Requested an alumni interview, but didn't get it.

JHS
Fri, 14 Nov 2008 20:23:26 +0000

You know, this is the kind of question for which the response “Why don’t you call the Admissions Office?” was made.

No one will think you are pushy if you do that. No one will yell at you, or laugh at you. You have a reasonable question. Don’t assume that your request for an interview was turned down. I doubt that’s what happened. There are any number of possible explanations, most of them probably involving a glitch in their software or a mistake somebody made, they or you. Worst case, you made some minor mistake in your request, and it got wiped out, but I’m betting the problem is on their end.

In any event, something is wrong, and you are probably the only actual human being who knows that something is wrong, and it’s not going to get fixed unless you talk to another human being who is in a position to figure out what happened and to do something about it. If you call with this question, they will want to help. (Check the Admissions Department website first, however, to see whether this is a widespread problem they’ve already addressed, and posted instructions about what to do.)

I don’t think interviews are required. I believe lots of people are accepted without them. Your transcript, your recommendations, and most importantly your essays are the critical things you have to offer. If you’ve met any reasonable cross-section of Chicago undergraduates, you know perfectly well that plenty of them did NOT bowl any interviewers over with their debonair charm.