Anonymous
Post 01/08/2026 18:00     Subject: Colleges that Interview - Which Count
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Be careful, OP. There are Ivy grads on here who do the alumni interviews to feed their egos and keep living their glory days who will insist that their interviews "count" when the rest of us know that they're just being indulged and they don't.


I'm of the losers you're talking about and the admissions office showed us data that getting the highest interview score correlates with higher percentage of admission. I admit that's not necessarily causation, but when all of these kids are so impressive, there are cases when the balance can be tipped.

I do not care about this. What I enjoy most post-Covid is just getting to know these kids and telling them that they will do great things because that's who they are, not because the school might be lucky enough to choose them or not.

Having said that, it almost never moves the needle. OP, try your best, take it seriously, look for good advice online.
It has more potential to hurt you. Adcomms can justify a Denial from a negative comment in an interview.


Do you have examples of what applicants did during the interview that made you write negative comments? Thanks.
Anonymous
Post 01/08/2026 17:57     Subject: Colleges that Interview - Which Count
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Be careful, OP. There are Ivy grads on here who do the alumni interviews to feed their egos and keep living their glory days who will insist that their interviews "count" when the rest of us know that they're just being indulged and they don't.


I'm of the losers you're talking about and the admissions office showed us data that getting the highest interview score correlates with higher percentage of admission. I admit that's not necessarily causation, but when all of these kids are so impressive, there are cases when the balance can be tipped.

I do not care about this. What I enjoy most post-Covid is just getting to know these kids and telling them that they will do great things because that's who they are, not because the school might be lucky enough to choose them or not.

Having said that, it almost never moves the needle. OP, try your best, take it seriously, look for good advice online.
It has more potential to hurt you. Adcomms can justify a Denial from a negative comment in an interview.


What do you expect admissions officers to tell you? That what you do is meaningless? Of course they're not going to tell you that. They're going to tell you that what you're doing can count, and then they're going to roll their eyes and ignore you.

And here's the thing: those kids don't need YOU to tell them they're going to be alright. Get over yourself!


Have you ever met a HS senior applying to competitive schools? They absolutely appreciate an unbiased person telling them this. Have a great day!
Anonymous
Post 01/08/2026 17:43     Subject: Colleges that Interview - Which Count
They don't count at Duke. A alumni friend said they're informative for the student and an alumni engagement tool for the interviewer.
Anonymous
Post 01/08/2026 17:39     Subject: Colleges that Interview - Which Count
Anonymous wrote:My DC had interviews for MIT, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, Duke, Dartmouth and Rice. Was accepted to all. I'd like to think they count for something


Mine had them at Georgetown, Princeton, Penn.

In at Georgetown, WL at Princeton RD. Rejected Penn. The Penn guy was a very recent grad.
Anonymous
Post 01/08/2026 17:34     Subject: Re:Colleges that Interview - Which Count
Does anyone know the role of interviews at Claremont McKenna?
Anonymous
Post 01/08/2026 17:23     Subject: Colleges that Interview - Which Count
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Be careful, OP. There are Ivy grads on here who do the alumni interviews to feed their egos and keep living their glory days who will insist that their interviews "count" when the rest of us know that they're just being indulged and they don't.


I'm of the losers you're talking about and the admissions office showed us data that getting the highest interview score correlates with higher percentage of admission. I admit that's not necessarily causation, but when all of these kids are so impressive, there are cases when the balance can be tipped.

I do not care about this. What I enjoy most post-Covid is just getting to know these kids and telling them that they will do great things because that's who they are, not because the school might be lucky enough to choose them or not.

Having said that, it almost never moves the needle. OP, try your best, take it seriously, look for good advice online.
It has more potential to hurt you. Adcomms can justify a Denial from a negative comment in an interview.


What do you expect admissions officers to tell you? That what you do is meaningless? Of course they're not going to tell you that. They're going to tell you that what you're doing can count, and then they're going to roll their eyes and ignore you.

And here's the thing: those kids don't need YOU to tell them they're going to be alright. Get over yourself!
Anonymous
Post 01/08/2026 17:22     Subject: Colleges that Interview - Which Count
I think Yale sometimes uses interviews to validate their inclination to admit a kid. I know two kids last cycle who got Yale interviews in January and received STEM likely letters.
Anonymous
Post 01/08/2026 17:07     Subject: Colleges that Interview - Which Count
Anonymous wrote:Be careful, OP. There are Ivy grads on here who do the alumni interviews to feed their egos and keep living their glory days who will insist that their interviews "count" when the rest of us know that they're just being indulged and they don't.


I'm of the losers you're talking about and the admissions office showed us data that getting the highest interview score correlates with higher percentage of admission. I admit that's not necessarily causation, but when all of these kids are so impressive, there are cases when the balance can be tipped.

I do not care about this. What I enjoy most post-Covid is just getting to know these kids and telling them that they will do great things because that's who they are, not because the school might be lucky enough to choose them or not.

Having said that, it almost never moves the needle. OP, try your best, take it seriously, look for good advice online.
It has more potential to hurt you. Adcomms can justify a Denial from a negative comment in an interview.
Anonymous
Post 01/08/2026 17:00     Subject: Colleges that Interview - Which Count
Be careful, OP. There are Ivy grads on here who do the alumni interviews to feed their egos and keep living their glory days who will insist that their interviews "count" when the rest of us know that they're just being indulged and they don't.
Anonymous
Post 01/08/2026 17:00     Subject: Colleges that Interview - Which Count
While truly bad interviews can work against you, none of these interviews truly "count" in the sense of turning a maybe or no into a yes on the strength of an interview alone.

Interviews are usually done by alums (as an engagement tool for fundraising campaigns) or senior students. both groups send notes, but none of them sit in admission committee or have a say in whether your kid is admitted.
Anonymous
Post 01/08/2026 16:57     Subject: Colleges that Interview - Which Count
Anonymous wrote:For colleges, that interview, which ones actually matter versus just giving alumni an opportunity to engage? Wondering which ones we need to be mindful of. I.e. We heard MIT's does not count because everyone gets an interview.


"Count" meaning the invitation to interview says something about your DC's strength of application? or "Count" meaning the interview report is considered in the "holistic" review process?
Anonymous
Post 01/08/2026 16:49     Subject: Colleges that Interview - Which Count
My DC had interviews for MIT, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, Duke, Dartmouth and Rice. Was accepted to all. I'd like to think they count for something
Anonymous
Post 01/08/2026 16:13     Subject: Colleges that Interview - Which Count
Yale and Duke count.
Anonymous
Post 01/08/2026 16:10     Subject: Re:Colleges that Interview - Which Count
My brother interviews for Princeton and says it doesn’t count.
Anonymous
Post 01/08/2026 16:09     Subject: Colleges that Interview - Which Count
For colleges, that interview, which ones actually matter versus just giving alumni an opportunity to engage? Wondering which ones we need to be mindful of. I.e. We heard MIT's does not count because everyone gets an interview.