Yes, it’s a discussion group. there are prompt questions, but the professor in my group was not attached to the prompts and let the conversation flow organically. I thought I didn’t do well, but they ended up offering an acceptance.
They said this is the first year they’ve forgone individual interviews and wanted to try this out.
One thing I was thinking was that maybe they’re not weighting interviews as much compared to other factors in their decisions? Or they just want to make sure the applicants they already like on paper are okay to be around, can be collaborative, etc. ?
another thing I thought was that they might end up making offers to the majority of people they interview, so it isn’t necessary to take the time to grill every person in an individual interview (which perhaps isn’t a great representation of some applicants anyway).
Good luck! I *really* like this program and am strongly considering their offer, but I am trying to talk to more people about the large recent/upcoming changes to the program that have me a little nervous.