alumni interviews may only be scheduled after you submit an application, and alumni and on-campus interviews are treated equally. You may only have one interview (so, you will not have the ability to schedule an alumni interview if you have already interviewed on campus, and vice versa).”–From UChicago
As far as Uchicago concerned, its kind of different from some other schools. Interviews and on campus visits are for the candidates to learn more about the school , not for the school to learn about the candidates. They are not necessary and won’t add much brownie points to your application.
My D, who graduated from Uof C few years ago, never visited the school, nor she was interviewed. If you knew this is the school you want to apply, you’d be better off concentrate on the Essays.
I do trust U of C on the “interviews are truly optional” point. Neither my kid nor her classmate who was also admitted EA interviewed. Basically, the essays do a lot of the work that another school might do through interviews. They give good indications wrt fit and personality. And, unlike interviews conducted by a mix of current students and alumns, the essays are something all the admissions officers can have direct access to and can read and discuss and compare. Letters of rec may also speak to these (personality/fit) issues and are based on much more exposure to the candidate than a single interview.
Could an interview hurt you? Yes, in extreme cases. It’d be stupid to ignore an interviewer’s report that the applicant was really racist or sexist or violent, for example. Why take the risk when you have lots of highly-qualified candidates whose applications haven’t thrown up red flags? Could an interview help you? Seems much less likely – maybe if there’s debate among adcoms (with a strong advocate – impressed for reasons other than the interview) and the detractor really knows/trusts the judgment of a particular interviewer and something was said in the interview that spoke directly and persuasively to the detractor’s qualm. But that’s really a long shot.
My D did an extensive visit after her admittance to determine which school she wanted to attend.