I am an international applicant and was offered an interview through phone. However, the interview lasted for less than 20 minutes, which I believe is considerably short. This is not to say that the interview went bad or anything, it is just that it was rather short. The interviewer asked me some questions like what is your intended major, what are your extracurriculars, what is your favorite class, but she didn’t reflect on any of the responses (by reflection I mean “why do you particularly love this activity” and the like). The interviewer was very warm, though, responding with comforting words like “great” and “that seems interesting.” I am worried, however, that the short time of the interview is indicative of anything negative.
It’s not, and 20 minutes is not that short. If it were 3 minutes, I might be worried. Regardless, as I am sure you have seen from other threads, the interview will not make or break your application. As an international applicant, even getting an interview is a plus. Don’t worry needlessly.
No. I don’t think interviews play a major role in interviews; it’s better that you understand that it was an opportunity to ask important questions that you might have about the school. After all, you are spending 4 years of your life there.
Different interviewers have different styles, who knows? Maybe 20 minutes was a long interview for that particular alumni. Don’t worry about something you can’t change and that will have very little (if any) effect on the outcome.