Interviews? What do they look for?

[MrOptimistic]

Once you get an interview at a school, can you assume that you will no longer be judged by your statistics?

If 50 people get interviewed and 30 get in, what is the criteria? Is it just best "match" and best impression? Do I no longer have to worry about my scores and grades?

Or is there another numerical filter?

[aginath]

In some cases (this varies by filed, department, college, and institution), there is a scoring process that occurs during the interview process. Whether this is done numerically on paper or subjectively in the faculty members' minds, filtering occurs.

They want to know that the person they've read about on paper aligns with the person sitting in front of them in the interview. They want you to expand upon what you've written and explain your goals verbally. You said you want to work on X with Faculty Y, but do you really?

They want to know how you communicate face to face and interact with others. What you say and how you say it has an impact on how you're perceived. Do you really fit with any of the faculty in the department? Do your goals match with theirs?

These are just some of the things they'll look at when evaluating you.

[MrOptimistic]

In some cases (this varies by filed, department, college, and institution), there is a scoring process that occurs during the interview process. Whether this is done numerically on paper or subjectively in the faculty members' minds, filtering occurs.

They want to know that the person they've read about on paper aligns with the person sitting in front of them in the interview. They want you to expand upon what you've written and explain your goals verbally. You said you want to work on X with Faculty Y, but do you really?

They want to know how you communicate face to face and interact with others. What you say and how you say it has an impact on how you're perceived. Do you really fit with any of the faculty in the department? Do your goals match with theirs?

These are just some of the things they'll look at when evaluating you.

Of course they evaluate you, that wasn't my question. My question was, is it safe to assume that you are free from judgment over grades and scores?

[SuperPiePie]

Why would they invite you over to grill you on your grades in person... they already put you through the number test. Now you must face the other stuff test.

It just doesn't make sense for a respectable institution to invite you over only to start talking about your grades. Like they need to see you in person for that.

[Vacuum]

They won't be asking about grades specifically like "I see you got a B+ in ____, tell me more", but as aginath mentioned, some places do score you on your interview using a number scale. Anything from your actual responses to your mannerisms, appearance etc. So essentially you are still being scored.

You did ask about other criteria for who gets in from interviews over those who don't....and what aginath wrote is what they judge you on. Some places do not just mentally score you, but they literally give you a numerical score on your interview.

Even if you have great grades, if you are a douche in real life, you can kiss your spot goodbye. I've seen it happen many times.

[MoJingly]

They won't be asking about grades specifically like "I see you got a B+ in ____, tell me more", but as aginath mentioned, some places do score you on your interview using a number scale. Anything from your actual responses to your mannerisms, appearance etc. So essentially you are still being scored.

This is very true. When I interviewed for MED SCHOOL, this question was all over the place. None of my grad school interviews were nit-picky about any single thing in my resume.

The most stressful interview I had was a professor who questioned my background in music and how it prepared me for graduate work in science. "What are you going to do when you fail a class, can't do things right in the lab, and hit these brick walls?" I quite sternly proclaimed that she was misunderstanding how prepared I was. It turned out just fine in the end

[emmm]

The most stressful interview I had was a professor who questioned my background in music and how it prepared me for graduate work in science. "What are you going to do when you fail a class, can't do things right in the lab, and hit these brick walls?"

Cause that never happens in music -- right?