Overheard in Committee: Interview Impact
We Admit It! It’s that time of year again. That time when we lock ourselves in our conference rooms, hunker down with a three-tiered cart full of snacks (and we won’t lie, most aren’t of the healthy variety) and complete the class. That time when we make the really tough calls. That time when we realize just how lucky we are to work where we do. That time where we’re humbled by the accomplishments of those students we are admitting and those who we unfortunately are not. We have a thousand and one discussions about what makes for a great application, a great addition to the class, a great fit for W&M. So without further ado, we bring you the “Overheard in Committee” blogs for the freshman Regular Decision cohort.
Overheard in Committee today: The interview was really compelling.
The applicant was a student who was strong across the board but in ways that many of our applicants are. She had been able to participate in our optional interview opportunity last summer and that was where she ended up distinguishing herself. The written evaluation provided by her student interviewer helped us see the applicant’s personality and how she would contribute to the W&M community if admitted. In this student’s case, the interviewer not only determined she’d be a great fit but she’d be the type of student who makes an impact on campus through her drive and passion both in and out of the classroom. The personality and enthusiasm exhibited in the interview helped to tip the scales in the applicant’s favor.
This is why we offer interviews; to help students help themselves, to allow students the chance to showcase their personalities and thereby enhance their overall application. Interviews to us are like teacher recommendations in many ways (they’re optional, they’re designed to give us a fuller picture of an individual student, they’re one component of many that go into an application) except that your teachers know you really well, but may not know W&M very well. Our Interviewers don’t know you very well, but they know W&M.
For those of you fretting over not participating in an interview, don’t. They are entirely optional. Only 20% of our applicants interview so most students who apply (and by extension who are admitted) do so without an interview as part of their application. We understand that many people cannot make it to campus when interviews are offered or try to interview but our appointments are full. No applicant is looked down upon for not interviewing. For those who do interview however, we wanted to provide some insight into that component and how it plays out through the application process.
Committee is a long-haul exercise. So stay tuned, more to come (especially once we consume some of that sugary goodness).
Wendy Livingston ’03, M.Ed. ‘09
Associate Dean of Admission
Comments are closed on posts older than one year, but we still want to hear from you. If you have a comment or question for us, please email admission@wm.edu.
I wasn’t able to get an interview because the slots were full. I was put on the waiting list for shadowing a student and was called after a cancellation. I loved the whole experience! It was so much fun and I really got a taste of what it was like to be a student for a day. I highly recommend it.
@Corinne K, glad you got to shadow one of our Tribe Ambassadors. They’re great and it does give you a glimpse into what it’s like to be a student on our campus. Our interviews provide a similar insight in that you get to ask your student interviewer whatever you’d like but it doesn’t include that day in the life component that our Tribe Shadow program does.
I wasn’t able to get an interview, and am hopeful my essay gave you all a glimpse of who I am. While moving this past summer, I got a chance to visit and W & M instantly felt like home!
@Madeleine, the interview is only one way to show us who you are. An essay (or essays) can be another great way. So can recommendations. All pieces of the application put together help us get a sense of each individual.
I was not able to get an interview either, and the teachers that I requested recommendations from did not submit them on time! I hope that does not reflect on myself as a student, because I feel like there is a lot that I can offer William and Mary 🙂 good luck to everyone that is being considered!
@Ashley, as we said, not interviewing is not at all held against the applicant. And did your teachers submit recommendations? If they arrived a bit late that’s no trouble whatsoever. We would have considered them gladly and without penalty.
I visited William & Mary with my daughter in August 2013 for the first time. She had a chance to interview and tour the beautiful campus on a sunny but breezy day. It was that day she fell in love with the school and decided that this was the place she wanted to spend the next four years. I hope her dream comes true.
@Meghan, so glad your daughter had a great visit–including an interview. All the best to her as she awaits a decision.
Even though they did not submit them late either, it’s great to know that you all would have accepted them. Simple things like that say a great deal about the school and the attitudes that the staff have. As always, thanks for the help!
@Ashley, if they were never submitted unfortunately we can’t consider them but we’ll review all of the materials that were submitted with your application to try and get the best picture of your accomplishments and potential contributions as we can.
I totally understand and look forward to hearing W&M’s response 🙂
I hope that was my child. 🙂
@Tandy, the good news is this blog applies to numerous students we review during Committee!
I hope that the lack of a postcard doesn’t mean my sons heart will be broken… please say it isn’t so. Four visits to historical Williamsburg where he fell in love with the school in the life of my history lover with 2 to William and Mary. I already said no transferring after freshman year but, if this is so, I may have to allow it. So hopeful still. Virginia is the place for him.
@R Stern, as we said in our blog about postcards last month, we send postcards to only a small cohort of those we admit so not getting a postcard doesn’t mean anything. That being said, all applicants should remember that we only admit one-third of those who apply so unfortunately we do send fewer admit letters than we do waitlist and deny decisions. That’s simply a reflection of the strength of our applicant pool.
I just saw the other post. What a quick response as I was just posting to disregard my message. So glad that his top choice is still in the running as I limited him to applications vs others who seem to have applied to 20+ schools. I hope I didn’t give him the wrong information as I now understand I should have allowed him to apply ED. It was so much easier in my day. He handles this much better than I do. I understand there are VA schools that allow transfers I believe automatically with certain GPA’s to W&M, are any of those schools rolling admission? So thankful for your blog at these points.
@R Stern, we have guaranteed admission agreements for those transferring from VA community colleges and Richard Bland College (our junior college). Those agreements require students to complete an associates degree, take certain courses and get a certain GPA. There are no such agreements with four-year schools. Students who attend other four-year schools simply apply through the traditional transfer application process.
I was just wondering how many students were deferred total in the early decision pool and a rough estimate on how many will eventually be accepted? Thank you for keeping up with this blog, I know many students and parents alike appreciate it!
@LynneS, we defer about 40% (give or take) of those who apply Early Decision. Unfortunately, it’s a very select few of those who will be admitted. As the applicant pool grows during Regular Decision it only becomes more competitive. That’s why we encourage deferred students to actively and enthusiastically pursue other options.
Some of my friends just received opportunities for skype interviews. Is the skype interview selective? Does that means the committee has greater interests in those applicants?
@Chelsea, we ask a very small number of international applicants to do a Skype interview with us. Unfortunately, we can only offer a small amount of these given the limited time and number of volunteer student interviewers Yes we are interested in these applicants but a Skype interview doesn’t mean they’ll absolutely be admitted and not having one doesn’t mean a student won’t be.