The Optional Admissions Interview: A Conversation, Not an Interrogation

For many students, the phrase optional admissions interview triggers a familiar fear: What if I say the wrong thing? What if I don’t have the perfect answer? It’s easy to imagine the interview as exposing and unforgiving. Yet, the optional admissions interviews are as much for the applicant as for the college.  Think of the…

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Advice about Optional Admissions Interviews

Some private university admissions officers invite prospective applicants to schedule evaluative admissions interviews before applying. Students have a dual opportunity: develop more understanding of the university, and present more insights about themselves. Applicants should note the deadlines for requesting and completing the optional interviews. Notably, some admissions officers, especially at Ivy League institutions, arrange alumni…

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To Interview or Not That is The Question

Many private university admissions officers invite applicants to schedule an evaluative admissions interview before they apply. Typically, applicants need to complete interviews by December of any admissions cycle. However, students should check the deadlines for interviews on admissions websites. Admissions interviews are optional, meaning if a student cannot or does not schedule an interview, no…

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