Interviews

It is that time of year again in Admissions where students flood to campuses to see the area, ask their questions, and take those essential steps closer to admission into their top schools.

Through my normal routine of reading the Washington Post Metro section I came across this article about how college admission interviews are rising more than ever before.  (GW is even mentioned near the end of the article.)  So I figured this would be a perfect time to explain GW's interview process.

Interviews are not a required part of the GW application.  We have found in recent years, only about 10-15% of applicants actually attend an interview.  However, while they may not be mandatory, they are evaluative.  This means that observations from your interview will be considered with your application/recommendations/other materials while your application is being read. So if you feel like there is something about you that may not jump off a paper, or you are a people person sign up for an interview! It will be a great way for us to get to know you better!

Now there are numerous options when it comes to when/where you interview.  Of course you can come to GW's Foggy Bottom campus and have an interview.  These are often one on one meetings with a senior, such as myself, that has been chosen and trained to give interviews.  You can also request an interview in your area.  We have hundreds or parents and alumni that are helping us reach across the country and the world to interview students no matter where they are.  Often you meet at a coffee shop or somewhere similar and have a chat.  Lastly, we schedule interview weekends across the country every year.  Admissions Directors, Senior Interviews, parents and alumni all come together and perform hundreds of interviews in a very short amount of time.  We usually have these weekends in Miami, New Jersey, New York, Westchester, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, and many more places.

It does not matter if you come to campus or stay near home for your interview.  All of the individuals on the other side of the table are trained and prepared in the same way.

Now that I have explained the interview options, I am sure you are wondering how you sign up for an interview.  You can log into the Activity Center  and request an interview in any of the three described places.  The Activity Center is also where you will be able to check your application status so don't lose your login/password.

If you have any questions about the interview process or GW in general please email me @ kwollner@gwu.edu!