<p>I was curious as to why/how some schools can give students outright acceptances (i.e. via email/website) whereas most programs require an interview/recruitment process which makes more sense to me because it allows both parties to better gauge if the prospective applicant would be a good fit. Is it because the schools who give outright acceptances have more resources (i.e. funding, space) and/or are these applicants highly qualified? </p>
<p>PS- Applying to PhD programs in Biomedical Engineering for the Fall 2013 cycle.</p>
<p>It has more to do with the specific field you’re looking at, along with the size of the department.</p>
<p>In very theoretical or technical fields, meeting someone in real life is not that important. If there’s something truly wrong with that person from a social point of view, that will be revealed in the letters of recommendation. This makes interviews less necessary.</p>
<p>In lab fields, where many hours are spent in close contact and cooperation, personalities are much more important, and interviews count. Biomedical is one of these fields, as far as I know.</p>
<p>Also, very big departments usually don’t have the resources to interview too many people. Same is true for departments with lots of international students. When we’re talking about $2000 for a flight, it can get a bit pricy.</p>