<p>My son had an alumni interview with one of the Ivies and we feel inappropriate questions were asked. I would appreciate feedback if, indeed, something is out of the ordinary and if we should do anything.</p>
<p>Interviewer: I see you're interested in Bio-medical engineering. Can you tell me why?
Son: Well, I've always liked math and science.
Interviewer: What do you mean that guys like Math and Science?
Son: I don't think that's what I said. I said- I've always like math and science
Interviewer: Are you calling me a liar?
(At which point my son was speechless)</p>
<p>The conversation turned to religion and my son talked about his faith in God.
Interviewer: So do you think God would be pleased with your studying B-M engineering? I mean, making artificial blood is like playing God, isn't it? And how would you deal with human testing in 3rd world countries?</p>
<p>I think the interview kinda went south after that. At the end, my son apologized that if he did say "guys" that he was sorry. The interviewer replied "Consider the Freudian slip". </p>
<p>My son shared this experience with his HS counselor who advised him to call the university admission office to relay concerns about the questions and the behavior of the interviewer. We feel this may not be a good idea. Our primary reason for communicating with the university is to say this alumni interviewer is not doing a good job and as a former alumni myself, we feel she does not represent the university well. I'm thinking we would wait until the decision letter comes out before contacting the university.</p>
<p>But of course, we're concerned about the negative impact this bad interview may have for our son.</p>
<p>Any advice on the best course of action (if any)?</p>
<p>I cannot imagine an alum trying to intimidate a HS senior - that is just pathetic! I think it would be appropriate for he GC to contact the school and relay the concerns. It reflects poorly on the school and they should be made aware. Best of luck to your S!</p>
<p>I think colleges want to know about rogue interviewers. I would contact admissions now if I were in your situation. </p>
<p>Having the GC do it is ideal, but if your GC doesnât do that kind of thing you could do it yourself - trying to keep a light touch, not so much upset as concerned and puzzled about those commentsâŠ</p>
<p>Is something out of the ordinary? Yes. I am a former alumni interviewer, and intimidating or chastising applicants was definitely NOT in the training we received.</p>
<p>What do do about it? Thereâs a delicate line to walk - the university needs to know about it, but you donât want to sound whiny. Then thereâs the question of who should report this.</p>
<p>Iâd say either your GC or you should report it. Normally Iâd say parents should stay out of admissions issues, but since you said you are an alumni of this university, I think you can approach it from that point of view. Perhaps you can call admissions, ask if they know how long this interviewer has been doing interviews and if theyâve received any feedback from other applicants. Iâm sure the admissions person will ask you why you are asking these questions, and you can reply that from what youâve been told, this interviewer is not representing the university the way you believe it would like to be represented. Keep it from the point of view of the good of the university, and leave the impact on your son out of the conversation.</p>
<p>Good luck. This person should not be doing interviews, IMHO.</p>
<p>My child also had a highly inappropriate alumni interview with a (top 10) university. The interviewer discussed all of the other applicants he had met from the school, and asked for opinions on the other studentsâ qualifications! I complained to the GC who talked to the university.</p>
<p>Same with my daughter, except that the interviewer spent most of the time talking about how wonderful a specific applicant from her school was and was uninterested in asking questions about my daughter.</p>
<p>Talk to them! Why would you not? Wouldnât you want other kids to avoid this? Do you really think the school would not want to know? Or good lord, it might hurt your kidâs âChancesâ? And if so, is this the kind of place youd want your kid to develop over four years. </p>
<p>Dont be mamby pamby. people donât have to suck up this bad to a university!</p>
<p>I would tell the university right away! You never even have to mention your sonâfollow Lafalum84âs advice about how to go about this. Or you could come right out and ask. Call them up and say your son (but donât give them his name) has had a bad experience with an alumni interviewer. Explain you donât want to jeopardize your sonâs chances by complaining, and ask what their typical course of action is. They will probably assure you that telling about your sonâs poor interview will not negatively impact his application, at which point you could go into more detail. But whether you include specifics or use vague terms, you should do this RIGHT NOW. That way you make sure it DOESNâT hurt your sonâs app!!!</p>
<p>If you have genuine concerns, it is better to contact the university now rather than later  if you wait until after admissions decisions come out and your S doesnÂt get in, your feedback on the interviewer will look like a case of sour grapes. Lafalum84 makes the very good point that you can use your alum status as a way to raise this issue. (Too bad the counsellor wonÂt make the call  that would be ideal) I did want to say that as an alumna interviewer myself, I think it is entirely OK for interviewers to ask challenging questions  the biomedical-faith line of discussion doesnÂt strike me as inappropriate. That misunderstanding about the Âguys comment definitely sounds weird though. Finally, this interview might not have been as âdisastrousâ as your S thought - it sounds as though he held his own and managed to be courteous. Those other interviews reported here - where other students were discussed - now those interviewers should be reported, no question!</p>
