Chances of offer without interviews

[kbrogerfdl]

I have applied to several top U.S. graduate schools (Stanford, UIUC, MIT, UC Berkeley, CMU, etc.) for Computer Science PhD, with area of interests on machine learning. As people have been receiving interview invitations these two weeks, the email inbox still stays quiet for me. I am wondering at this situation is there still any chance for hearing new interview invitations or receiving offers without interviews. Would it help if I write emails to the professors I am interested in working with, and admission committee for inquiry on application status? 

If anyone could share related experiences or stories heard it would be highly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Edited January 26, 2017 by kbrogerfdl

[hopefullycsgrad]

You should ask other people in ML and related areas if they have gotten any interview invitations. It may be that currently only some groups are sending invitations. 

btw I have not seen any interview invitations from MIT in any area.

 

[Ziqi Wang]

For Berkeley I do not think there is any chance without an interview. I have heard from multiple sources (incl. students being interviewed last year and on year 2012) that Berkeley will interview all shortlisted candidates, which implies that if no interview was given at this time then the chance is slim

For MIT I believe interview is for borderline candidates only. This could be proved by previous years' results.

For CMU I am not pretty sure about their policy because CMU has a fairly large CS department (i.e. SCS) and a few departments underneath SCS, such as ML, LTI, RI, CSD. Different departments make decisions separately and might adopt different policies.

I myself also applied to top CS PhD programs and is anxiously waiting for results. I will kiss my own ass if Berkeley admitted me without an interview (haven't received one...), but for the rest I stay optimistic until mid-Feb. Berkeley mass acceptance is likely to be Friday or next week; while MIT may send bulk acceptance during the first week of Jan.

Gook luck to everybody!

Edited January 27, 2017 by Ziqi Wang

[Ziqi Wang]

BTW which university do you attend in Canada? I spent 3 years at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver. One of my friend applied in year 2015 and he told me that a UCLA professor recommended him obtaining a Master's degree at U.S. first because the committee at UCLA is unwilling to admit somebody from SFU. However it is just a single data point, and could be inaccurate/wrong/misleading.

[GeorgeC07]

I received my first admission without interview about two weeks ago, but I'm not applying to CS programs. This issue should be program specific, and you should consult previous students for accurate information. Other than that, there's little we can do about interview invitations unless your POI already showed interest in recruiting you. 

Also waiting anxiously here. Most programs I apply to should make their decisions in the following days. Checking results from previous years in the results search section of this site is a good way to determine when you'll hear from the schools. Good luck!