New tool for the college interview: a webcam

The sweaty-palmed college interview just got a little more comfortable at Wake Forest University.

Starting this month, any applicant can request a virtual interview with a Wake Forest admissions officer via webcam and the Internet. It's part of the university's new admissions process that emphasizes personal interaction and no longer requires applicants to submit SAT or ACT test scores.

Peter Chawaga, 17, was interviewed from the warmth of the family room in his home in Haverford, Pa. He applied to Wake Forest this fall and was among the first 30 prospective students to take part in the long-distance experiment.

One afternoon after school, Chawaga sat down at his computer, making sure to shut his mischievous cat, Macy, out of the room. He took a deep breath and, looking into the Web camera, answered the admissions counselor's questions about his family, his neighborhood and the qualities he would bring to a Wake Forest classroom.

The half-hour interview was pretty nerve-wracking -- at first, Chawaga said.

"It was in the comfort of my own home and I didn't have to go meet them," he said. "It became less like a formal interview and more like chatting online with my friends."

Wake Forest still encourages applicants to come to the Winston-Salem campus for a face-to-face meeting, but the virtual interview is a good option for international students or those who don't have the time or money to make the trip, said Martha Allman, the university's admissions director.

David Hawkins, public policy director of the National Association of College Admission Counseling, said he knew of no other colleges using webcams for student interviews. But for years now, college students in the United States have turned to the Internet to find their dream campus -- using virtual tours, chat rooms, online applications. They've been known to e-mail professors to find out about academic programs before setting foot on campus, so it's not surprising that the virtual interview has arrived.

"It's kind of interesting that we're using the technology to be more personal," Allman said. "It allows the personality to come through and it allows us to ask them questions."

A more thorough view

The interview has become more important for Wake Forest in assessing the caliber of students beyond the sterile stats of a high school transcript. In May, the university announced it would no longer require applicants to submit SAT or ACT test scores for admission, citing research that shows the tests favor affluent students and aren't the best predictors of college success.

Such test-optional policies are becoming more common at schools across the United States, but Wake Forest was the first top-30 U.S. News & World Report ranked university to make the decision. The policy garnered national publicity for the university, which has seen a 22 percent jump in applications for the early deadline, Nov. 15.

The admissions staff is swamped, processing applications and conducting interviews, both in person and via webcam.

Since June, Wake Forest has conducted 3,000 interviews with prospective students, both the old-fashioned method and the newfangled way. In a two-day period this week, after the university announced the virtual option, some 40 applicants scheduled interviews.

Many, though, aren't just relying on their charm to make the sale. So far, Allman said, the majority of applicants are still submitting test scores.

Chawaga was happy with his 1360 combined verbal and math score on the SAT, so he sent it in.

But he also wasn't about to turn down an interview for a spot in next year's freshman class.

"It felt like a real conversation," he said. "It was definitely a lot better than I thought it would be."

Some of the questions were unorthodox. He was asked to rate his geekiness on a scale of one to 10.

Seven, he replied.

"I'm a big sci-fi nerd and I love comic books," he recalled saying, "but I'm also a sports junkie, too."

The high-tech chat must have been a success.

A few weeks ago, Chawaga received word -- he got in.