jlbr

So I attended UMD's BISI Program's recruitment event today and I have no idea how to feel about it. Firstly, there were about 70 or more people there, and next week they will have another event like today's. So they've got like 140 "shortlisted" students? It's quite a lot, isn't it? While most of the events were things like lightning talks and talks by the director to talk about their campus and program, the meaty part of the event were interviews with possible PI's. I had 4 interviews but I was so puzzled by them! All the professors I talked to conducted the interviews in a very casual manner, one of them even making small talk about where he lived and his commute to campus. They all asked me about my background but I never got anything close to an expression of interest on my research and no one told me they were interested on my work or in me possibly joining their labs. So I guess I don't get the purpose of these events. I mean, they've got double or more the amount of students they'll admit attending this event, we all interviewed with at least three professors, so what was the purpose of the whole thing if professors are not even telling you whether they are interested in you working with them? Or was that just me? Are you supposed to get hints that they are interested in having you work with them in these interviews? In that case I must have failed miserably. Thing is, I have a few years of research experience, I have innovative and interesting research interests (according to my ex preofessors), I had solid recommendation letters, and I feel I am a solid candidate overall, I feel like I conducted myself in a professional and cool manner, and yet... nothing, no apparent interest in me as an applicant nor any interest in my work. Does anybody have any clues how they choose admitted students? were the interviews supposed to be casual? Did I completely blow it?