How much weightage does Interview performance hold for acceptance

[907914]

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[Laughs in lazy/gambling problem]

[Laughs in what the hell was freshman year]

 

[LizzyM]

Thanks you all for the replies. In summary Can I say
1. Bad to Very bad interview could be detrimental to the application
2. Mostly it is pass/FAIL.
3. Once the Pass happens in the interview Majority of the criteria for the acceptance would be MCAT/GPA scores.

Items 1 and 2 are accurate. Item 3 is not accurate. Far more than MCAT/GPA goes into the criteria. All those diversity essays... not for nothin'. Geographic and ethnic diversity, legacies, VIPs of other varieties, substantial paid employment, previous careers, etc can all play into a decision to admit.

 

[710118]

Items 1 and 2 are accurate. Item 3 is not accurate. Far more than MCAT/GPA goes into the criteria. All those diversity essays... not for nothin'. Geographic and ethnic diversity, legacies, VIPs of other varieties, substantial paid employment, previous careers, etc can all play into a decision to admit.

When the interviewer presents the applicant they generally just yes this person is a normal human being? I’m still confused by how pass/fail actually translates into the interviewer speaking in front of the committee

 

[Heliobacter]

When the interviewer presents the applicant they generally just yes this person is a normal human being? I’m still confused by how pass/fail actually translates into the interviewer speaking in front of the committee

My n=1.
One of my interviewers at one school said that they present us by basically giving an elevator pitch of why we should be accepted or not (rather than reporting only on how well the interview went).

 

[710118]

My n=1.
One of my interviewers at one school said that they present us by basically giving an elevator pitch of why we should be accepted or not (rather than reporting only on how well the interview went).

I wonder, do the vast number of interviewers recommend to accept and it’s actually the committee that pushes back most of the time?

 

[LizzyM]

At some schools the interviewer provides a written assessment and does not address the adcom in person. The written assessment covers several domains and a summary followed by a recommendation (from "Admit STAT" to "No way, Jose" with a few categories in between). There are multiple interviewers and they may have discrepant recommendations which is where things get interesting for the adcom members.

There are interviewers who are known to "love everyone" and there are those who are hard-a55es. The adcom considers the source of the evaluation and adjusts accordingly so it evens out if the luck of the draw got you interviewers at one end of the spectrum or the other.

 

[710118]

At some schools the interviewer provides a written assessment and does not address the adcom in person. The written assessment covers several domains and a summary followed by a recommendation (from "Admit STAT" to "No way, Jose" with a few categories in between). There are multiple interviewers and they may have discrepant recommendations which is where things get interesting for the adcom members.

There are interviewers who are known to "love everyone" and there are those who are hard-a55es. The adcom considers the source of the evaluation and adjusts accordingly so it evens out if the luck of the draw got you interviewers at one end of the spectrum or the other.

Do interviewers ever provide a "neutral" recommendation as in "discuss it amongst yourselves but this person seemed normal but not amazing"?

 

[ThetisAntithesis]

My n=1.
One of my interviewers at one school said that they present us by basically giving an elevator pitch of why we should be accepted or not (rather than reporting only on how well the interview went).

Can vouch for this. An interview said "Everything looks good on my end, but tell me why we should admit you, because I have to present you to the committee..."

 

[907914]

Can vouch for this. An interview said "Everything looks good on my end, but tell me why we should admit you, because I have to present you to the committee..."

When asked “Is there anything else you would like us to know that you did not put in your application?” I stated “Something not really emphasized in my application is that my pride and joy is my family and that I am doing all of this for them.”

How would that sort of thing be evaluated? @LizzyM I feel may be able to help...The rest of the interview was really classic interview style answers/questions...this was the last 4 minutes or so...Am I SOL at that school?

 

[notsobabydoc]

When asked “Is there anything else you would like us to know that you did not put in your application?” I stated “Something not really emphasized in my application is that my pride and joy is my family and that I am doing all of this for them.”

How would that sort of thing be evaluated? @LizzyM I feel may be able to help...The rest of the interview was really classic interview style answers/questions...this was the last 4 minutes or so...Am I SOL at that school?

I think that shows you care! Very deft answer I have to say!

 

[LizzyM]

Do interviewers ever provide a "neutral" recommendation as in "discuss it amongst yourselves but this person seemed normal but not amazing"?

That's usually a recommendation of "meh, you can put 'em on the waitlist as far as I'm concerned." Of course, if there is something about the applicant beyond the usual cookie cutter, that "meh" interview evaluation could be set aside and the applicant could be admitted.

 

[Goro]

Do interviewers ever provide a "neutral" recommendation as in "discuss it amongst yourselves but this person seemed normal but not amazing"?

Oh yes, this is common, at least at my school. 5 There are times when I or my colleagues are on the fence, and so the candidate gets a 5 (out of 10) score, and I expect (or hope) that my other interviewer on the interview team will either push the kid into wait list, or up to accept. I'm fine with the decision either way.