Why have some schools discontinued alumni interviews?

[Anonymous]

They make it sound like an equity issue. Can someone explain what the issue is?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They make it sound like an equity issue. Can someone explain what the issue is?

My guess is the implicit bias of alumni who don’t represent current day diversity. It would increase chances of selecting students of the same backgrounds as traditional alumni. It might also discourage diverse candidates.

[Anonymous]

Alimni interviews are just vehicles to feed the egos of alums

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Alimni interviews are just vehicles to feed the egos of alums

Exactly. They're long been an alumni engagement tool with little to no impact on admissions decisions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Alimni interviews are just vehicles to feed the egos of alums

Exactly. They're long been an alumni engagement tool with little to no impact on admissions decisions. [/quote]

True . . and the alumni are almost always white

[Anonymous]

Isn't it also because they don't have the bandwidth to interview everyone so its not equitable if everyone doesn't have the opportunity?

[Anonymous]

Because alums are sick and tired of interviewing hopeful kids for nothing when the acceptance rates are so low. There is no sense of fulfillment when you take time of your day to talk to all kinds of bright, eager young people, many of whom deserve a spot, knowing not one of them is going to get admitted, because the one spot they're all vying for is probably tied up with some hooked candidate. So my guess is, many alums just quit.

[Anonymous]

Alumn

[Anonymous]

Because we all realized what a crock it was when year after year we saw more-deserving applicants -- applicants for whom admission to a T20 school would truly be life-changing -- passed over for boring wealthy kids (not necessarily legacy.)

At least that's why I discontinued interviewing for my alma mater.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because alums are sick and tired of interviewing hopeful kids for nothing when the acceptance rates are so low. There is no sense of fulfillment when you take time of your day to talk to all kinds of bright, eager young people, many of whom deserve a spot, knowing not one of them is going to get admitted, because the one spot they're all vying for is probably tied up with some hooked candidate. So my guess is, many alums just quit.

Bingo

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because alums are sick and tired of interviewing hopeful kids for nothing when the acceptance rates are so low. There is no sense of fulfillment when you take time of your day to talk to all kinds of bright, eager young people, many of whom deserve a spot, knowing not one of them is going to get admitted, because the one spot they're all vying for is probably tied up with some hooked candidate. So my guess is, many alums just quit.

This is exactly why my husband quit doing them.

[Anonymous]

I hope so. My colleague interviews for her T10 and she is so dismissive of students who are not like her own circle, particularly those who don’t go to what she considers the “right” schools. She is exactly who you do not want having any influence on who gets admitted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because alums are sick and tired of interviewing hopeful kids for nothing when the acceptance rates are so low. There is no sense of fulfillment when you take time of your day to talk to all kinds of bright, eager young people, many of whom deserve a spot, knowing not one of them is going to get admitted, because the one spot they're all vying for is probably tied up with some hooked candidate. So my guess is, many alums just quit.

That's why I quit. It was a waste of everyone's time, mine and the applicants.

[Anonymous]

Schools are overwhelmed with applicants now. There aren’t enough alumni to interview everyone.

[Anonymous]

I was under the impression a lot of schools still did alumni interviews ? Who has stopped ?