<p>Looking for some guidance on a topic my husband and I were discussing last night. We live in California. My D is interested in applying to William & Mary. Obviously going to an interview at W&M would be an investment of considerable time and money given the distance. My husband stated that he believes if an OOS takes the time and effort to travel that far to do an interview, this would be viewed as a positive when the OOS's application is being evaluated. I do not want to have my D take the time and spend money unnecessarily. However, if it really is a good way for her to demonstrate her interest, then I want to support her efforts. What are your thoughts?</p>
<p>It’s a tough call, because interviews are an optional part of the application process, but they’re evaluative as well. As it’s “optional”, it can’t carry a <em>lot</em> of weight, I wouldn’t think, but it is an opportunity to provide depth to an individuals application. </p>
<p>I guess you’d need to consider your daughter, that is, her style, her background, her personality, and whether she’d actually need the possible “bump” the extra information the interview might yield in terms of her chances at admission. </p>
<p>Here’s a [Washington Post story on interviewing](<a href=“http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/01/AR2010080103508.html”>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/01/AR2010080103508.html</a> ) - as you can guess, some of the interviewees probably did themselves a lot of good, while others assuredly did the opposite. </p>
<p>And of course, not related to “interviewing” – has your daughter ever visited the school? Spent time in a class? As a place where she hopes to spend the next 4 years of her life, it might be helpful to be sure it’s the right place for her (but full disclosure, my daughter had already decided to attend before ever stepping foot on campus, and it worked out great for her.) </p>
<p>So, can’t tell you what to decide - but if it helps, Virgin America is having a fare sale for another day or so - $129 e/w from LAX or SFO to Washington-Dulles is as good as it gets (though JetBlue comes close …)</p>
<p>Best of luck to your daughter!</p>
<p>William & Mary doesn’t track interest, so I would take that to mean there’s no “edge” just because your daughter is coming from far away.</p>
<p>Agree with Bayberry - W & M’s common data set indicates that applicant interest is not a factor in admissions decisions. Look at page 2, section C here for more information about what factors are considered, and how much: <a href=“http://web.wm.edu/ir/CDS/cds_0910_part_c.pdf[/url]”>http://web.wm.edu/ir/CDS/cds_0910_part_c.pdf</a></p>
<p>Although demonstrating interest will not make a difference in your d’s application, using the interview to demonstrate that she is the kind of student W & M is looking for could make a significant difference. Lots of terrific OOS students apply each year, and every opportunity to stand out in the applicant pool is valuable. If it’s in your budget and your d is the kind of kid who does well in an interview, I think she wouldn’t be wasting her time. Are her stats in line with those of accepted students? Is she applying ED?</p>
<p>Others are correct. We would not consider your D more interested in W&M because she came for an interview from far away. When we review her application we won’t know if that was part of an already schedule visit or not. However, we certainly have designed the interview opportunity as a way students can add positively to their application.</p>
<p>Keep in mind we have very few spaces left for fall interviews (all in late October and early November and all on weekdays) so if your D wishes to interview she needs to register for one online ASAP ([William</a> & Mary - On-Campus Interviews](<a href=“http://www.wm.edu/admission/interview]William”>http://www.wm.edu/admission/interview))</p>