<p>Someone called my house at around 2:00 pm today claiming to be from UVA and requesting that I do a telephone interview. I was still at school so my dad told him/her to call back in the evening.</p>
<p>I find this incredibly odd because I live in HK and the time difference between HK and Virginia is 12 hours. So it would be around 2 in the morning in Virginia. Now the interviewer might be neurotic, or maybe he was calling from somewhere in Hong Kong but does anyone think that this was a prank??? I've never heard of universities requesting phone interviews...</p>
<p>It's not a prank. It's a Chinese student group that's calling on our behalf. They call in the late hours because they know that calling during our work day wouldn't be the best way to get in touch with you.</p>
<p>Dean J, thanks for your respsonse. But I'm just wondering, is the interview from a Chinese Student group a part of the admission process?
I was under the impression that UVA does not conduct interviews for Undergrad applicants. </p>
<p>"Does U.Va. require interviews?</p>
<p>No. While prospective students are invited to visit and speak with members of our admission staff, formal interviews are not a part of our evaluation process."</p>
<p>I asked Parke Muth, Director of International Admission, about this. Here's the official word...
[QUOTE]
Due to the high number of strong applicants from China, the Office of Admission began to interview students from China two years ago. These interviews allow our office to assess the English speaking ability of prospective students as well as to answer questions about the University for them.
<p>My friend is one of the interviewers, and she said it's not surprising to see prospective Chinese applicants either thinking it's a prank call or flipping out of their mind about the interview. They've had to do this because there are tons of Chinese applicants every year; in fact, this year alone, I believe it's doubled to 800.</p>