Is Carnegie Mellon or Columbia better for college interviews?

The biggest practical difference is that Columbia may offer an optional alumni interview as one small part of its application, while Carnegie Mellon does not use a general undergraduate admissions interview.

Columbia’s interviews are evaluative but low-stakes. The interviewer submits feedback to admissions, but the interview is not a decisive hurdle. Applicants should not treat an invitation as a sign of likely admission or a lack of invitation as negative. A thoughtful, natural conversation about your interests, activities, and reasons for applying is more useful than rehearsed answers.

Carnegie Mellon’s process removes that variable entirely for most applicants. Certain specialized programs can require or recommend additional artistic or portfolio-based components, but those are not the same as a general alumni interview and should be checked by school or program.