Is there a specific order interview invites are sent out?

[beachbum75]

I know interview invitations are sent out somewhat based on when you submit your application (i.e. June vs. August) but are they preferentially sent to top contenders? For example, for a group of applicants that were in the first "batch" of applications received would the interview invitations be sent at the same time to all applicants that are being considered, or is it more staggered by how much the school wants the applicant?

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[LizzyM]

What would you do? Everyone knows that some of the "top contenders" have more interviews than they know what to do with and they start to be more picky after they get an offer which can happen as early as Ocober 15th. So, schools have an incentive to woo the "top contenders" as early as possible in the process.

Also, as I mentioned recently, and for better or for worse, some schools will stagger the invitations so that the dates are chosen and locked in and not subject to cancellations and requests to move things around which can happen if the dates provided are 12 weeks in the future vs 3 weeks.

Also, let's say that we are going to read 4,000 applications over the cycle and half of those come in the first week. Of the 200 I'm going to read, will you dump 100 of them on me during week 1? It is likely to take me 8 weeks to work through that bolus and it makes more sense to send them in packets of 25-30 with two week deadlines than to make a huge indiscriminant dump. And if you are going to send smaller packets, you, the administrative boss, can prioritize the "top contenders" so that they are first on the block to get interview invites.

See how it works?

 

[beachbum75]

That is what I assumed, as it would make sense to invite the applicants you want the most first. Does that mean there is a higher chance of acceptance if you have an earlier interview because it's likely the school really wants you to attend?

 

[LizzyM]

That is what I assumed, as it would make sense to invite the applicants you want the most first. Does that mean there is a higher chance of acceptance if you have an earlier interview because it's likely the school really wants you to attend?

It could be that the "stronger" applicants are interviewed first and are more likely to be offered admission but we always based ourselves in terms of how many offers to make and when to make them.

In hte past, I've described this as a wide staircase. You are placed on a staircase based on a reading of your application. Other applicants may be on the same stair and those on the highest steps get let in the door for interview. Once interviewed, you are assigned a stair again. Some applicants don't change their position on the stairs after interview, some applicants move up a few steps and some move down (in some cases way down). When it comes time to make admission offers, the adcom starts from the top and works down.