<p>I got an email from Brown University requesting an interview. It continues by giving me the option between having a “Central Interview” and an “Individual Interview.” Can anyone explain to me difference? Which should one choose?</p>
<p>I tried google but I found nothing.</p>
<p>I think you should choose an individual since it will be about you…I really don’t know what a central one is, have you checked the thread about interviews?</p>
<p>Was your e-mail from an alum or from the admissions office itself? They didn’t explain the difference to you in the e-mail?</p>
<p>Here is the email</p>
<p>"My name is Hilda Vega and I’m the Co-Chair of the Brown Alumni Schools Committees for the Chicago Central Area. I’m excited that you have applied to Brown and would like to invite you to interview with a Brown Alumnus in the coming weeks.
If you would like an interview, you may request either a Central Interview or an Individual Interview.
Central Interviews take place on Saturday January 22, Saturday February 12 and Saturday February 26 at the Latin School of Chicago.<br>
Available Time Slots for these dates are: </p>
<p>If you cannot attend a Central Interview session, you can request an Individual interview which will take place at a time and place to be decided by an assigned interviewer who will contact you in the coming weeks.
Please let me know your preference as soon as possible. For Central interviews, please indicate at least 2 different options and for all responses, remember to include your full name and current school in the email.
Interview slots are limited and and all interviews must be completed by March 1.
Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you."</p>
<p>I could take a logical guess but I would like to know more about this “central interview.”</p>
<p>I agree, an individual interview does sound most meaningful towards my application.</p>
<p>I did a keyword search in CC but haven’t come back with any positive answer.</p>
<p>makes sense, i think its like where she interviews more than one person!</p>
<p>As an interviewer, I wouldn’t want to participate in a central interview – I like being able to let a conversation with an applicant develop naturally, and sometimes that means it lasts 2 hours. But some regions are rather overwhelmed with applicants, and central interviews help them ensure that everyone gets a chance to have an interview.</p>
<p>It looks from the e-mail that they would generally like you to attend the central interview unless it’s not possible for you, so I would go ahead and do that unless it’s actually inconvenient.</p>
<p>A central interview is when a number of alums go to a school/church – a place with lots of rooms. There’s one alum in each room. Every 45 minutes (or whatever the time slots are) a new student is scheduled to come in. There will be a waiting area where other students and volunteer alumni will be.</p>
<p>You will get a one-on-one interview, but it will feel a bit like an assembly line.</p>
<p>We don’t like doing these, but we are short of alums to do interviews and this is a quick and easy way to process lots of students.</p>
<p>The advantage: You know you will get an interview. If you decide to do an individual interview, you risk there not being an alum available, or getting an alum who forgets to call you.</p>
<p>Another potential advantage to a central interview: if you stand out, you’ll likely really stand out (i.e. if you make a good impression, your interviewer will be able to compare you positively to the other applicants right away). When I applied to Olin I think my central interview is a big part of the reason I made it to the second round (which I promptly tanked by saying I didn’t really plan on doing engineering… oops =P). And even non-central interviews are likely to be held in a similar manner (my Brown interview was 1/2 hour at a coffee shop, and there was someone right before me and right after me).</p>