My parents have a friend who is a Brown alum and who is very involved in the college process. She regularly gives interviews for Brown, and gives my parents tips about what to do in the college process.
She told them that alumni interviews were basically worthless except for tipping people over the edge in extreme cases.
So my question is, should I still schedule them? I have for most schools, but I can not reach my Wellesley interviewer (any tips on what to do for that?) and I’m not sure I really want to do an interview for Mt. Holyoke. Should I?
I’d appreciate your insight/experience. Thank you!
<p>The interview gives also gives you the opportunity to see the school through another set of lenses and gives you the opportunity to ask thse last nagging questions. T</p>
<p>If you have tried to reach your Wellesley interviewer and she has not responded you might want to get in touch with the admissions office and see if there is something they can do at their end--just be really nice about it so there is no implication that the interviewer has screwed up by not getting in touch with you (although it is possible she has!). The quality of alumni interviewers can be uneven. </p>
<p>As far as the MH interview, I think not interviewing shows a certain lack of interest in a given school, so if you are clearly intersted in MH you should pursue the interview there to avoid seeming negative about it. And as Sybbie points out, it may give you an added perspective on the school in any case.</p>
<p>Do the interviewers. They can't hurt. You may find out things you didn't know before. Experience interviewing/being interviewed--and it <em>is</em> a two-way transaction--is useful Life Experience.</p>
<p>It depends (as always). At Williams and Amherst, they don't count ANY interviews, even those done by the adcoms. They felt it gve too much advantage to their "old boys networks". At Smith, interviews can weigh heavily, though not usually alumni interviews, EXCEPT....in certain areas (Seattle being the example), there is an alumni interviewer who has been working directly with the admissions office for more than 35 years, and her interviews definitely count. (Interviews at Smith, generally speaking, are worth more than SATs.)</p>
<p>The point is - it varies. Take every opportunity you can, and let the chips fall where they may.</p>