Benefits of Interviewing?

madbean
Wed, 08 Oct 2008 17:49:10 +0000

I am not suggesting anyone avoid an interview, but if you cannot find the time to do one, don’t panic. My son’s experience applying to USC last year might be considered as an additional piece of evidence that the lack of the interview does not count against you. My S (who attended school in L.A. County) did not sign up for an interview. Did the adcom take offense and infer that he was not really interested in USC? No. He was accepted early, invited to interview for the Trustee Scholarship (top merit award), and he was thrilled to receive the Trustee. I know other Trustee Scholars who did not fill out Part 1 or do the optional interview. For one thing, there are kids who are only now deciding on which colleges to apply to, and at a certain point USC no longer has interview dates available on campus, so they could not hold the lack of the optional interview against a student. I agree that signing up early to have an interview might be a good way to show extra interest–however, showing interest may not be a key ingredient to admissions at USC, as it is at some other schools.

Good luck to all who are applying this year. My S is having a fabulous experience as a freshman and loves USC.