Admission Interviews and Recordings

More colleges are looking for ways to hear a student's real voice. With so much written material now shaped by AI and outside help, short videos and interviews have become one of the few parts of an application that can't be polished by someone else.

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The company

What is InitialView?

InitialView is an admissions interview company that has worked with colleges since 2009, mostly serving international applicants. Glimpse is its offering for students attending high school in the United States.

Its original product is a live, unscripted interview with a trained interviewer who asks follow-up questions to make sure students aren't reading prepared answers. The recording, which can include a writing sample, goes to the colleges the student chooses. InitialView does not rate or grade the interview; admissions officers review it themselves. It is a paid service.


The video

What is Glimpse?

Glimpse is a short, self-recorded video introduction. It is only available to students attending high school in the United States. Students film it on their own device using Chrome on a computer or Android phone, or the InitialView app on an iPhone or iPad.

Submitting a Glimpse video is optional, with admissions offices typically state that opting out carries no negative impact.

Glimpse at a glance

  • 60 to 90 sec
    Short and to the point.
  • One take
    Re-record as often as you like before sending, but no editing software is allowed.
  • $22
    Send to as many colleges as you like. Free with a fee waiver.
  • Locks on send
    One video per college. If you sent a Glimpse for Early Decision or Early Action, you can email InitialView to unlock a one-time re-record starting December 15, but only for schools that haven't received one.
  • Send early
    Within about a week of applying. Many colleges set their own video deadline.

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Who uses it

Colleges that accept Glimpse

Bennington, Binghamton, Boston University, Brown, Colgate, Duke, Holy Cross, Middlebury, Northwestern, Occidental, Providence College, RPI, Rice, Rose-Hulman, Swarthmore, UChicago, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, WashU

This list is not exhaustive and is constantly evolving. It is the responsibility of applicants to verify requirements and recommendations directly with each college on their list.

Policies can be nuanced. Middlebury suggests Glimpse, as a 90-second video or audio statement, when a student isn't matched with an alumni interviewer. Occidental offers Glimpse as an alternative to its interview. Brown accepts Glimpse as one of three submission routes. No Glimpse video can be edited; WashU allows editing only if you upload your own video instead.

Colleges with their own video option

Some colleges have students record or upload a video directly in their applicant portal, and some of these also accept Glimpse. Portal recordings are often one-and-done: Swarthmore, for example, assigns a random question, gives 30 seconds to prepare, allows up to two minutes to answer, and permits two attempts at most.

  • Swarthmore: in-portal video response with a random question. Also accepts Glimpse.
  • Bowdoin: in-portal video response to a question you receive when you start recording.
  • Wake Forest: a two-to-three-minute video submitted through the status portal within five days of applying. Wake treats it the same as a virtual interview.
  • University of Chicago: upload a two-minute video to your UChicago Account, or send a Glimpse instead. UChicago calls the video highly recommended, but students who skip it are not penalized.
  • Washington University in St. Louis: upload your own 90-second video (editing allowed) or send a Glimpse (no editing). Submit only one.
  • Claremont McKenna: accepts an optional video response.
  • Denison: lists an optional video submission without naming a platform.

Rya's take

Should you send Glimpse to colleges that didn't ask for it?

Here's something I'm seeing more of this year. Because Glimpse is $22 for unlimited sends, and because InitialView can deliver to hundreds of institutions, some students are recording one video and sending it to every college on their list, whether or not that college asked for it.

My advice: don't send a Glimpse to a college unless you've confirmed they want it or will consider it.

A video that goes to a college without a process for reviewing it may simply never be watched, so it does nothing for you. Following a college's instructions is part of how you present yourself, and admissions readers notice when a student adds material the college didn't request. Readers are working through thousands of files, and respecting their process matters.

How to confirm: check the college's admissions website, look in your applicant portal after you apply, or email the admissions office and ask directly.

And it's a chance to add a new dimension to your application, not repeat your activities list.

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Interviews

Admission interviews

Beyond the video option, admission interviews come in two types. Evaluative interviews go into your file. Informational interviews are mainly for you to learn about the school. Interview windows vary widely and some windows have already closed, so check each college's site now.

Required or expected

  • Georgetown: alumni interview for every first-year applicant, waived only if no interviewer is available in your region. Once Georgetown sends your interviewer's contact information, it's up to you to reach out and schedule. Assignments run September through February.
  • Yeshiva: required for all applicants.
  • Lake Forest: required for test-optional applicants and highly encouraged for students who submit scores.
  • Claremont McKenna: required for homeschool students.
  • William & Marry: offered between 11th & 12th grade.

Alumni interviews after you apply

  • Stanford, Yale, Dartmouth, Princeton: evaluative, but limited by alumni availability.
  • MIT: an alumni Educational Counselor may contact you after you apply. Most Early Action interviews happen in November and most Regular Action interviews in January. If none can be offered, the interview is waived with no penalty.
  • Duke: offered on a very limited basis and conducted virtually. You can't request one.
  • Harvard: offered when the committee wants more information; you can't request one.
  • Middlebury: request an optional alumni interview in your applicant portal after applying. If you aren't matched, Glimpse is the suggested alternative.
  • Bowdoin: virtual alumni options open in mid-September.

Alumni and student interviews

  • Washington and Lee: alumni interviews October 1 to January 15, for students residing in the U.S. Interviews with admissions staff and student ambassadors, on campus or by Zoom, run only through October 31. Students complete one interview, and all types are valued equally.
  • Swarthmore: 20 to 30 minute interviews with a current student (Fellow) or an alum, for students attending high school in the U.S. The interviewer's report goes into your file. Request only one type.
  • Occidental: conversational interviews with alumni and students. Request and complete yours before your application deadline. Interviews are evaluated, but not having one won't put you at a disadvantage.

Tied to merit scholarships

  • College of Wooster: apply by November 1 to be considered for the Presidential Scholar award. Nominated semifinalists are invited to a virtual interview in January.
  • University of Rochester: strongly recommended, especially for merit consideration. Interviews with admissions counselors, alumni, or current students all count equally. Apply by December 1 for priority merit consideration.

With admissions staff this fall

  • American: on campus with a visit, plus regional in-person and virtual interviews for seniors this fall through your admissions representative.
  • Carleton: informational only, and it won't affect your admission decision. Attend a campus visit or virtual info session first; interviews run through mid-January. Alumni interviews are also available if you request one before January 1.
  • Christopher Newport: on campus and virtual through February.
  • Reed: suggested deadlines are December 1 (ED), December 10 (EA), and January 31 (RD).
  • Trinity College (CT): through the final application deadline.
  • University of San Diego: virtual with your counselor, any time.
  • Wake Forest: virtual interviews, requested through your status portal within five days of applying. The last day to request one is November 18.

Also worth checking: Bentley, Chapman, Denison, Dickinson, Hillsdale, Lehigh, Seton Hall, Southwestern, St. John's College, St. Olaf, Syracuse, and Virginia Military Institute.

Colleges that have moved away from interviews

Brown ended alumni interviews in 2022, Columbia in 2023, and Northwestern in October 2024. Penn stopped offering alumni conversations to applicants beginning with the 2025-26 cycle. Northwestern's dean has cautioned that Glimpse shouldn't be seen as a replacement for those interviews.

Last updated September 2026