<p>How important is the interviewer report compared to say, a recommendation? I would think the interview report would be more important because it is the unbiased account of an applicant, whereas a teacher is only likely to say good things.</p>
<p>A rec is WAYYYYY more important than the useless alum or student interview. An interview by a top adcom is equal.</p>
<p>Well, I wouldn’t call alum/student interviews totally useless, but the recommendation is more important.</p>
<p>Think about it - the interview is someone just talking to you for an hour. The recommendation comes from someone who has had you in a class for at least a year.</p>
<p>But teachers don’t write bad things in recommendations, whereas you are going to get a more unbiased account of someone from an interview.</p>
<p>Teachers do write bad things in recommendations. As part of the recommendation, teachers also have to rate students on various attributes, and most teachers probably rate students as they view the students. Most students wouldn’t get ultra high ratings because most students aren’t ultra high on all characteristics.</p>