how important is interview for Vandy? Forum

[Ramsey]

Hello all,

I've just solicited a fee waiver from Vanderbilt, and with my 3.4/170, I believe I have a shot.

It seems that Vandy strongly encourages interviews, but given that my life is in a bit of turmoil at the moment (sick family members, multiple part-time jobs, law school apps, and still torn between re-taking or not in Dec) and I suck at interviews unless thoroughly prepared, I am not ready for one now or any time soon. The deadline for requesting an interview is December 1.

Another thing is that the few Vandy alums living in my city are known to be very conservative (I live abroad) and may not like my rather non-traditional career path.

Will my chosing not to request an interview adversely affect my admission chance, and if yes, to what extent?

[Nala7892]

I can't say much about how not interviewing would affect your chances, but have you considered doing the phone interview? I had my interview over the phone last week, and it was very laid-back and just a really nice conversation. I thought about skipping the interview, too, but I'm really glad I didn't!

[joedf]

I literally just left my Vanderbilt interview 15 minutes ago. It was very lax, I think they wanted to get a sense of if we legitimately wanted to go to the school, and confirm that the stuff on the resume's legit.

I wouldn't sweat it - plenty of people can't go to one, anyway.

[Crowing]

Vandy seems to be placing a lot more emphasis on the interviews now. FWIW I originally opted not to interview and was asked to do one and my numbers are a little higher than yours.

[Ramsey]

Thank you all for great info & advice. I will see if I can arrange a phone interview instead of an off-campus in-person interview. Thank you and good luck to all