Finished Interview at Exeter and others..

alooknac
Thu, 24 Jan 2013 21:15:33 +0000

I am responding as a parent who has sent two children to BS.

No single part of the application is the deciding factor. Some schools may put more emphasis on the essays, or the interview, but they’re not letting us in on it.

Most (maybe all?) schools choose who to admit by committee. Not necessarily using a point system, but something along those lines. Several people read all the parts of your application and together they decide whether to admit you or not. Obviously the interviewer is the only one who has met you in person and I believe that sometimes they may lobby for (or against) an applicant. Who knows how much weight their viewpoint carries?

A warning: it is very common here on cc for people to say how encouraging their interviewer was or how the interviewer made them feel that they would be admitted. Please, please, please, take comments and impressions from your interviewer with a grain of salt. Not that the interviewer is lying or even exaggerating, but it’s their job to encourage good applicants. They want you to complete your application. They want you to feel welcome at the school.

The interviewer has probably not seen your test scores, essays, or recommendations at the time of your interview. They are probably unaware of any financial need you may have. So just take what they say with a grain of salt. It’s GREAT if they seem to really like you and are very encouraging, but all it really means is that you aced that part of the process.