Deciding between conflicting interview dates

[dorpedo]

Having applied to 25 schools, I'm anticipating a lot of conflicts on interview dates. How does everyone intend to choose between conflicts? What if I am equally interested in both schools? In this case I want to go to the interview where I have the best chance to be accepted. Would it be a good idea to email the administrator and ask what percentage of interviewees they accept?

[bamafan]

I don't know if this is true, but I've heard interviews are almost more of a formality than anything else. Acceptance rates post-interview range often from 50% to 75% and up. It's for them to assess if you are a fit for the school, but I think more for YOU to see if you like them. Remember, applications go both directions; you're selling yourself, but come interview time, they're trying to sell them to you so you'll choose them over your other interview choices.

I think except for highly competitive programs (like one I'm applying to that interviews ~15, accepts ~7), you stand a good chance either way so you should pick the school you actually prefer rather than the one you think you have a better shot at (especially since that will just be a complete guess on your part; you don't know what your shots are at either).

Remember, interviews are a decent investment on the school's part, flying you in, treating you to housing, food, events, etc. They wouldn't do it if they weren't very serious.

[dorpedo]

I'm hoping you're right. I have friends in physics where interview trips are branded as 'recruitment days', and pretty much everyone gets in. I also know someone that applied to neuroscience programs last year, got interviews at 10 of them, and only got into one. It'd be really useful to know the actual statistics.

[mtlve]

You might try to talk to them about your chances of rescheduling. When I applied several years ago, I had one last minute one to schedule and I was booked solid. I told them I had conflicts but was extremely interested in their program. They gave me the option to go separately, but I was able to schedule it so I only missed part of the weekend. I had one interview that ended on Thursday and the other school's normally scheduled weekend started on Thursday. I arranged to leave the first one slightly early. I was allowed to fly in late Thursday night to the other and I missed some of the Thursday activities (was like an orientation, dinner, and tour or something like that). They were very nice about it, and they even had three graduate students take me out for dinner at like 9-10PM when I landed. I also got accepted there. Just make sure that you are very kind about it and express that you are very interested in the program.

I would not worry about conflicts until you get them though.

Letting you do it probably depends on the school. Some schools have a lot of group presentations and meals. Other places it is more individualized. The individualized ones may be more likely to do it. I would not bother with this though unless you are extremely interested in both of them. If you get a lot of interviews, I would consider dropping some of them too. They spend a lot of time and money recruiting you, and you should not waste their time if they are already out of the running.

If there are safety schools that really interest you, I would note their interviews dates. I think that I wrote mapped out all the published interview dates for my schools when I was organizing it. I think that I applied to like 18 schools. If you are lucky, you will get some early January interviews. Schedule them as early as you can and avoid more popular dates. For example if they give you January 18, February 3, and february 20 dates. Ten schools have february 20 dates and 5 have January 18. 2 have February3. Schedule them on the 3rd. Avoid scheduling stuff for the date that corresponds to the 10 weekends as long as you can. I would also try to schedule a safety earlier too. Once you get an acceptance, you can be picky about other invites. I had one that I loved before the 15th of January when I applied, and it made the process a lot easier.

If you are seriously interested in both schools and you cant reschedule, I would suggest that you look at the program and talk to faculty and students at both places if you can before making a decision. If you have a flight scheduled already, keep that program over the other one.

Edited December 18, 2012 by mtlve

[dorpedo]

Great advice, thank you so much!

[liastra]

Can I offer you some very important advice?

 

If you so happen to have conflicting interview dates, be very careful about how you tell this to those schools you are arranging interviews with. In fact, don't even mention it to them! It's a HUGE strike against you, before you even interview. 

 

If you really want to get accepted to that school, just go to that interview on whatever weekend they assign you and zip your mouth. Last year, I received an invite to the University of Iowa but it conflicted with Washington University in St. Louis. I told Iowa that I had a conflict, so they gave me an alternative weekend. In fact, it was a very special weekend; A quick 2-day Sunday-Monday personalized event that they prepared just for me. Everyone was really nice and accommodating, but guess what, I still got rejected. 

 

Then when I was scheduling WashU, I made the mistake of telling WashU that UCLAs interview was the same weekend, so that I would need time to "figure it out" (flight arrangments, etc). I did go to WashU's regular interview weekend but suffice to say, I got rejected from WUSTL after I visited. Actually, there were several reasons why I didn't get into WashU (I was sick that weekend, I didn't wear a suit, etc) but telling the coordinator about UCLA definitely didn't help.  

 

My point is that rearranging interview dates are almost like death-sentences. It's your way of telling them "I'm actually not really my top choice" - even if deep down that's not true and you don't mean to hurt their feelings. Scheduling phone interviews is also just as bad. In fact, it's most definitely worse. Last year I also got an invitation from Southwestern. It was late in the season and I was tired of traveling and missing work. So I told them I was busy that weekend but could do a phone interview instead. It was a great phone conversation but ultimately I got rejected from there too. 

 

My point is, you need to act like you want to go there starting from the time they first contact you about the interview. Similarly, once you start interviewing, never let your guard down just because you've already been accepted to other school(s). This was my mistake. In a way, it's only going to occur naturally; you'll grow tired at some point and become complacent. After all, who would want to live in Texas, Iowa, or Missouri, after already being accepted to other great schools?!? So be aware of this; be on your toes at all times. When you stop trying, it actually shows to everyone else. Weird, right?

 

There is a happy ending to my story: 

I was tired of 3 post-interview rejections in a row, and I was wondering why that had happened! So for my last interview of the season (late March), I decided to step up my game. I put the suit on, I followed the rules, I shook everyone's hand. And whadya know - I got accepted 4 days later. In fact, they even told me I was one of their top recruits of the season. Hahaha. I didn't end up going to that school, but it was nice to know I still had it in me. 

 

You just gotta try!

[dorpedo]

Thanks for your input- very interesting points. I do have conflicts already, and here's how I approached it: the schools who gave me invitations first I immediately agreed to and put them in my calendar. The schools that offered later, but on a conflicting weekend, I told that I already had a scheduled interview. If you go with this method, it shouldn't be that bad, right? I'm not giving away how interested or not interested I am in each school; I'm simply telling them that their interview invite arrived later. What do you think?

[bamafan]

Yeah, if you do have a conflict, tell them you already scheduled a different one earlier BEFORE you received their invite.

[liastra]

Yeah, if you do have a conflict, tell them you already scheduled a different one earlier BEFORE you received their invite.

 

 

Thanks for your input- very interesting points. I do have conflicts already, and here's how I approached it: the schools who gave me invitations first I immediately agreed to and put them in my calendar. The schools that offered later, but on a conflicting weekend, I told that I already had a scheduled interview. If you go with this method, it shouldn't be that bad, right? I'm not giving away how interested or not interested I am in each school; I'm simply telling them that their interview invite arrived later. What do you think?

 

Well, no. I think it'll still count against you to some extent. You and I know there's nothing you can do about it except being excruciatingly polite, but some departments have some very fragile egos, and anything you do to make the coordinators' jobs more difficult or convey that they're less important than some place else, is not a good thing -- even if if was their fault for contacting you so late. 

 

So what can you do? Pick the school that you like more, and just put all your effort into their interview. Don't spread yourself thin or bother making special arrangements. The alternative weekends really do suck.