<p>I am the mom of one of the posters. He applied ED to Pton. Question:
If he gets an interview, doesn't that at least mean that he is someone further up the line than someone who doesn't. In other words, if he gets an interview, shouldn't that signify that he did hit the Reject pile or the Deffered List?</p>
<p>And.....how much weight does an interview carry. I've read from different thoughts from different people. I would think that the interview might carry the same amount of weight as say a teacher recommendation, shouldn't it?</p>
<p>no. once princeton gets the applicaton they send out a notification to the alumni club that is closest to your residence. the interview only means that the application had been received. at princeton, it does not carry much weight because not everyone receives an interview or is offered an interview because of people living in rural and odd locations. my interviewer said that for people he has said good things about, some have beeen rejected, while for those he has not recommended, some have been accepted. but ur son should still give a very polished image and let the interviewer say some wonderful words</p>
<p>Well, if your interviewer said that, then maybe it is so. However, what about the 1250 SAT kid with no outstanding ECs and so-so Essays who applies just with the mentality of a lottery ticket "You gotta be in it to win it" purchaser. A kid who certainly would hit the reject pile. Do you think that it is fair that he arbitarily gets an interview just because he had an alumni in the area.</p>
<p>I'm not doubting you answer, because you have been so advised by your interviewer. However, isn't there any type of "quality control" over the 2000 ED applications that come in? I think it would get the hopes up of any applicant who would never, ever in a snowballs chance of hell of getting in. And I think that would be mean.</p>
<p>It is not mean to interview your hypothetical no chance kid. With a short 6 week period from application to acceptance, they have to line up kids with interviews regardless of qualifications pronto. There is no time for much of a review before scheduling interviews. Cold, yes; mean, no. Sounds like a very adult experience (often impersonal) for a HS senior to begin his adult life. Interviews for jobs in the real world make this look like a piece of cake.</p>
<p>lol, I think they send your name out before they even take a good look at your app. Like, they process your name and contact info, and send that to the alumni club, then they wait until the rest of ur app is all there and they're all ready to read. </p>
<p>But, not getting an interview definitely does NOT mean that you've hit the reject pile or are somewhere lower than someone who received one. It's dependent on the diligence of the alumni your name was given to. I say this a lot, but the person giving the info session at princeton (a recent graduate) said that he recieved his interview after he had already gotten in, and just had a nice conversation with an alum! </p>
<p>It seems that this interviewing process isn't very organized and I don't think it carries much weight at all. For one thing, they definitely weigh less than teacher recs. Your teacher is someone who knows you well in the school environment and can access your strengths and weaknesses because he/she has had experience with you for at least a semester. Meanwhile, not only does the interviewer not know the applicant, Princeton doesn't even know the interviewer! How can they trust the arbitrary opinion of strangers (yes alumni, but still strangers)? I think it's basically a way for them to keep the alums feeling active and it's an opportunity for them to sell the school to you as well. </p>
<p>Anyway, I hope that answers some of you questions.</p>
<p>To clarify a very common misconception, the Princeton interview means absolutely NOTHING in terms of chances for admission. It's a way for you to become familiar with the school through alumni. Any applicant with an alumni in his/her vicinity will be invited to have an interview. Now, the alum DOES write a report on the applicant, which is forwarded to the admissions office, but it carries very little weight. Basically, you have to totally botch up your interview for it to constitute a rejection. On the same token, the interview will not help you unless you are absolutely brilliant (i.e. love at first sight).</p>
<p>These kids are all correct. An interview is offered to everyone who has an available alumni in their area, and does not in any way signify your chances of getting in. I am an alumni interviewer myself for another school. They look for the interviews to support what is already in the application. But they've rejected kids with good stats that I loved, and once accepted a kid that I didn't like too much, but would have brought very different ideas to the classroom. An important factor seems to be how much they think a kid will contribute to the college community.</p>