Phone Discussion, But Not Interview (?)

[seung]

I was contacted recently by a faculty member.  The faculty member informed me of an interest in my application by the department, but asked if we could speak over the phone. I was assured that this was not an interview, but they wanted to hear a bit more on why I am interested in the school.

Not sure how to interpret this.  Thoughts?

[fuzzylogician]

It's a positive sign. I am guessing that it's not an official interview because there are rules for what those mean (for example, it may mean that they'll have to talk to every applicant they are considering), but in this case they just aren't sure about something to do with your application but they don't want to then have to talk to everyone. I had a few of these "informal" conversations when I was applying, always from schools where the fit was less obvious. In any event, I would treat it exactly like I would an official interview. Brush up on your materials, be prepared to answer questions about your research interests and fit, and anything else you submitted. Good luck! 

[DBear]

Another possibility I've seen in some cases is that schools may want to check English for non-native speakers or people applying from countries where English is not used widely. Not sure this would apply in your case. Either way, good luck!