Alumni Interviews - Lack of Consistency and Quality

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC attends a Big 3. Friends report alumni interviews are frustrating. Many arrive late. Many are too old to know what is happening with curriculum/campus. Many happening on a work day so people are tired and distracted. So do they count or not ?

How dare the alumni of highly selective schools subject Big 3 seniors to such travesty! Didn't they ever hear of Big 3?

The Big 3 part has nothing to do with it. What does is having alumni showing up late, being misinformed, and otherwise grouchy. Hit the road.

Right, so why does OP mention it? I’ll guess it gets mentioned a lot when it isn’t relevant. ‘Hey did you watch El Camino? My kid at a big 3 said it’s great.’

The context is a familiarity with a pool of kids that are applying to more selective schools and experiencing more alumni interviews, than say a school where most students are gunning for the state flagship. My kids are more the latter, and I think it's of some relevance. Nitpicking is more grating than the comment.

State flagship alumni interviews? Is that even a thing?

No it's not! That's the point, big 3 parents *will* hear more stories. At a large public HS, there might not be enough scuttlebutt to provoke the question. That's context--whether offhand or backhanded, it's relevant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC attends a Big 3. Friends report alumni interviews are frustrating. Many arrive late. Many are too old to know what is happening with curriculum/campus. Many happening on a work day so people are tired and distracted. So do they count or not ?

How dare the alumni of highly selective schools subject Big 3 seniors to such travesty! Didn't they ever hear of Big 3?

The Big 3 part has nothing to do with it. What does is having alumni showing up late, being misinformed, and otherwise grouchy. Hit the road.

Right, so why does OP mention it? I’ll guess it gets mentioned a lot when it isn’t relevant. ‘Hey did you watch El Camino? My kid at a big 3 said it’s great.’

The context is a familiarity with a pool of kids that are applying to more selective schools and experiencing more alumni interviews, than say a school where most students are gunning for the state flagship. My kids are more the latter, and I think it's of some relevance. Nitpicking is more grating than the comment.

State flagship alumni interviews? Is that even a thing?

No it's not! That's the point, big 3 parents *will* hear more stories. At a large public HS, there might not be enough scuttlebutt to provoke the question. That's context--whether offhand or backhanded, it's relevant.

Gotcha. Attention, those who don’t go to a big 3. This doesn’t apply to you.

[Anonymous]

Big 3. What a collection of douchebags.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC attends a Big 3. Friends report alumni interviews are frustrating. Many arrive late. Many are too old to know what is happening with curriculum/campus. Many happening on a work day so people are tired and distracted. So do they count or not ?

“Friends report”? Really?

Really.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They’re pointless. I quit doing them.

Me too. They're totally pointless, and more to engage the alumni.

I know of two instances where people had interviewers that were openly sexist and racist. One made comments about how he opposed interracial marriage to a non-white candidate and asked that candidate their view on interracial marriage. Another spent the entire interview reminiscing about hooking up with women from the women's college nearby. Both candidates got in to the university.

[Anonymous]

This thread is a bunch of people who think they've discovered fire for the first time. Alumni interviews are what they have always been.

[Anonymous]

h

Anonymous wrote:Wow. Some of you are amazing. The universities have a commodity that you want (admission) that is hard to get (around 5% admission rate). Dealing with adults, being expected to function through an interview, and possibly having your snowflakes deal with someone who is not perfectly curated by you (gasp, may not have all the same word choices that you would make) is part of life. At this point, you have to sell the schools on you, not the other way around. You want a campus tour, take a campus tour.

I agree that the interview doesn’t really help you get in, but boy can it keep you out. Most of the kids I interview show up on time and are polite, and some of them haven’t even been programmed to death and can hold a conversation. But the ones who ghost, can’t figure out how to respond to an email, or otherwise behave immaturely have it noted and admissions goes on to the next candidate. And the interviewer is not impressed by your school - we see a ton of kids just like you, and for all you know we went there and sent our kids there.

