Our job at CPC is to understand every tool available to help students show colleges that they have the skills to be successful. Unfortunately, for many students, some of the details are hidden in the small print of websites. We find that interviews can be one of the casualties of not paying attention to details.
Did you know there are several types of interviews? See below-
- Invitation Only - Some selective schools will offer interviews by invitation only. For these schools, such as Yale, MIT, Princeton, Dartmouth, Duke, Georgetown, Penn, and Emory, we recommend submitting regular decision applications a month before the deadline to ensure interview slots don't fill.
- Program of Study - Schools might only require interviews for certain programs of study.
- DePaul University - Theater and Music Majors
- Drexel University - Custom Designed Majors
- Boston University - Accelerated Medical Program
- Butler University - Jordan College of Art and Design
- Video Introductions - Columbia University and Brown University offer video introductions vs. the traditional interview. Students need to monitor their application portal to make sure they submit their videos before the deadline.
- Test-Optional Applications - If a student is applying test-optional and interviews are offered, we highly recommend students scheduling an interview. Schools such as Lake Forest College and Fairfield University highly recommend test-optional candidates interview.
- Optional but Recommended - Many schools offer optional interviews but look favorably on a student taking the initiative to self-schedule a meeting. Don't wait for the school to contact you. Your job is to show demonstrated interest by seeking out the scheduling calendar on the school website and making the appointment.
- Schedule Early - Some schools will run out of alumni resources to host interviews so we recommend students knowing if a school requires an application submitted first. If that is the case, then apply early to grab an interview spot. Our CPC recommended deadlines for interview access for Regular Decision applications include
- Tufts University - apply by 12/4
- Duke University - apply by 12/19
- The University of Pennsylvania - apply by 12/5
- Pitzer College - apply by 12/10
- Scripps College - apply by 11/15
- Non-Evaluative - Even if a school doesn't include interview content as part of your application review, scheduling an interview can go a long way towards understanding if the school is a good fit. The University of Richmond is an example of a school that offers optional, non-evaluative interviews.
List of Schools - This list provides some schools where interviews are an important part of the application process.
Once an interview is landed, then the next step is to prepare. CPC can help your student prepare. Contact us for more information.
