I’ve applied to basically all T25 schools except a few that just don’t line up with my major. I know a couple of them offer interviews, but I’ve only gotten invites from Duke and Princeton. That said, I’m from the state of Kansas. Does this have an affect to what schools I get interviews from because there ain’t no one from an Ivy in Kansas?
No, particularly since zoom interviews are common now, allowing students from Kansas to be connected to interviewers that are far away. The real issue is that there are too many applicants for a limited number of interviewers.
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Then I’d say you’ve done well.
Most universities that don’t interview everyone say that interviews are assigned based on availability and that not having an interview would not impact your application.
Do you recommend I reach out to some schools that offer interviews to ask if I can be placed on a quote-on-quote priority list for an interview?
I feel like it would allow me to strengthen my application.
Absolutely not. Unless the university specifically says, “Contact us if you haven’t received an interview request,” they don’t need tens of thousands of applicants contacting them for this purpose.
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If Cornell is on your list, they no longer offer interviews. That is new starting this cycle.
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I have a son who was a competitive applicant for highly selective universities. He had 4 or 5 interviews with highly ranked schools. He was rejected by every school that gave him an interview. He is graduating in May from a US News Top 10 school. He never interviewed with them. I wouldn’t get too worried about interviews.
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Seems like this is a reason to be worried about interviews.
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I know it looks that way. The whole thing about interviews is bizarre. All of this time and effort being taken up by so many people, hours and hours and hours of conversations…and yet, the schools keep beating the drum that they don’t really matter.
The school my son attends is one that conventional wisdom all over the internet is consistent in saying that you need an interview to be a real contender. Hopefully, that he got in without an interview, can give students a feeling that they still have a chance without one.
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I wouldn’t worry too much about interviews if they are not offered. For the 3 top 20 universities where my son was accepted he didn’t have interviews. The 3 or so where he had interviews that he thought went really well, he was waitlisted or rejected. Best of luck!
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Different schools have different policies. Even at schools which have limited the number of interviews, the fact is the applicant is still competing for very limited spots (after accounting for athletes, donor kids, shoe-ins) against an extremely strong competitive set. It’s just something an applicant shouldn’t read too much into one way or another. If you get an interview great. It is a chance to put personal color on how you would contribute to the school community, academically and socially. It is just a small, if any, piece of what may be considered in holistic admissions.
Do you really believe this or are you being glib. Given OP’s concern perhaps worth clarifying.
My kids experience was that he was accepted at some t20s having been interviewed at some and not at others. For OPs purposes I would not be concerned either way.
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Some schools believe the interviews matter for one thing….keeping alum engaged.
I agree that OP shouldn’t be concerned about not getting interviews every where they applied.
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In my years of alumni interviewing (but disclaimer- for one college only) I have seen two situations where the interview is meaningful-
First Gen college student, where the application hasn’t gotten the white glove treatment from a private counselor, or even a guidance counselor that knows much about competitive college admissions. So the kid basically just follows the directions to complete the application and the counselor (or the principal if there is no guidance counselor) just says “Joanne is a great student and everyone loves her” without any context whatsoever. An interview can be important in flagging for the adcoms that the kid is quite special, has done umpteen things for the love of intellectual challenge, that nobody in the HS has ever applied to XYZ college since most kids go off into the military or trade school but this kid has distinguished herself academically, artistically, etc. all on her own. And a good interviewer will bug the regional adcom incessantly that this is a kid worth a second and third look.
Kid with a VERY lopsided profile (not the “CC level of lopsided” where a 780 math SAT with a 740 verbal is considered lopsided) where it takes an interview to really get at what makes the kid tick AND what makes the kid a terrific fit for the college in question.
Everyone else? Interviews are fine. Or no interviews are fine. Or skipping an interview if offered is fine. Or bugging the regional rep for an interview is fine (if the bugging doesn’t devolve into annoying or stalking). Etc.
Most of the interviews I conducted didn’t add much (or frankly, detract much) to a kid’s file. Even the kid who sat down and said “I only applied to make my grandpa happy, I really want to attend culinary school and become a pastry chef” the interview wasn’t that helpful- since that was the flavor (no pun intended) of the essay!
I wouldn’t sweat the lack of an interview.
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