If it can keep you out and not get you in, why would any student agree to participate in alumni interview? I seriously do not understand the advantage? After the process from he** to try to get access to an elite educational institution, why risk it on an alumni interview that can not assist with admission? Does anyone understand why students should do these interviews?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:h

Anonymous wrote:Wow. Some of you are amazing. The universities have a commodity that you want (admission) that is hard to get (around 5% admission rate). Dealing with adults, being expected to function through an interview, and possibly having your snowflakes deal with someone who is not perfectly curated by you (gasp, may not have all the same word choices that you would make) is part of life. At this point, you have to sell the schools on you, not the other way around. You want a campus tour, take a campus tour.

I agree that the interview doesn’t really help you get in, but boy can it keep you out. Most of the kids I interview show up on time and are polite, and some of them haven’t even been programmed to death and can hold a conversation. But the ones who ghost, can’t figure out how to respond to an email, or otherwise behave immaturely have it noted and admissions goes on to the next candidate. And the interviewer is not impressed by your school - we see a ton of kids just like you, and for all you know we went there and sent our kids there.

If it can keep you out and not get you in, why would any student agree to participate in alumni interview? I seriously do not understand the advantage? After the process from he** to try to get access to an elite educational institution, why risk it on an alumni interview that can not assist with admission? Does anyone understand why students should do these interviews?

You make a good point. Would love to hear from someone who is or was on an adcom on the actual value of this process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:h

Anonymous wrote:Wow. Some of you are amazing. The universities have a commodity that you want (admission) that is hard to get (around 5% admission rate). Dealing with adults, being expected to function through an interview, and possibly having your snowflakes deal with someone who is not perfectly curated by you (gasp, may not have all the same word choices that you would make) is part of life. At this point, you have to sell the schools on you, not the other way around. You want a campus tour, take a campus tour.

I agree that the interview doesn’t really help you get in, but boy can it keep you out. Most of the kids I interview show up on time and are polite, and some of them haven’t even been programmed to death and can hold a conversation. But the ones who ghost, can’t figure out how to respond to an email, or otherwise behave immaturely have it noted and admissions goes on to the next candidate. And the interviewer is not impressed by your school - we see a ton of kids just like you, and for all you know we went there and sent our kids there.

If it can keep you out and not get you in, why would any student agree to participate in alumni interview? I seriously do not understand the advantage? After the process from he** to try to get access to an elite educational institution, why risk it on an alumni interview that can not assist with admission? Does anyone understand why students should do these interviews?

Yes, because it checks a box. It isn't going to boost an application, but blowing it off, or showing up and acting like an ass can detract.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:h

Anonymous wrote:Wow. Some of you are amazing. The universities have a commodity that you want (admission) that is hard to get (around 5% admission rate). Dealing with adults, being expected to function through an interview, and possibly having your snowflakes deal with someone who is not perfectly curated by you (gasp, may not have all the same word choices that you would make) is part of life. At this point, you have to sell the schools on you, not the other way around. You want a campus tour, take a campus tour.

I agree that the interview doesn’t really help you get in, but boy can it keep you out. Most of the kids I interview show up on time and are polite, and some of them haven’t even been programmed to death and can hold a conversation. But the ones who ghost, can’t figure out how to respond to an email, or otherwise behave immaturely have it noted and admissions goes on to the next candidate. And the interviewer is not impressed by your school - we see a ton of kids just like you, and for all you know we went there and sent our kids there.

If it can keep you out and not get you in, why would any student agree to participate in alumni interview? I seriously do not understand the advantage? After the process from he** to try to get access to an elite educational institution, why risk it on an alumni interview that can not assist with admission? Does anyone understand why students should do these interviews?

Yes, because it checks a box. It isn't going to boost an application, but blowing it off, or showing up and acting like an ass can detract.

I see that but if checking that box confers no advantage but risks harming the applicant why participate? Of course you don't not show up or act like and ass. Politely decline for a good reason and let the experienced admission committee do their thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:h

Anonymous wrote:Wow. Some of you are amazing. The universities have a commodity that you want (admission) that is hard to get (around 5% admission rate). Dealing with adults, being expected to function through an interview, and possibly having your snowflakes deal with someone who is not perfectly curated by you (gasp, may not have all the same word choices that you would make) is part of life. At this point, you have to sell the schools on you, not the other way around. You want a campus tour, take a campus tour.

