<p>My guidance counselor said that you usually get asked to have an interview after you already apply to colleges. One college I looked at requires them as a prerequisite for sending an app.</p>
<p>Does MIT expect you to sign up for an interview before applying (and how much earlier)? Or would they request one?</p>
<p>MIT expects you to interview before/as you are applying. For EA this year the deadline to set up the interview was October 20th and for RA the deadline was December 1st. Once you sign up for a MyMIT account under the admissions site, the admissions office will give you the name and contact information of the interviewer in your area. It is then up to you to contact them.</p>
<p>A personal note on when to interview, I would not recommend interviewing before school starts. When I interviewed, I didn't know my course schedule or my classes which made answering some of the questions difficult. In any case, the interview is a great chance to learn more about the school and reveal your personality to the admissions officers. I still contact my interviewer when I have questions about MIT.</p>
<p>As an interviewer, I tend to get two kinds of interviews. I get some early when people are still trying to decide whether they are actually interested in applying, and I get most requests for interviews late, with people who have decided that MIT is really for them trying to make themselves stand out and to get specific questions answered.</p>
<p>It is usually a good idea to know why you are interested in MIT. If you aren't yet sure of that, I would recommend delaying the interview. The interview is a great place to get questions answered, but if anyone comes along to a December interview and asks (for example) "so what majors are offered at MIT", then that suggests that they didn't care about MIT enough to visit the website. That lack of caring can be reciprocal.</p>