<p>I got in EA, and I really think a lot of it was due to my interview. A friend of mine with competitive stats, some better than mine, got rejected. He didn’t interview. I’m not saying that it was because of not having an interview that he got rejected. He was a jerk at the rep visit and he didn’t have very creative essays (neither did I, but I had one that was an amazing essay…). Anyway. Having an interview shows that you are truly interested in the school. If you care enough to request and interview, you are only helping yourself.</p>
<p>I was really nervous for my interview, but it was actually quite enjoyable. I had interviewed for MIT EA (go deferred), and that interview was nerve-wracking the whole way through. My Chicago interview was comfortable, and I said a lot of things I had been thinking but not saying, and I came out of the interview with a new perspective on colleges.</p>
<p>Doing the interview changed everything for me and made me realize that Chicago is the right place for me. Maybe it won’t go as well for other people if Chicago isn’t the perfect place for them or if their interviewers aren’t as awesome as my guy, but the interview was a life-changing thing for me.</p>
<p>If you think you don’t have time, you do. It takes a minimum of 30 minutes, but it can go as long as you want (I went for a little over 2 hours). </p>
<p>If you think it’s too nervous-making, it is, but you get over it quickly once you meet the interviewer and see that (s)he is just a nice person who wants to help you see if Chicago is the right place for you. That’s it. </p>
<p>There are no specific questions (but be prepared to explain how/why you were initially attracted to Chicago and why you want to go there… pretty basic). There is really nothing to freak out over. If it goes badly, it won’t hurt you that much. It still shows you’re interested in Chicago. If it goes well, then it puts an extra dimension on your application.</p>
<p>Just do it. If you are not a phony and are a reasonably friendly person, it really can’t hurt you.</p>