<p>Hey guys, </p>
<p>I'm still waiting on my decision letter (I live in SoCal). But I was wondering how much weight an alumni interview has in the admissions process. I was VERY happy with my interview. It lasted about 2.5 hours and we seemed to have a lot in common. She even told me that I was the best fit for Swarthmore that she'd seen in a long time. I'm hoping that this is a good sign and that this will have tipped my app towards the accepted pile. Any ideas/experience?</p>
<p>The interview obviously does not count for nearly as much as your essays, high school record, etc. But you don’t have to wait much longer to find out the decision (a few days, tops!) so just hang tight. :]</p>
<p>Interviews are significant. When an admissions counselor visited my high school, she stressed the importance of interviews in the application process. During my interview, my interviewer said that interviews help the admissions team see 3-dimensional fashion, which is how it strives to treat every applicant.</p>
<p>Ugh my interview didn’t go very well…it wasn’t horrible but it was with a '69 alum and it was very curt and professional, he’s a high-up UW professor of history which is my worst subject. I was nervous because I was used to interviewing with younger alumni. Or in the case of Bard, with the dean of admissions, which I didn’t realize until I got my acceptance letter and realized I recognized the name at the bottom of the letter…</p>
<p>Haha anyways. I think a good interview can help you a bit and the most important part of the interview is that it shows initiative and you actually care about the school. And, like Frumens said, it helps them see you in a three dimensional fashion. Like I used a lot of my interviews (not Swat unfortunately) to talk about my relationship with my brother - something that I just wasn’t able to fit in my app but is a very big part of who I am.</p>
<p>I guess I am in trouble. I forgot to request an interview.</p>
<p>My Swat interview didn’t go that well, and I still got in. I think the admissions office understands that with alumni interviews, you might just not click with the interviewer and it’s not really anyone’s fault. Still, it’s great that the OP had a good interview and I’m sure it helped their chances (though to what degree is debatable).</p>
<p>The deal with interviews is that they certainly play a role, but most of the time, they’re not going to make or break an application. It’s just to get a fuller picture, like all other other application puzzle pieces! :]</p>
<p>Also, interviews are most recommended for those who live close by, within a drive of about an hour or two. It’s more understandable not to have an interview if you’re far away from Swat, but even then, alum interviews can be really helpful. It shows your interest, and that’s definitely a factor.</p>
<p>Either way, there’s nothing you can do about it now, so just try to stay calm while you wait. Good luck!</p>
<p>Daughter received an early write w/o an interview, so it’s obviously not a prerequisite. We live on the west coast.</p>
<p>i didn’t interview and i got in.</p>
<p>My daughter is a sophomore at Swat and was just accepted into the honors program. We live near Atlanta. She had interviews with Yale, Vassar, and Princeton and was not accepted (even though the Yale alumni doctor wrote her a very nice email saying she was the best candidate he had interviewed and wishing her luck). She didn’t interview for Amhearst and Swarthmore but was accepted by both. Swarthmore (which was her number one wished for) accepted her early write in March.
Don’t stress and good luck!</p>