<p>Maybe the alum just had a weird sense of humor? I do alum interviews myself for an Ivy and they do not count for a lot in admissions decisions. It seems like it was obnoxious but not outrageous. But your son should be the judge of whether he wants to complain to admissions.</p>
<p>re: the âguysâ commentâŠthe OP never said if the interviewer was a man or a woman. If a young man made a âguysâ comment, as a woman, I probably would have called the young man on it.</p>
<p>I donât think my son had a single alumni interview that he didnât think was intimidating or mildly confrontational, if not inappropriate in some way. Best case scenario the person was nice, but asked where else he was applying and directly questioned him as to where in his ranking of preference the interviewerâs school sat. That was pretty awkward. For top schools, they do want to see what youâre made of and I think thatâs fine. Theyâre looking for the sharpest students who will best take advantage of the challenge. Thus, a kid is not going to be able to get away with a wimpy career interest answer like âWell, Iâve always wanted to help people,â or, frankly, your sonâs answer. Also, if the student says heâs interested in x field, the interviewer will likely ask him a pertinent, technical question about that field, such as an opinion on a recent related news story. If the kid hadnât heard about that story or doesnât comprehend the nature of the question, well then his interest in the field looks weak or he looks too average in intelligence for a top school. </p>
<p>Since itâs possible the interviewer heard âguys are alwaysâ when your son actually said âIâve alwaysâ (and maybe he was nervous and stumbled or mumbled), or that she was making a bad joke, I also donât think that exchange is too terrible. </p>
<p>So, I guess Iâm saying I donât see anything particularly glaring about this interview based on our own experience.</p>
<p>I disagree that alumni interviews for top schools are or should be about testing whether an applicant is going to give a âwimpyâ answer or rise to a challenge. My brother interviews for a top 10 LAC and that is not at all what he is doing, or is expected to do. He is looking for fit. </p>
<p>And if that is what some schools are expecting of their alumni interviewers, I am disappointed. An 18 year old is supposed to give a strong, definitive answer about what he or she wants to do in life? College should be about exploring. How many people change their major many times? So, applicants who want to explore should give a BS answer so that they look decisive to an interviewer?</p>
<p>This is a teaching moment for your son, however you want to handle it. In life he will always encounter difficult people and tough situations, but he has the right to be treated with respect. In this case, he didnât feel he has. </p>
<p>When D1 was applying to colleges, she was interviewed by almost every school she applied to. She thought most of them had some tough questions, but all interviewers were very pleasant and reassuring. Her least favorite was the Harvard interviewer. D1 thought she was rude and asked some inappropriate questions, but D1 viewed it more of the woman just didnât know better (she was rather awkward as a person).</p>
<p>I agree with everyone who says you should call right away and use your alumni status. The interviewer may easily have misheard your sonâthe words sound quite similarâbut her reaction was over the top. I see nothing wrong withâcivillyâchallenging a kid who actually says âguysâ are interested in math and science, but she then should have accepted his clarification politely, not gone off the deep end. Sounds to me as if she had a chip on her shoulder going in. </p>
<p>I also agree that it would be completely appropriate for an interviewer to ask the God/science questions of an interviewee who professed interest in science and faith in god as his major interestsâwhich apparently your S did. BUT such questions should be posed in a thoughtful and civil manner, not in a hostile way.</p>
<p>Like Hunt, Iâd be very concerned about the report. Her âfreudian slipâ comment at the end shows that she persisted in believing that your son is actively sexist in his thinking, and if she reports that it could be a major detriment to his application. </p>
<p>In addition, other kids should not be subjected to this kind of thing.</p>
<p>I guess I overlooked that accusation and do agree that it was completely inappropriate. That could make me change my mind on this I suppose. Still, maybe the conversation was stilted and boring and s/he was just trying to stir the pot and get a rise out of the kid? After all, heâs applying to an Ivy League school with a possible interest in biomed. eng. and the best answer he could give an interviewer as to why thatâs his interest, is that heâs always liked math and science? That field has got to be one of the most exciting and cutting edge in todayâs world, and theoretically heâs supposed to be one of the best and brightest high schoolers. So can you see how answers like that might have frustrated a proud Ivy gradâsomeone who considers himself to be an important person whose time is too valuable to waste interviewing kids who he thinks arenât really cut out for his school? Iâm not making excuses for the rudeness, but arrogance is not uncommon among Ivy grads, and my son encountered it at every single Ivy interview.</p>
<p>At each interview, my son had to answer questions about his interests, and they werenât easy questions. No one who hadnât read a moderate amount about those interests would have been able to answer well. Maybe thatâs not what these interviews are supposed to be like, but itâs what they all were. And that does relate to fit. They want to build a vibrant, intellectual community of students who can intelligently discuss issues.</p>