@byadg123 – why do you think that your daughter’s interview would be so stressful?
My Barnard grad daughter also had lower end test scores, but I always knew that interviewing would be a strong point for her – she is very personable and confident, with a great sense of humer - and for her certainly a way to demonstrate her intellect. She flew out on her own from the west coast for her Barnard interview – it went very well and the fact that she traveled herself also seemed to be viewed very positively by the school. So I think the on-campus interview was probably a significant plus factor in her admission – given her weak test scores, it could have been a factor that tipped the balance for an application that might otherwise have been seen as iffy.
If your D. is not as comfortable with interviews, then the same might not apply for her. The whole point is that it’s an opportunity to demonstrate strength of an applicant – so someone who is shy or reticent might not get any particular benefit from an interview. There is no point in traveling for an interview that is going to be a bust.
But there is a qualitative difference between on-campus and local interviews. Local interviews are typically with alumna, and the quality of the interviewer can be variable. Obviously my D did not do one for Barnard- since she opted for on-campus, but she did several with other colleges and was generally not impressed with her interviewers. I think that if there is an admissions rep who visits the school it can be somewhat better, so you might want to check into that. My daughter’s high school didn’t have reps visiting from Barnard, but they did have a rep come from Wellesley… so that’s always a possibility.
But I’m also wondering about your daughter’s tolerance for stress. Is Barnard a top choice? I’m asking because life in NYC and Barnard/Columbia are fairly high stress environments overall, and I think that Barnard values independence and confidence in its applicants – so the statement about “afraid that stress will wreck the whole trip for her” makes me wonder if Barnard is a good fit. If she is applying RD, then she can make her decisions in the spring and no reason not to include Barnard in the mix of potential options – just one factor to consider.