What I'm I supposed to make of this interview?!

[AwkInterview]

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Background:
Last interview of the day being interviewed by an admin who interviewed two people in front of me for 45 minutes each (I could tell because I noticed when the two left the room).

I go in for my interview (which ends up only lasting 20 minutes). He spends a little less then half the time asking me about my research, activities, etc. which he says are really impressive and interesting (I also try to emphasize why I think the school is a good fit). Then the rest of the time he spends more interested in where else I have interviewed. He made a comment "the only problem you will have is simply deciding where you want to spend the next four years. However, if we are your top choice you really want to send a LOI"

So I'm kinda confused on a couple of things.
Why was my interview so much shorter than the rest (or was it because I was the last one)?
Why did he spend more time asking me about where else I interviewed and my process (was I suppose to lie?)?
What I'm I suppose to make of the last comment? they'll reject me if I don't send a LOI?

I'm confused. I don't want to send a LOI and commit to a place only because I still haven't figured out where I feel is best for me. But he made it seem like the admin committee will over look my file because I'm not immediately "jumping on the bandwagon."

I initial thought the interview went well because he seemed to like me, but the more I think of how short it was and his last comment- the more I start to think that he was setting me up for a rejection.

 

[ozzi22]

Maybe you interviewed for a wait list spot?

 

[theseeker4]

Background:
Last interview of the day being interviewed by an admin who interviewed two people in front of me for 45 minutes each (I could tell because I noticed when the two left the room).

I go in for my interview (which ends up only lasting 20 minutes). He spends a little less then half the time asking me about my research, activities, etc. which he says are really impressive and interesting (I also try to emphasize why I think the school is a good fit). Then the rest of the time he spends more interested in where else I have interviewed. He made a comment "the only problem you will have is simply deciding where you want to spend the next four years. However, if we are your top choice you really want to send a LOI"

So I'm kinda confused on a couple of things.
Why was my interview so much shorter than the rest (or was it because I was the last one)?
Why did he spend more time asking me about where else I interviewed and my process (was I suppose to lie?)?
What I'm I suppose to make of the last comment? they'll reject me if I don't send a LOI?

I'm confused. I don't want to send a LOI and commit to a place only because I still haven't figured out where I feel is best for me. But he made it seem like the admin committee will over look my file because I'm not immediately "jumping on the bandwagon."

I initial thought the interview went well because he seemed to like me, but the more I think of how short it was and his last comment- the more I start to think that he was setting me up for a rejection.

Don't try to read too much into an interview, the comments made there, etc. There are plenty of people who were told they were a shoo-in who were rejected, and others who were encouraged to look elsewhere who were accepted, if you read some of the related threads here.

It sounds like he thought you were treating the school as a safety, and was looking for something from you saying why you would pick that school over others. If I were you I would want to write a letter of intent that tells them they are one of my top choices, without saying explicitly that I will absolutely attend that school without a doubt if accepted there. Maybe that would be shooting yourself in the foot, but it would be maintaining your honesty while indicating you view the school as more than a safety. Others may have better ideas. Good luck.

 

[drizzt3117]

Don't try to read too much into an interview, the comments made there, etc. There are plenty of people who were told they were a shoo-in who were rejected, and others who were encouraged to look elsewhere who were accepted, if you read some of the related threads here.

It sounds like he thought you were treating the school as a safety, and was looking for something from you saying why you would pick that school over others. If I were you I would want to write a letter of intent that tells them they are one of my top choices, without saying explicitly that I will absolutely attend that school without a doubt if accepted there. Maybe that would be shooting yourself in the foot, but it would be maintaining your honesty while indicating you view the school as more than a safety. Others may have better ideas. Good luck.

letter of intent implies you will attend if accepted.

 

[Morzh]

Maybe he just meant that if you're waitlisted and a few months from now their school is still your #1, then it would be beneficial to send them a LOI since they apparently take those seriously (unlike some schools)?

 

[JHU 2010]

this happened to me. i had an hour for the interview, he talked at me for 20 minutes then told me to leave. barely got a word in edgewise. everybody else had at lease 45 minutes. i spent the next half an hour sitting the the admissions office a little stunned and eating a muffin.

result: rejected

 

[Catalystik]

Did he specify what he meant by "LOI"? Was it Letter of Intent or Letter of Interest? There's a big difference.

 

[AwkInterview]

So to a couple comments made above:

- don't get me wrong I think the interviewer liked me. He made it a point to tell me how X,Y,Z I was. So he wasn't annoyed by me or anything- he just seemed more interested in where else I had been interviewed.

- I don't think I am being interviewed for a waitlist spot. This schools is non-rolling so interviews go late into next year.

- he said letter of intent not interest. It felt like he was trying to get me to commit to the school.

 

[jdok]

this happened to me. i had an hour for the interview, he talked at me for 20 minutes then told me to leave. barely got a word in edgewise. everybody else had at lease 45 minutes. i spent the next half an hour sitting the the admissions office a little stunned and eating a muffin.

result: rejected

I don't know why, but picturing this made me laugh so hard I almost choked on my food.

Carry on.

 

[JHU 2010]

I don't know why, but picturing this made me laugh so hard I almost choked on my food.

Carry on.

yeah, it took me like 30 minutes to eat that muffin. not even sure what kind of muffin it was

 

[LizzyM]

My take on all this:

These were supposed to be 40 minute interviews.... he goes over on the first two, seriously eating into your time slot and has to make it up by giving you short shrift.

Next, he sees your file and thinks you are hot stuff... you will have your choices of places to go.

He wonders what it will take to get you to go to his school, if you are really interested and why (so he can talk up that angle) or if you aren't so interested and, if yield is important to that school, why he should list you as a good prospect for the waitlist. Keep in mind that a school that wants an excellent yield (it makes few offers that aren't accepted) it might hold all the decisions to the end and then make offers to the excellent applicants who send Letters of Intent/Interest (no LOI is binding).

 

[AwkInterview]

Thanks for you input. What you say makes sense.
I did during the interview make it clear why I felt the program fits me, however I am not in the stage where I want to fully commit anywhere- so I'm not holding my breath.