I agree that the interview doesn’t really help you get in, but boy can it keep you out. Most of the kids I interview show up on time and are polite, and some of them haven’t even been programmed to death and can hold a conversation. But the ones who ghost, can’t figure out how to respond to an email, or otherwise behave immaturely have it noted and admissions goes on to the next candidate. And the interviewer is not impressed by your school - we see a ton of kids just like you, and for all you know we went there and sent our kids there.

If it can keep you out and not get you in, why would any student agree to participate in alumni interview? I seriously do not understand the advantage? After the process from he** to try to get access to an elite educational institution, why risk it on an alumni interview that can not assist with admission? Does anyone understand why students should do these interviews?

Yes, because it checks a box. It isn't going to boost an application, but blowing it off, or showing up and acting like an ass can detract.

I see that but if checking that box confers no advantage but risks harming the applicant why participate? Of course you don't not show up or act like and ass. Politely decline for a good reason and let the experienced admission committee do their thing.

I think declining will be viewed negatively. Also,they'll reschedule if you can't make your scheduled slot. At least this was true of the school I interviewed for. They interviewed pretty much 100 percent of applicants in this area.

[Anonymous]

"I see that but if checking that box confers no advantage but risks harming the applicant why participate? Of course you don't not show up or act like and ass. Politely decline for a good reason and let the experienced admission committee do their thing."

While there exists a hypothetical group that gets knocked out by making a mistake in the interview, most likely, any mistake unforgivable enough will almost certainly be echoed somewhere else in the application.

The unforgivable echo sitting there on the page will be the deal breaker.

Further, checking the box ABSOLUTELY confers an advantage FOR ALL SCHOOLS.

However, the advantage only applies to a very narrow set of applicants.

It only matters for the hypothetical group at the edge of acceptance who could be said to have all other things equal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:h

Anonymous wrote:Wow. Some of you are amazing. The universities have a commodity that you want (admission) that is hard to get (around 5% admission rate). Dealing with adults, being expected to function through an interview, and possibly having your snowflakes deal with someone who is not perfectly curated by you (gasp, may not have all the same word choices that you would make) is part of life. At this point, you have to sell the schools on you, not the other way around. You want a campus tour, take a campus tour.

I agree that the interview doesn’t really help you get in, but boy can it keep you out. Most of the kids I interview show up on time and are polite, and some of them haven’t even been programmed to death and can hold a conversation. But the ones who ghost, can’t figure out how to respond to an email, or otherwise behave immaturely have it noted and admissions goes on to the next candidate. And the interviewer is not impressed by your school - we see a ton of kids just like you, and for all you know we went there and sent our kids there.

If it can keep you out and not get you in, why would any student agree to participate in alumni interview? I seriously do not understand the advantage? After the process from he** to try to get access to an elite educational institution, why risk it on an alumni interview that can not assist with admission? Does anyone understand why students should do these interviews?

Yes, because it checks a box. It isn't going to boost an application, but blowing it off, or showing up and acting like an ass can detract.

I see that but if checking that box confers no advantage but risks harming the applicant why participate? Of course you don't not show up or act like and ass. Politely decline for a good reason and let the experienced admission committee do their thing.

I think declining will be viewed negatively. Also,they'll reschedule if you can't make your scheduled slot. At least this was true of the school I interviewed for. They interviewed pretty much 100 percent of applicants in this area.

OK. I hear you but am wary of this process based on things I am reading here. A kid may be a rockstar but if he or she becomes subjected to any unconscious bias through no fault of their own, that could b e catastrophic problem. One poster here is clearly biased against private school kids, Another is probably biased against pubic school kids. Another may be biased against catholic school kids or athletes or non- athletes or girls or boys or tall kids or short kids - the list goes on and on.

[Anonymous]

Serious question: What is a Big 3?

[Anonymous]

Going through the process for the second time.

Would say that doing an interview on campus is the best option if available. On the first go round DC#1 met mostly with alums 3-5 years out which was great. On this go-round with DC#2 the pool so far has been older, like 10 years out.

OP I know you are past it but Yale does offer the option to interview on campus. Actually it's probably one of the few Ivies that does I think.

Being interviewed by a current student (seniors in Yale's case) is actually pretty tough and I would guess that their opinion might hold more weight than a more distant alum. Maybe someone could chime in on that.