Normal niceties vs. false hope from interviewer?

[wpneuro]

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How common / how normal of a practice is it for an interviewer to tell you that they "hope you choose us" or "look forward to seeing you at second look", etc.? On one hand it could just be them being nice, but I feel like at some level it's also giving applicants (read: me right now, actually) false hope if it turns out not to be an acceptance in the end. Should I read into this at all? I know it won't change anything anyway, but now I'm curious 🤔

 

[Lifeblood_20]

I doubt that the interviewer has the absolute, final say on your admissions decision. Those comments are probably nice hypotheticals to end the interview on a good note.

 

[Goro]

How common / how normal of a practice is it for an interviewer to tell you that they "hope you choose us" or "look forward to seeing you at second look", etc.? On one hand it could just be them being nice, but I feel like at some level it's also giving applicants (read: me right now, actually) false hope if it turns out not to be an acceptance in the end. Should I read into this at all? I know it won't change anything anyway, but now I'm curious 🤔

It's not the interviewer's fault people hear what they want to hear.

You are rejected until you get that Accept email in your Inbox.

 

[LizzyM]

The reviewer may be expressing their true feelings (I do hope I see you at second look) but the entire committee may feel differently and not make an offer. Is it false hope if the doctor tells a baseball fan with metastatic disease, "I look forward to seeing you at the ballpark on opening day"? It can be a sincere expression but not in the cards due to circumstances outside of the doc's control.

 

[penguinsfan71]

I had four interviews last cycle, and each interviewer said something like that. Ended up with 2 A's and 2 WL's. I wouldn't read too much into it.

 

[KnightDoc]

I had four interviews last cycle, and each interviewer said something like that. Ended up with 2 A's and 2 WL's. I wouldn't read too much into it.

This^^^^^. Definitely don't read into it at all. If the school wants to accept you, it is free to do so at any time. Torturing yourself by reading into a nicety expressed by an interviewer is destined to lead to disappointment.

The school liked you enough to issue an II, and any interviewer who doesn't suck at it is going to leave you feeling good about the interview and the program. Don't give in to the temptation to read any more into it than that.

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

my kid heard even stronger comments by interviewers (and one admissions dean) but we know that doesn't tell anything.

 

[Goro]

Its meaningless. The interviewer will be/should be nice and hopeful to all interviewees. No interviewer is going to end with. “I hope we dont hear from you again” or “good luck but you wont be coming to this school.”

You wouldn't believe how many times I've wanted to say this to some of the people I've interviewed!

 

[KnightDoc]

You wouldn't believe how many times I've wanted to say this to some of the people I've interviewed!

Actually, I would!!

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

You wouldn't believe how many times I've wanted to say this to some of the people I've interviewed!

Did you ever give a real feedback?

 

[LunaOri]

When I did college interviews, I tried to be encouraging to the applicants. Sometimes, though, I would tell them that their interests/plans were not congruent with the mission of the school, and a different school might better meet their needs. And sometimes I would remind them that the school was extremely selective, and no matter how good their stats and recommendations were, there were thousands of applicants who were equally good, and many excellent applicants were sure to be rejected.

 

[KnightDoc]

Did you ever give a real feedback?

You should realize that is a VERY loaded question, and what @LunaOri is describing above is extremely rare. Interviewers don't know you from a hole in the wall, and it is very unusual for someone to extend themselves and risk a negative reaction by either giving honest negative feedback or by giving honest, substantive positive feedback that raises expectations at the risk of having them not be met depending on what the full committee ultimately decides.

What we all seek, with very rare exceptions like @LunaOri, just doesn't exist in the real world. Real feedback is all risk and no reward for the interviewer.