Interviewers' goal

When a school calls you for an interview, do you think they are looking for a reason to accept your application or reject your application?

And, please no middle-of-the-road answers like, "I think they are looking for both." That won't do me any good.

Your question seems like it deserves a double sided answer. I have great friends at both programs and Ill to you in a Hut shell how they told me their works and how mine works. Of course their are minimum requirements that the programs set to apply. Those that dont meet the minimum are out from the start. Then they sit dwn with the apps, or maybe someone else in admin may and rank make sure that you have all completed and calc the GPA's and what not. They then kinda set a prelim rank, like sort out the best applicants and say theses are for sure getting an invite. Then they keeping going down the process.

Some programs as a friend of mine stated have to slightly up the requirments. For instance if the minimum req. for the program are GRE 900, GPA 3.0 then they may actually have to bump the GRE scrores up to say 950 and GPA 3.2 or something. Of course not all programs do but if you think about it larger programs interview a few hundred peeps out of several hundred applicants. And most CRNA programs even the larger ones have limited faculty so it would be hard for them to interview 800 people, that may take all year. SO they raise the cut at times to see if they can shrink the pool. They then go thru the ones that didnt make the raised cut and see if a few particular applicants stand out and may offer them interviews.

Bottom line shoot for the best ,you dont have to have a 4.0 but try to make an A on every test in every class. A B is not bad believe me but if you shoot for the A you can usually at least pull the B. Dont settle for a marginal score on the GRE. If the minimun GRE they ask is 950 and you make a 950 take it again and try to do better. It shows initiative and drive and that you dont settle for bottom of the pack. Join as many clubs ect as you can so you can put that on your resume. Join the SNA, SGA and thing even if your in a frat/sorority take leadership roles in them so you can add those things. Also as a ICU nurse join the AACN national and local chapters and start to network. CRNA professors and pretty much all CRNA's are big on the AANA and want to make sure that future CRNA's will continue its legacy.

Um ... thanks for the response. But, I was actually looking for one of two answers:

a) When a school requests an interview, they are looking for a reason to accept your application, or

b) when a school requests an interview, they are looking for a reason to reject your application.

And, of course, feel free to provide any information to support answering either a) or b).

Personally, I'm thinking they are looking for a reason to reject your application, since they obviously already have reasons to accept your application or else they wouldn't have called you for an interview.

Anyone else have an opinion?

I don't think the acceptance process is that simple. In my opinion, part of the interview process is to verify that "you are who you say you are" on the application. The interviewing committee may in fact base decisions on a "reason to accept" or a "reason to reject" different applicants. Give them more reasons to accept you that reject you. I agree that if an applicant is invited for an interview, they must have made a good impression on paper. It's then up to the applicant to make a better impression in person.

Um ... thanks for the response. But, I was actually looking for one of two answers:

a) When a school requests an interview, they are looking for a reason to accept your application, or

b) when a school requests an interview, they are looking for a reason to reject your application.

And, of course, feel free to provide any information to support answering either a) or b).

Personally, I'm thinking they are looking for a reason to reject your application, since they obviously already have reasons to accept your application or else they wouldn't have called you for an interview.

Anyone else have an opinion?[/QUI

You have to look at it this way most applicants have relatively equal stats as fas a GRE's, GPA's ect. You cant think that just because you got an interview they are merely looking for something to cut you. They are lookig for both. I have seen applicants with 4.0's and great GRE's get cut b/c their interpersonal skills sucked, they chocked on the interview or they bombed the clinical part of at. I guess that would fall under selection B they found a reason to reject your admittance.

At the same time I have seen people with marginal GPA's, GRE's but charisma, great interpersonal skills and determination and smoked the clincal part of the interview be one of the first selection for admittance. Once you get the interview its all on you. Their are hundreds of peeps that have the same stats as you and want to get admitted just as badly as you. The pressure is on you to:

a) shine under duress, smoke the interview, make them like you and give them reasons why they should admit you.

b) not screw up and choke and come across as a total and incompetent wingnut giving them a reason to give you the boot.

Your one of two answers approach is the wrong way to look at it, believe me. Looking at it that way will def. get you the boot. They go into the interviews looking for:

a) for you to stand out above the other hundreds of applicants so they can actually remember you when they decide to send out offers

and

b) looking to see if they can choke you up, if you really no your crap or just stunting, looking to see if they can stump you and you can rebound from being stumped with a question you have no clue about.

Be confident, not cocky my friend.

Um ... thanks for the response. But, I was actually looking for one of two answers:

a) When a school requests an interview, they are looking for a reason to accept your application, or

b) when a school requests an interview, they are looking for a reason to reject your application.

And, of course, feel free to provide any information to support answering either a) or b).

Personally, I'm thinking they are looking for a reason to reject your application, since they obviously already have reasons to accept your application or else they wouldn't have called you for an interview.

Anyone else have an opinion?

In my opinion, try not to be so glass half empty, that attitude may come across to the interviewers.

To the original poster- You seem to think that a program would accept someone without an interview- I am familar with ALOT of programs and all of them require interviews prior to acceptance. SO the fact that they called you for an interview indicates that you have met the cutoff level for interview. Now the objective of an interview committe is to determine which applicants (of those meeting the cutoff) demonstrate personal characteristics which lead one to believe the individual would be successful in the program. Setting yourself up with the belief that the committee just wants to reject you will probably be a self-fulfilling prophacy.

i disagree that they are looking "for a reason to reject your application" - first and foremost if they are calling - then they have already accepted your application - the interview is just to make sure that you are in person who it appears you are on paper... whether you get in or not is up to you... mostly they are trying to identify those they feel will succeed...

for example - our program interviewed a subject who looked great on paper - but when interviewed - indicated that they had nerve damage to the left hand that would prevent them from masking a patient... now how do you allow them in a program when they cannot do the most basic and essential thing we do which is ventilate patients???

so in answer - your question is faulty - if you are called for an interview - your application has been accepted - because they only interview applicants whose applications are acceptable... the interview is a completely separate step to identify candidates to are in person as convincing as the application portrayed...

Thank you for your responses.